All the Corobrik Architectural Student of the Year Award finalists

8 May 2017

The 30th Corobrik Architectural Student of the Year Awards comes to its conclusion on 10 May in Johannesburg. The competition involves the country's eight major universities where the best architectural students are identified based on their final theses and presented with awards at regional events. The winners of each of the regional competitions then go on to compete for the national title.

Dirk Meyer, Corobrik’s MD commented on the excellent standard of entries for this year’s awards: “Finalists have incorporated sustainable architecture with innovation, technology and creative building design in their entries for this year’s event.”

“We are delighted that aesthetics, cost-effectiveness, durability, function and comfort have been incorporated in the regional finalists’ entries. If one defines sustainability as meeting the needs of present generations without compromising the opportunities of future generations, then this means finding the balance between building homes and a sustainable environment.”

Competing for the accolade are:

Mario van Wyk

Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in Port Elizabeth: Mario van Wyk
Thesis title: ‘Horror in Architecture’, a romantic exploration of the exquisite corpse analogy.

Kim Geldenhuys

Tshwane University of Technology: Kim Geldenhuys
Thesis title: A community food production facility in Alexandra, Gauteng.

Kenneth Main

University of Cape Town: Kenneth Main
Thesis title: Urban Acupuncture: Architecture as a catalyst for environmental and water conservation in the context of the Kilimanjaro Informal Settlement.

Darren Sampson

University of Johannesburg: Darren Sampson
Thesis title: ‘The Light House’.

Jean-Pierre Desvaux De Marigny

University of KwaZulu-Natal: Jean-Pierre Desvaux De Marigny
Thesis title: Design for [bio] – Diversity. Exploring the potential of architecture for ecological conservation.

Yvonne Bruinette

University of Pretoria: Yvonne Bruinette
Thesis title: ‘The Heritage Portal: An Experiential Narrative’ based at Westfort in Pretoria.

Lana Bramley

University of the Free State: Lana Bramley
Thesis title: Art Gallery - Questioning topographic and institutional edges by sculpting inhabitable thresholds.