Regional winner of Architectural Student of the Year Awards announced

3 Feb 2012

Pieter Jonkers from the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) is this year's regional representative at the 25th Corobrik Architectural Student of the Year Awards. His winning entry is titled "The Design of a Transportation Hub and Student Centre on the Pretoria Campus of the Tshwane University of Technology."

Allin Dangers, Corobrik director of sales for the inland region, noted that the architecture represented in the work of these young professionals was again of the highest calibre. He said that Jonkers as well as runners up Wandile Sibandze and Adrian Louw and winner of the prize for best use of clay masonry, Johan du Toit, demonstrated that future architects were embracing the sustainability agenda with environmental issues achieving equal status with functionality and aesthetics.

Winning entry focuses on the railway station at TUT

Jonkers' winning entry focuses on the design of a railway station and student centre as a place of arrival and meeting place at the Pretoria campus of the TUT. Various future developments envisaged for the campus will put more pressure on the already choked precinct. The proposal will comprise of an upgrade of the existing Metrorail station as well as an evaluation of the existing transport and parking situation.

Wandile Sibandze's thesis offers an interpretive and research centre in the Mvembili area, Swaziland. Third place, Adrian Louw's entry focuses on alternative approaches of incarceration in South African prisons. Best use of clay winner, Johan du Toit's thesis is 'The design of a music development centre in central Pretoria'.

The awards offered a R7 000 prize for the winner, a R5 000 prize for second place, a R3 000 prize for third place and a R3 000 prize for best use of clay masonry. Jonkers will represent the TUT at the national finals on 7 March 2012.