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CARIN SMUTS
Carin Smuts, architect extraordinaire and principal at CS Studio Architects, believes that sustainable architecture involves way more than just using environmentally friendly materials and construction techniques and smart technology. For her, people are paramount when it comes to sustainable architecture. She believes that sustainability is an integrative and engaging process that focuses on a simple concept: Local – local material, local details, local people and local labour. Commenting on the state of sustainable architecture in South Africa, Smuts says, “It is sadly linked to fivestar ratings, which is a code developed in Australia. We have totally different conditions. We believe sustainability includes three aspects; environmental, social
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and economical. These are interrelated to produce holistic solutions.” Smuts has embraced this as a mantra throughout her professional career and in 2008 won the Global Award for Sustainable Architecture. In the same year she was invited to lecture at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design on Systems for inclusion, as well as at the Venice Biennale. In 2009 she was invited to be keynote speaker at the 11th Alvar Aalto Symposium themed Edge – Paracentric Architecture, as well as to present at the Conference Expo Habiter Ecoloqique – Cite de l’architecture et du patrimoine. Yet, these are just a handful of her recent accolades and since the early 90s, her practice’s