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SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE SHOULD IMPROVE THE LIVES OF PEOPLE AND COMMUNITIES By Jacques Lange
work has been featured in more than 30 books and professional journals. Professional acclaim and media exposure do, however, not drive Smuts’s career or that of her architecture practice, which she founded in 1982. Her focus remains on utilising architecture as a means of improving the lives of people and communities and the portfolio of over 100 completed projects is testament to that: low cost housing, community centres, schools, prisons, restoration of historical buildings and other renewal projects, to mention just a few. These are surely not the kind of projects that appeal to ambitious architects who are intent on building grand names for themselves because such projects mostly have small budgets and
are located in places with minor prominence such as small towns or townships with no opportunity to design traditional monumental structures. Yet, this is exactly the domain where Carin Smuts thrives as a genius. Working with small budgets, she creates sustainable architectural magic in unusual places. CS Studio Architects has a record of producing innovative, cost-effective design solutions with a reputation of moving beyond conventional architectural practices because of its unique approach, which involves all stakeholders in the creative processes of planning, design and construction. The focus is on an interactive participative process rather than solely on an end product.