An Interview with

Mathews + Associates Architects was founded in 2000, following a five-year partnership of Mathews and Gerber. Our intent has always been to make architecture more accessible and bring it into the public realm. When the firm was first formed, there was a desire to break away from the “Tuscan“ style of the 90s and explore an alternative aesthetic, rooted in Africa.

The construction industry finds itself in dire straits. I believe the future of the profession lies in our ability to engage more in divergent activities and to be open to explore alternatives. Rather than specialising in one architectural typology, our firm takes on diverse projects and also dabbles in curation, publishing and corporate identity.

I see a growing rise in refurbishments and smallscale design projects. People are spending more time at home and are willing to pay for quality ‘jewellery-like’ design for more intimate spaces. I believe that home studies and studios are the foreseeable future of small architecture firms.

Our firm annually hosts an open day for learners and students who are interested in studying architecture. This full day exposes the learners to the industry, our work environment and the architect's process. The day includes a student brief and a certificate required by tertiary institutions for student applications. We have hosted this open day for more than a decade and have heard of many of our attendees completing their studies and continuing a career in architecture.

The role of the architect is to contribute to a built environment with spaces that offer people meaningful experiences. I believe that buildings should tell stories, stories of place, history, context, and institutional ambition. This adds a special dimension to functional structures. My mantra is that a brick in a poetic building costs exactly the same as a brick in a mundane building.

We have experience in a variety of typologies, but two stand out in our portfolio, namely educational buildings and transport architecture.

At the moment, two transport projects are under construction. The largest is the Wonderboom Intermodal Facility in Pretoria North that will form a gateway to the CBD and terminal for the North-South line of the Tshwane BRT system. The other project is the Hand Bridge in Musina which forms part of the SANRAL (Soc) Pty Ltd Musina Bypass project. Both of these projects serve as landmarks along important transportation routes.

Educational architecture is also important, and we have a lot of experience in this field, the Javett: UP was even featured in the June 2020 issue of Pro Landscaper. The Art Campus of the Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool was awarded the SAIA award for Best Educational Building in 2016. At their sister school across the road, we have completed five buildings, transforming the school campus. These projects included additions and alterations to the hall, a swimming pool and pavilion, a sports centre and an afterschool facility and cafeteria. We are currently busy with three new buildings on the North West University Vaal Campus.

We’re interested in this type of work because it serves a greater community and has the potential to influence and better the lives of South Africans in ways we do not even necessarily anticipate.

Mathews and Gerber’s first project was a small ablution block in Atteridgeville, Pretoria. When Mathews + Associates Architects was founded, we entered the residential market, specifically building well-designed houses on a budget. Eventually the residential market led us to larger projects, commercial at first and later more public work.

I built two houses for myself on a very limited budget in the 90s which felt like a great achievement at the time. Apart from that, I would have to say that being the curator for the official South African Pavilion at the 2016 Venice Biennale was a highlight. Furthermore, the Memory Box TRT stations that are dotted throughout the Pretoria CBD in historically sensitive locations and the Nellmapius Bridge which serves as Southern gateway to Pretoria, were two other design privileges I was lucky to see completed. KEE Enterprises, a commercial building with a sculptural intent is another. Of course, the Javett Art Centre at the University of Pretoria was a great achievement and the new Administration Building for the NWU Vaal Campus is just one of the latest to be proud of.

Paradoxically, I see the outdoor, in between spaces, where people meet and socialise as the most inclusive spaces. Oftentimes the interior spaces are dictated by the demands of the programme, but the exterior spaces are the ones we all engage with. These should not be seen as leftover space, but as spaces that allow us to socialise, rest and come into contact with the façade and the sculptural qualities of a building. We design with a cognisance of embodied experience, seasonal impact and shadows and light that make us aware of the here and the now.

We are always open to collaborations and enjoy interacting with other disciplines. A signature of our work and working process is our collaborations with artists and sculptors, which we’d like to continue and expand. I find they give a fresh perspective and add another layer to the thought process. Our work is often designed with specific artworks or potential artworks in mind. A good example of this is Marco Cianfanelli’s artwork for the Rivonia Trial Station across from the Old Synagogue. His sculpture points to the Palace of Justice in Church Square where Nelson Mandela’s verdict was read, and in doing so connects the station to the history of the city and reveals historic events often forgotten.

Any institution should have a development plan. However, I am wary of development plans based on theory and bird’s eye observations. We have found that working on a smaller scale asks one to observe and investigate existing patterns of use which often leads to alternative proposals not necessarily envisioned in a master plan. For example, the master plan for the Afrikaanse Hoër Meisieskool proposed additions to the school hall alongside the existing footprint, but when visiting during a break time I observed that the learners use the lawn area to socialise. This led to the decision to propose a gallery space extension above the existing footprint to preserve this communal space. NWU Vaa l Campus, new administrati on building Q: How do you think the building industry will overcome COVID-19, and what are some of the key take-aways for your firm? The building industry has suffered tremendously under COVID-19 and wide-

spread corruption. I believe large practices are finding it more difficult than smaller firms which are slightly more agile as their overheads tend to be less. I believe the future of architectural practices lie in a freelancing model in which various contract workers form large units as and when needed, while sharing space and working individually on a day-to-day basis. The office environment has changed, but I still like to go to the office to have a morning coffee and chat. Creativity is fuelled by these sorts of interactions.

A major goal in our firm is to become even more divergent – with the type of work we take on, the industries in which we are involved as well as the collaborators we partner with. We seek opportunities to add value to the built and public environment, to increase public exposure and knowledge of architecture, and most importantly, not to compromise on design because of circumstances. We have also been branching out into architectural research under the umbrella of a practice-led PhD study.

The Hand Bridge, the new gateway to South Africa from Zimbabwe, should be completed by the date of publication. The Wonderboom Intermodal is also expected by the end of next year, as well as our series of buildings at the NWU Vaal Campus. Apart from the large projects, we are also working on exciting small interventions such as the refurbishment and guard house of the Flemish Delegation of the Embassy of Belgium. We made good use of the lockdown period last year and are happy to announce the launch of a retrospective architecture book, entitled Musings, published by Protea Books. It will be available at all leading bookstores nationwide shortly, so keep an eye out for it.