2008 Corobrik Architectural Student of the Year Awards

Willem Steenkamp of the University of the Free State has scooped the prestigious Corobrik Architectural Student of the Year Award for 2008 with his entry entitled 'Creating a memorable place for the Herero culture.'

Willem Steenkamp was selected from a group of seven regional finalists at a function held at the Wanderer's Club on 18 March 2009. As the national winner, he received a prize of R40 000 from Corobrik to add to his regional winnings of R5 000.

The judges selected Willem Steenkamp's entry over the others' because they felt it looked at the holistic approach architecture needs to have as part of a design philosophy.  Steenkamp was the most successful in addressing the task he set for himself; he was vigorous in his research, thorough and sensitive in his architectural solution.

A prominent theme of the event was environmental consciousness and sustainability, with many of the students' entries featuring a strong focus on sustainable design principles. Corobrik managing director, Dirk Meyer, highlighted the organisation's commitment to these important issues, including the recent Certified Emissions Reductions issued to Corobrik's Lawley factory.

Corobrik's Managing Director, Dirk Meyer said, "In our post modern age of global warming accelerated climate change and dwindling fossil fuel reserves, the built environment would appear to contribute significantly to the carbon footprint of human kind on this earth."

"Research conducted by the United Nations framework for climate change would indicate that the built environment consumes 50% of all global resources.  This staggering consumption of resources easily outdoes the resource consumption of fossil fuel based global transportation systems."

"The imperative for change and the challenge for architecture are unequivocal.  In a sense these Corobrik Awards provides a platform for intellectual discourse on the future of the built environment."

"Will the escalating context of the sustainability cause an architectural regression to modernistic function over the joy of unapologetically diverse aesthetics, collisions of styles and the adoption of form for its own sake?"

"In this debate it is Corobrik's contention, supported by independent research, that clay brick and clay pavers as a consequence of their superior aesthetic and functional properties represent one of the few building products that within an appropriate built system, provides the most sustainable solution so that both function and form can triumph in this post modern age."

Similarly, keynote speaker, Manfred Brown, director at Green by Design WSP, emphasised the role of architects in facilitating a sustainable built environment in South Africa.   In his presentation he demonstrated the effect buildings and their occupants have on the environment and how with planning the effects can be reduced. 

Brown said, "green buildings are here to stay.  The population is growing and the consumption of energy, water and pollution are at a tipping point so it is critical for economic reasons that buildings minimise their ecological impact on the environment.  Local awareness is growing and professionals need to play a significant role in adopting a sustainable philosophy as we cannot turn back the clock."

This is the twenty-second year that Corobrik has sponsored the competition, which was initiated to promote quality design and to acknowledge talent among architectural students. Thesis students from Universities and qualifying Institutes of Technology throughout South Africa are invited to submit entries for one of the seven regional competitions, the winners of which compete in the final.

As it recognises the positive impact that young graduates have on the future of the built environment, the award is coveted among architectural students and is hotly contested each year. The quality and innovation of entries increase annually and this year was no exception.

The process of selecting the winner began on Monday, 16 March, when the students gathered at the Wanderer's Club to erect scale models of their project. On Tuesday, 17 March, each finalist presented their thesis and discussed all aspects of it with a panel of four judges in an hour-long interview.

The judging panel comprised Henning Rasmuss from Paragon Architects, Karlien Thomashoff from Karlien Thomashoff Architects, Mr Babatunde Oluwa from MMA Architects in Johannesburg and Peter Kidger, of Corobrik.

The judges observed that each of the entries have great relevance for the current times and the standard remains high which is most commendable.

Henning Rasmuss commented, "The teaching cultures of the different universities is very visible and the school have an immense influence on the future careers of all their graduates."

Three hundred architectural students from various Gauteng universities and tertiary institutions attended the venue to discuss the entries with the finalists and listen to the Manfred Brown's presentation during the morning.  These students will be the practising professionals of the future so it was a particularly apt message.

Meyer concluded, "Corobrik is pleased that the awards have become so relevant in developing architecture.  The development of students is valuable to profession and the impact previous winners are making on the profession.  We look forward to seeing the finalists of 2008 will have on the impact of the built environment."

e-mail:  steenkamp_w@yahoo.com