African Design Magazine ADM #39 April 2018 | Page 47

AZA18
Daniel van
der Merwe,
who has
been a
convenor of
AZA since
its inception
in 2010,
says that his
involvement
is apparent
on two
levels: as a representative of PPC
who are sponsors of the event and
supporters of the architectural
community; and as an architect
who has a defined history within
the organisation and success of
AZA.
“The extent to which AZA has grown
and developed in the past eight
years is nothing short of fantastic.
All events have been unique,
due to the fact that a different
university/university of technology
combination is selected to host
the biennial event as a programme
director. This team is given
autonomy in terms of shaping the
theme of the event and deciding on
the speakers who will participate.
This allows them to mould the
direction of the conference in
terms of what they have identified
as being most important in the
environment. The University of
Pretoria in collaboration with
Tshwane University of Technology
is doing an excellent job this year,”
says Van der Merwe.
Marguerite Pienaar of the
University of Pretoria points out
that it was fortuitous for the
university to partner with SAIA
as the respected educational
institution celebrates its
75thbirthday. “We are able to
reflect on where we currently
are and our contribution to
architecture. We work closely
with the Tshwane University of
Technology (TUT) to determine the
relevance and contribution of what
our institutions offer and AZA18 is
an ideal all-inclusive platform for
all students in the architectural
profession.”
AZA, she says, provides
opportunities for bigger
discussions and gives students
exposure to new ways of looking
at the profession. “Together
with TUT we have discussed the
applicable content, specifically
with reference to Pretoria and
we have looked at the issues
endemic to the African city,
including urban blight and special
spatial justice and how this could
result in a theme. The result is
‘WeTheCity’, which discusses
the role of the architect, how
is it changing and how it could
potentially change. AZA provides
exposure to this concept for the
next generation of architects.
We have aligned our efforts with
the research streams within our
schools of architecture, which
focus on urban re-generation
AFRICAN DESIGN MAGAZINE © | APRIL 2018
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