ACTIVATE CELEBRATES 20 YEARS OF HIGH
PERFORMANCE ARCHITECTURE!
This year, Activate Architecture celebrates
its twentieth year in business – and it is
doing so with an inspiring vision for the
company’s future.
Opening its doors on 3rd January 1998,
Activate started out as a collaborative of
idealistic young graduates determined to
design great buildings and make a difference;
and has grown into an award-winning
practice with noteworthy projects in the
public and commercial sectors.
Director Nhlamulo Ngobeni comments,
“The way the first group of people put
together the firm and guided it to where it
is today, is significant. Activate’s history has
been important to me because it was started
by young graduates who overcame their fear
of the unknown and took a leap of faith, and
have successfully guided and grown the
company over two decades. It’s a story
worth telling, and this journey inspires me
to be part of the company’s new evolution.”
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Key early projects were commissions for
the original Moyo at Melrose Arch and the
Forum Homini Hotel in the Cradle of
Humankind. The Lebone II College for the
Royal Bafokeng Community in Rustenberg
and the 4-Star Green Star certified SANRAL
Corporate Head Office in Tshwane were
completed in 2010 and 2012 respectively.
Recent highlights include the 5-Star Green
Star certified Baywest office for Abacus
Asset Management in Port Elizabeth,
completed in 2016; and the award-winning
Sol Plaatje New University Student Resi-
dence and Science Centre in Kimberley for
the Department of Higher Education and
Training, completed in 2017.
Activate’s original
mission of creating high
performance archi-
tecture is still what
drives the company
today. Building on a
solid base defined by
twenty years of
commitment to the
best that architecture
can offer, it is with a
real sense of potential
that Activate looks
forward to the next
twenty years. Founding
D i r e c t o r, M i c h a e l
Magner concludes, “We will continue to
evolve Activate as an engine for high
performance design, supported by the
diverse skills, interests and philosophies of
our highly dedicated team. We are excited
about this new chapter and look forward to
serving our clients with the drive and
enthusiasm that have become the hallmarks
of our work.”
For more on Activate’s journey, team and
work, visit https://youtu.be/SR7IfpE3ybY and
www.activate.co.za
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