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| DESIGN MATTERS ARCHITECTS |
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Design Matters Architects is characterised by a very strong
commitment to design. We believe in high quality personal service
and attention to detail at all stages of the building process,
from concept to completion.
We are interested in architecture
in its broadest sense, from the aesthetic and compositional to
historical and critical approaches to design; from the practical
and instrumental to the theoretical in postapartheid South Africa;
from building and writing to exhibitions and representation;
and from the urban constraints of cities to the rural landscapes
of southern Africa and beyond.
As a consequence of this broad
engagement we offer a full range of services, including architecture,
heritage assessment
and research, development planning, landscape and urban design,
interior architecture, sustainability planning and financial
appraisals. The practice provides the client with highly qualified
and experienced professionals, ensuring that each project has
the benefit of the full range of services by specialist professionals. |
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| 1. BEGININGS |
| Projects begin with space. The space of discussion
and assessment, the physical space of the sites, the space of
establishing a client architect relationship and the space of
creativity. This is combined with the technical aspects of deciding
on a brief, understanding the specific council regulations, constraints,
and taking time to think through planning, phasing, design and
construction concerns which are considered in conjunction in
order to produce a product that is both cost effective and of
a high quality. |
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| 2. CONCEPTS |
| Projects mature into ideas developed through understanding
the client needs, site possibilities and architectural form,
connecting people with space. Sketched out ideas become possibilities,
communicated through design concepts, ideas about building, responses
to site, concept models, plans, 3d drawings, photographs and
sketches. At the outset, design studies are undertaken to enable
a range of options to be explored. This ensures the most thorough
and cost effective solutions are produced. |
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| 3. DESIGN |
| Design development involves the imagining of
a building, the distillation of ideas, the organising of plans,
and the turning into reality. Concern for elegance, simplicity,
and efficiency extends from the concept of the building scheme
to the detailing of the smallest components. Each commission
is treated in an individual manner and enveloped through all
stages in close collaboration with the client, producing a creative
flexible scheme. |
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| 4. SOLUTIONS |
| Buildings have to be sustainable, artistically
pleasing and functionally robust. Imaginings are turned into
technical documentation, final plans, municipal approvals, construction
details, tender packages, and detailed to the smallest scale.
At this stage rational approaches to design are combined with
practical sensibility, |
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| 5. REALISATION |
| Built with care, using carefully selected and
environmentally appropriate materials, projects take shape. This
is the ‘bricks and mortar’ phase in which contract
administration is as important as site inspections and on-site
design decision-making. It is the world of building and of builders;
of selecting samples and choosing finishes and fittings; of engaging
with the creative process of construction; and the careful managing
of finances towards final completion. |
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| All work is managed personally
through these five stages by principal architects and executed
in-house in order to ensure that workloads are controlled thus
making sure that close attention is provided to each project.
Design Matters places high value on building sustainable buildings
and ensuring quality and excellence of service at all times. |
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| PRINCIPAL ARCHITECT |
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Matthew Cooke,
(Pr.Arch, B.Arch, UCT, SACAP) is a professionally registered
architect
with fifteen years experience. Architecture is a very familiar
field to Matthew who grew up surrounded by architects, both in
practice and in academia. Having travelled widely, combining
his love of mountains and architecture, and having experienced
many of the world’s best buildings and worked in the UK
he was one of the founding partners of Design Matters in 1993.
His approach to design reflects this in-depth understanding of
architecture and the making of buildings across a range of scales
from the domestic to urban and commercial projects. He has collaborated
with variously with amongst others GAPP Architects and Urban
Designers, Architects Associated, Mike Smuts Architects and Urban
Designers, Revel Fox and Partners, as well as attended courses
for a Taught Masters in Design under Prof. Roelof Uytenbogaardt
at the University of Cape Town.
mcooke@desmat.co.za |
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| STAFF ARCHITECT |
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Alan Todd,
(Pr.Arch, B.Arch, UFS, SACAP) moved to Cape Town and joined Design
Matters Architects in 2006. Combined with persuing his passions
for writing and recording music, Alan completed his architectural
degree and gained his first practice experience in Bloemfontien.
In 2007 he was registered with the South African Council for
the Architectural Profession. He has a good range of experience
and design sensibility. Within the design team, Alan is responsible
for internal management, design, co-ordination of projects as
well as ensuring a high standard of quality and efficiency.
His expereince ranges from housing projects,
to domestic houses and from heritage documentation to competition
participation. Alan works on the design team for projects and
is responsible for internal management and co-ordination in the
production and delivery of projects, ensuring a high standard
of quality and efficiency.
atodd@desmat.co.za |
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| ASSOCIATE ARCHITECT |
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Noëleen Murray, (BAS, B.Arch,
M.Arch (dist) Cape Town) joined Design Matters Architects as
an Associate in 1995. Her involvement with the practice has involved
design concept development, heritage practice, environmental
and Green planning, project management and public participation
consultancy for clients amongst others the University of Cape
Town and the Western Cape Provincial Government.
In addition
she has taught variously in the Schools of Architecture and Planning
and the Centre for African Studies at the Universities of Cape
Town, the Western Cape and the Witwatersrand and regularly acts
as an external examiner. She has published and travelled widely.
nmurray@desmat.co.za |
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