Two weeks ago today, the 2023 SCAPE Trade Show took place in Cape Town for the year’s biggest design, build and maintenance event. Following a thought-provoking line-up of seminars from trade professionals, we looked to our youth – the ‘Faces of the Future’. Reimagining Robben Island, the seven shortlisted students in the SCAPE Magazine 2023 Student Competition were honoured at an Awards Ceremony.
Bomax Architects, committed to supporting young talent and taking an interest in the future architects of our industry, proudly announces that Emmanuel Siyabonga Ndhlovu, Finalist in the Reimagine Robben Island: Faces of the Future 2023 Student Competition, has been chosen for an internship at our firm.
Emmanuel and Thuto Vilakazi, third-year architecture students from the University of Cape Town, embraced the challenge to reimage Robben Island, a site with a complex past. Their shortlisted proposal, entitled ‘RECONNECT’, focused on Murray’s Bay Harbour and the Maximum-Security Prison as its sites. The judges felt their submission – which proposes a new visitors centre at the harbour and restoration of the B-section garden – was an appropriate and sensitive approach overall, with the investigation of and reference to current strategic objectives for Robben Island Museum making the proposal contextually relevant. The judges’ comments read:
“The approach provides a light touch to the island, sensitive interventions including transport, bikes, and golf carts, and simple but relevant architectural and landscape interventions. It’s very easy to imagine this proposition being executed successfully.”
We are excited to have Emmanual, a young and curious aspiring architect, joining the Bomax team at our studio to develop his appreciation for design and a passion for sustainable architecture and drive the expansion of his knowledge and skills in the field.
Read the article on the 2023 SCAPE Trade Show here.