Architecture student joint winner of design competition
UKZN Architecture student Yolanda Mpanza was the joint winner of the 2022 PG Bison Education Initiative competition, pocketing R17 500 in prize money.
Daniel November of the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) was the other winner, also receiving R17 500.
The PG Bison Education Initiative is an annual design competition aimed at third-year architecture and interior design students around South Africa, which aims to nurture and recognise young talent, introduce students to real-world briefs and products and encourage creative thinking.
Marking its 30th edition, this year’s challenge was titled Sunbird’s Nest and focused on how sunbirds build their nests. The competition showcased talents from across the country, challenging them to produce a creative design based on a brief written into the third-year curricula of participating educational institutions. The design had to be practical, built in relation to its surrounding context and inclusive of sustainable living.
Marketing manager at PG Bison Jason Wells said: "Their entries showed great promise and addressed most elements of the brief. Congratulations to Yolanda and Daniel, as well as their lecturers and institutions. We encourage education institutions to spend more time on the human aspect of future briefs."
Mpanza’s design was of a mixed (residential and retail) use housing project. "For a space to become a place, it needs to have meaning attached to it and that meaning is attached by the people. I am really happy that I am a winner," she said.