Week 20

WE ARE HALF WAY!! LOL well I’m in week 20 now and I’ve got 20 weeks to go! This week I finished a big building, a paint factory out in Woodstock – Cape Town, it consists of 3 buildings about 600SQM each. So it was a big site and I had to keep allot of things in mind like fire regulations, irregular site parameters and factory policies... I also started working on a building in Durbanville that will be renovated in the inside; I’m not what’s happening with it yet as it’s only Tuesday now and I’ve been too busy with the paint factory.

Week 19

This week is a very, very boring week. Not much has happened in the block date that I was gone from work, but I realized that they missed me – ha haa!

This is a ‘silent’ time for the building industry. We believe that it will boom around September again though.

Last week the weekly site meeting was held in Camps Bay and we are hammering on the delivery of progress reports at the moment. The architect of the house has resigned and as the project is still in progress; my boss will be taking over his responsibilities as the new Architect and Principle Agent. That means that I will be working on AutoCad again! I will be drawing up some stuff for this sure to be famous House Mackintosh. As I am the only one capable of working with AutoCad Architecture in the office this could get quite interesting...

Week 18

I was so glad to see my classmates this week; we had a ‘block date’ from Monday to Friday. Our lecturers introduced us to our MIP Project that will be completed at the end of November at a farm school close to Grabouw, a beautiful town right here in Western Cape between the mountains. We will be performing small extensions to the existing school. I will be updating when it comes to that.

Furthermore, I presented my HUB concept to the class and enjoyed it very much – so did my lecturers, Yolanda & Hermie.

We were also introduced to our new project which will be to enter for the Eskom Lighting Competition. At the moment I am just visualising all my recycled lighting* ideas because paper isn’t enough to express, I have to talk about them.

Week 17

I’m busy working on Snoekies again, they will be opening a new branch in Tokai, so this week I finished all the necessary drawings of electrical & lights, drainage, shop layouts, signage, bulkheads and details that had to be completed in order for the client to submit. This is the second project for Snoekies* which I finished on my own with guidance of my boss, Anton. We also had the weekly site meeting in camps bay and everything is on track except that we are behind schedule.

Week 15

I went with my boss to Paarl this week where they will be building the big butchery in the industrial area; they are currently busy excavating and preparing the site. The owner wanted to use a part of the existing building on the site but his wish will not become true because we snagged the building and it’s no in a re-usable condition at all.

Week 14

Some more alterations... at least this time it’s a beautiful house (in my eyes) It seems that 80% of the projects we generate are alterations and I’m quite getting sick of it. I did a new building in Wynberg this week (at least) The client says he’s going to use it for storage but I think he’s going to use it for something else and my boss thinks so too...

Week 13

Me and the woman working with me were introduced to the new part of the building regulations, part XA. Quite unnecessary I must say. Allot of calculations that have to be done regarding the energy efficiency in your house. I don’t particularly like this new part of the building regulations... I feel that it restricts your design in term so openings etc. Anyway they have to be calculate din order to pass council so let it be...

Week 11

I did some alterations to a house here in Blauwbergstarand this week and I also worked on some alterations for block of flats out in Granger bay... nothing spectacular.

Week 10

I’m still busy helping KE interior and architecture, but I finished there on Tuesday and I’m back in the office now, working on a building right here around the corner of my flat that will be transformed into new apartments. I’ve realized that they started this housing scheme in Cape Town but I wonder if it’s going to succeed because the rent would be too expensive anyway... Not everyone can afford upmarket prices for a basic 280SQM apartment.

Week 9

I had to go to site this week in order to check all the electrical conduits and see if everything is there. It was interesting to see how a electrician can screw up your house when the site manager doesn’t MANAGE. I recorded everything and will have to go back to ===== architecture and interior to update all ‘our’ drawings. The project was too big for the actual architect, so he “load-shedded” his work on other people who are qualified and that’s why everything about this project is so mixed up and difficult to figure out.

Week 8

I’m still working with KE architecture and interior. I am doing drawings of the House Mackintosh in Camps Bay that have to be completed in order for the client to be satisfied.

Hang on!

I am currently in the process of writing down my weekly posts in my notebook, as I'm extremely busy working in Cape Town on drawings that we need to finish for the sake of the owner of a mechanical operated house in Camps  Bay so that he will be able to operate his house if all alse fails.

Peace :)

*week 7*

And so the report is done... and it's sent out to a bunch of angry people who scream over the phone! - Now this is where it gets interesting haha! We worked 6 days on the report, so we had to go in every day on site and do our thing...at least the view was great over rthe ocean! Then we were in the office for 2 days putting the whole document together with photo's and all. Today I finished drawing up another house in Blaauwbergstrand that's having allot of alterations done...ya and theta about it :)

*week 6*

I could say...this was a very busy week...! We had two site visits and in the meantime I was working on different sets of random drawing like for Snoekies* and a few other private clients. It gets difficult when a client cant make up his or her mind all the time and sends you amendments all the time. On Friday me and another free-lance architect who is from Hong Kong, that my boss had to hire to get some extra tasks out of the way. We started working on a document that will be featured in court on damages and defects at a house in Camps Bay. Quite exhausting work because we are climbing around on concrete roofs and decks over and under everything to get photo's and evidence to sue. The photo above is from the eastern clerestory upon roof slab nr1, I'm facing table mountain and the ocean is at my back...

*Week 5*

This week I finished measuring and drawing up a historic11storey building right there in Cape Town around the corner of Greenmarket Square -on my own! (It was exhausting!) I had to go there, just like the rest of the buildings I did and houses and measure up everything you can think of (but it was hUge!)! 

And what a beautiful building! Yesterday I finished designing all the options for floor plans for the owner. 

The building will be renovated and then changed into new flats. Some of these spaces were occupied by lawyers so I got some cake and tea while doing 'part' of my jab! Haha! While others were empty...

I must say the options look realy good divided into 1, 2 and 3 bedroom units as well as bachelor pads. And so my drawings were sent off to the client and we will soon see what else he wants more or less...

Peace*

*Week 4*

This week we went to a new house being built in Camps Bay that we are working on currently, it will be finished early December. I am very excited about that because my boss told me that we will be going to the opening of it. 

The house has its own private theatre, a kitchen counter which is made out of a solid raw chunk of granite measuring up to & meters in length with two basins and a planter carved in it. 

The main open plan bathroom, bedroom and walk in closet has a view as wide as the eye can see over the ocean because of the use of great panes of glazing and clerestories, also because its a 3storey building built right against the slope. The relaxing area where the massive jacuzzi is, on the opposite side of the house also has this great view. That part of the house consists of a loft and is covered by a suspended glass roof. -Yea this in reality is a very biG beautiful house, its open, its modern and it gives you a sense of ''clearness''...

I've also been busy with a well known restaurant *Snoekies ''since 1951''...Ive completed sets of drawings for the client and for council...that type of thing :)

*week 3*

By now I've completed the following tasks:

• New flats in Wynberg that I've designed with André (400SQM)
• Alterations for a restaurant in Paarl
• Alterations for a house in Belville
• Measuring up, site investigations and then going to drawing it all up from scratch 2x
• Alterations at a house in Wellington
• Site inspections and meetings and taking minutes and working from them
• etc...

I've discovered allot of construction mechanisms, symbols and different kinds of formats. Tomorrow we will be measuring a new site and building.

I've learnt that I have to prioritize projects and do them in an order that suits me as well as the rhythm of the office.

The most important thing I've learnt in these 3 weeks is to 'ask' when I've got a query.

Communication is key in any working situation.

2nd year class of 2012 at CPUT: Hub concepts

2nd year class of 2012 at CPUT: Hub concepts: < div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">

*Week 2*

By now I know the new software and I'm busy doing my second project which is a small one. It's an existing house that needs some touch ups like a nice entrance with a pergola and a covered carport. The first project was very exiting - yet frustrating, dealing with minimum space availability on site because of building lines and the client not wanting to apply for a extension at council. At least I'm starting to ease in now as I get things done on time and know what to do - and how to do it!

1st Week of working at Anton van Zyl Architects

This was an exciting week! I've been working on a huge site which complies of a house with a granny flat and also a 3story duple ks in the 'backyard'. I've learnt to use a new drawing program called Caddie Professional and all is well. My co-worker, who is also a Arikaans girl -like me, is very friendly and we all get along very well. I don't feel that there's any communication gaps as we all have the same things in common... Interesting facts about my boss: He'a a Professional Senior Architect from South Africa, he has worked in London UK, he has successfully climbed Mount Kilimanjaro the higheat peak of Africa, right to the Summit - Uhuru Peak - 5895m and he has visited the Castle of Blarney, kissed the Blarney Stone, and is now sent forth with the 'gift of eloquence' wich that stone bestows!

The Interview

SO I went for an Interview today at Anton Van Zyl Architects in Table View, Cape Town, SA... and I got the job! I will be going to 'work' tomorrow at 8 so we'll see how that goes! It's a small firm so I would be very much involved with my boss, colleagues and clients... and that is good!