Manifesto

In pursuit of beauty… a single brush stroke should suffice.

a building should be simple; yet provocative and dynamic; a building should be an emotional experience, move you

technology and program guide the process

a building defines the inhabitant’s relationship to the world itself... the way it’s entered, an existential reference

space should embrace TECHNOLOGY, CULTURE, STYLE, NATURE and CONTEXT

space should...

pay homage to the site,

have respect for function,

embrace the natural and man made order,

be harmonious with nature and climate,

pay service to asthetic values

Team

André Eksteen

André, multi-award winning co-director and resident office ‘father’, started the practice with Braam de Villiers in October 2000, following on a successful career both academically and in practice. When he is not travelling up a mountain or biking down a pass, André spends his time suffering from severe OCD when it comes to ensuring that the full potential of every design is achieved and developed to the finest and best possible level of detail – continuously guaranteeing this through his signature hands-on approach. He is constantly pushing the boundaries of what can be imagined, built and made and always makes sure his employees are well fed.

Braam de Villiers

Braam, with his extensive and multi-award winning experience across many fields of architecture, both academically and in practice, is co-director at Earthworld since October 2000, when he started the practice with André Eksteen. Being well travelled and always engaging with people and place, Braam is also the boss when it comes to culture, music and food, the latter usually fresh from his prized vegetable garden. Environmental sustainability is core to his architectural belief system and he keeps us all at Earthworld sharp in terms of our ecological responsibility, historical knowledge and practical know-how.

Hendrieka Raubenheimer

Hendrieka, a University of Pretoria graduate, completed her Masters degree in Interior Architecture in 2012 and has been part of many beautiful Earthworld Interiors. Her clients rely heavily on her highly skilled input and technical know-how and her incredible sense of colour, texture and proportion. Being the office fashionista she is also very cognisant of fashion and trends and always ensures the most elegant realization of every projects she is involved in.

Cynthia Nkosi

Cynthia, born and raised in Mamelodi and a former Tshwane University of Technology student, has been with the Earthworld team for 8 years, and has brought a great number of exciting architectural projects to life. She is also known as the resident software and tech wizard and if there’s something you don’t know how to draw, model or illustrate on any given platform, you can bet Cynthia does.

Madelaine Haycock

Madelaine, a University of Technology Graduate, has been with the Earthworld team for 8 years and has an extensive repertoire of projects behind her name. Hard working, strong willed and diligent, she has mastered the difficult art of dealing with council and regulatory issues and has run a wide range of aspects within the practice with great fastidiousness.

Arné Gunter

Arné, originally from Richards Bay and a Tshwane University of Technology graduate, has built up an impressive architectural portfolio since joining Earthworld in 2012. He is a software dynamo able to bring the most wildly imaginative concepts into reality with his computing skills. Add to this his passion for photography and craft and you’ve got a winning combination.

Petri van Wyk

An artist who spends his mornings sculpting with brick & concrete, & his evenings painting abstract acrylic portraits, Petri is the quintessential Architect Artist. Having escaped Middelburg to complete his Masters in Architecture at the University of Pretoria, Petri enjoys certain symptoms from a constant bout of Wanderlust, a strong desire to live & experience everything this world has to offer, which he brings through in the architecture he creates.

Kristen Page

Kristen’s enduring enthusiasm keeps office morale high, even when the midnight oil is burning low. Having developed a well-informed flare & dedication for interior design while studying at Design School South Africa, Kristen can personalise each project in the most spectacular of ways. Her infectious passion could transcend tiling layouts from a simple task into an unfailing passion.

Johann Boonzaaier

Johann grew up scurrying through the sugarcane fields of Pongola. Having studied the structural integrity & inherent sustainability of the sugar cane around him, it wasn’t long before he began imagining other uses for these crops. He eventually carried this sustainability-centric approach through to his Masters, which he Cum Lauded at the University of Pretoria with Numerous Awards. Johann has held onto the grit he developed in the sugarcane fields, & is willing to go the extra mile on everything he can in the blink of the eye - & possibly with the odd piece of sugarcane in his pocket.

Ulrich Pieterse

Making the Great Trek on a daily basis from a farm outside of Cullinan to Earthworld's offices, Ulrich brings his innate appreciation for nature into every project he works on. Working part-time as our local bee-keeper, Ulrich's focus on sustainability is the very embodiment of our company manifesto. With his Masters degree in Architecture from Tshwane University of Technology, Ulrich's aspirations for perfection shies through every day.

Titus Sekoati

Creativity doesn't manifest in the same way from one person to the next for many. for Titus, thinking about design is directly linked to it's immediate making, which is no where more true than in the awe-inspiring sketches Titus creates. With a background in product design & an undergraduate degree in Interior Design from Tshwane University of Technology, Titus has a flare for bringing thoughts to life.

Jan-Adriaan van Rooyen

Our in-house rockstar, Jan-Adriaan is the gin to our tonic. Somehow managing to keep a seemingly infinite number of balls in the air at the same time, Jan-Adriaan is constantly looking for order in chaos, & from that, he draws beauty from anything he engages with. With a Honours degree in Architecture from the University of Pretoria, Jan-Adriaan finds his muse somewhere between the lines of his sketches, & the strings of his guitar.

Mieke van Rooyen

For many interior designers & architects, design isn't left behind an office desk, its rather something to be carefully nurtured every hour of the day, affecting every aspect of our lives. For Mieke, the crafting of interior design has been at the very center of her character, even before completing her undergraduate degree in Interior Architecture at the University of Pretoria. With a strong focus in the people at the core of her designs, Mieke enjoys the crafting of spaces & objects, bespoked to the needs of every client.

Adri Smith

A calm head while the rest of the office is somewhere up in the clouds, Adri keeps our feet planted firmly on the ground, which in itself, is quite an achievement. Expect to find Adri running around the office, making sure everything runs like a well-oiled machine, even when some of us attempt to throw a spanner into the works.

Lizzy Skosana

The glue that holds the office together, if it weren’t for Lizzy the office would be in a perpetual state of comatose. They say behind every great man is a woman doing the real work, well in Lizzy’s case that saying rings true for an entire office.