crew - Θ SEA

Amy Leibbrandt

useradmin — Thu, 12 Jun 2025 10:29:54 +0000

Amy Leibbrandt

Tutor

Amy is deeply interested in household agency, land, affordable housing, and African urbanism. Her experience spans a wide range of housing projects, from affordable and student housing to luxury eco-tourism, and includes working in informal settlements alongside community leaders. She had the opportunity to present her masters, summarized as a paper, at the Open Building for Resilient Cities conference in Los Angeles, December 2018. In November 2019, Amy participated in a short course, Developing Social Housing Projects at the Institute of Housing and Urban studies at the Erasmus University, Rotterdam. This was built on a 318 unit affordable housing project she completed in 2020.

The post Amy Leibbrandt first appeared on Θ SEA.

Sanelisiwe Njobe

useradmin — Wed, 10 Apr 2024 12:25:48 +0000

Sanelisiwe Njobe

Tutor

Sanelisiwe Njobe is an architect by profession, and is currently running a tech start up called OURStudio. She previously worked for studiomas architecture and urban design, where the project she worked on received a regional Commendation from the CIFA Awards and she has also won awards such as the Top Women in Tech Award through Rand Merchant Bank and Standard Charted Bank. She is passionate about digital fabrication in ceramics and democratising access to spaces for youth in the digital era.

The post Sanelisiwe Njobe first appeared on Θ SEA.

Gcotyelwa Sogiba

useradmin — Wed, 10 Apr 2024 12:17:22 +0000

Gcotyelwa Sogiba

Librarian

Gcotyelwa Sogiba, a diligent librarian with a strong passion for both technology and financial analysis, completed her undergraduate degree at the University of the Western Cape, where she demonstrated her dedication by serving as a Tutor of Digital Academic Literacy (DAL). Subsequently, she seized an opportunity at the University of Stellenbosch Business School, excelling as a Research Student Assistant. Currently, she holds positions as an information specialist at Sanlam Investments and as a librarian at the School of Explorative Architecture (SEA). Integrating her professional commitment with her broader engagement, Gcotyelwa proudly remains an active member of the Library and Information Association of South Africa (LIASA).

The post Gcotyelwa Sogiba first appeared on Θ SEA.

Francisca Audu-Ukpoju

useradmin — Wed, 10 Apr 2024 12:04:04 +0000

Francisca Audu-Ukpoju

Tutor

Francisca Audu-Ukpoju is a self-driven architect with a passion for innovative and responsive design. Her work is rooted in a spirit of generosity, a commitment to knowledge sharing, clarity of purpose, and a strong desire for professional growth. A keen admirer and advocate for vibrant, functional design, she believes in architecture’s potential to inspire positive change.

Francisca has experience working on projects across a range of phases and scales, spanning both architectural and urban contexts. Her skills encompass the full arc of the design process — from conceptual development and strategic design thinking to timely and effective execution.

Beyond the studio, she enjoys kickboxing, storytelling, and spending time in the great outdoors.

The post Francisca Audu-Ukpoju first appeared on Θ SEA.

Lorenzo Nassimbeni

useradmin — Thu, 04 Apr 2024 08:46:43 +0000

Lorenzo Nassimbeni

Lecturer

Lorenzo Nassimbeni is a South African architect, conceptual artist and educator based in South Africa. His portfolio of work occupies the interstices of architecture and visual art. In this space, he employs analytical and intuitive thought processes to explore ideas in drawn, spoken, and built form. The foundation of his conceptual discourse is the discipline of drawing-the primary language of design thinking. Drawing is used to analyse and understand urban and natural landscapes with the view to creating interventions which are socially impactful.

Significant public artworks include a staircase artwork at Alice Lane, Johannesburg (2016), a mural at the Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital, Johannesburg (in collaboration with 26’10 South Architects) (2016), a surface artwork at Freedom Square, Bonteheuwel, (in collaboration with TERRA+ Landscape Architects) (2023) and a surface artwork at Ellipse Waterfall, Johannesburg (in collaboration with dhk Architects and GREENinc Landscape Architecture+Urbanism) (2023). Nassimbeni has recently been selected to do the Johannesburg Public Library Public Art commission, a commission secured via the victory of an open competition.

Noteworthy group exhibitions featuring his work include : State Of The Arts, 54th International Venice Biennale, Italian Pavilion (2011) ; Materials revisited, 10th Triennial for Form and Content, Museum for Applied Arts, Frankfurt (2011) ; L’architettura del mondo, Trienalle di Milano (2012) ; 14th Venice Architecture Biennale, Fittja pavilion, Botkyra Konsthall (2014), and the FNB Johannesburg Art Fair, Johannesburg, South Africa (2014 and 2016). Nassimbeni was awarded the Social Impact Art Prize, a competition curated by the Rupert Museum, for an architectural installation.

Nassimbeni has given numerous public talks, and has taught extensively in the Department of Architecture at the University of the Witwatersrand (WITS, Johannesburg) and the University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa. He has conducted studio workshops for the Master of Urban Design program at the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at the Washington University of St Louis, St Louis, Missouri, USA. Nassimbeni has given numerous public talks, and has taught extensively in the Department of Architecture at both WITS and UJ, Johannesburg. He currently runs the Third Year Design programme at SEA (School of Explorative Architecture), Cape Town.

The post Lorenzo Nassimbeni first appeared on Θ SEA.

Warda Samaai

useradmin — Wed, 03 Apr 2024 11:37:56 +0000

Warda Samaai

Director: Administration and Management

Warda is a dynamic professional with a diverse academic background in English Language, Literature, Media Studies, and Business Communications. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English Literature and Language, along with a Postgraduate Diploma in Management in Business Communication from UCT. With a keen interest in academic administration, management, marketing, and business communication, Warda quickly rose from Administrative Officer to Departmental Manager in UCT’s Department of Construction Economics and Management after completing her PGDip.

After spending nine years at UCT, Warda has transitioned to the role of Director of Administration and Management at The School of Explorative Architecture. In her spare time, she serves as the Club Secretary for her community rugby club, Rangers RFC, where she manages communication with external stakeholders and oversees marketing efforts. Excited and inspired by her new role, Warda looks forward to contributing her skills and expertise to her new team and embracing future opportunities.

The post Warda Samaai first appeared on Θ SEA.

Don Albert

useradmin — Wed, 03 Apr 2024 11:35:44 +0000

Don Albert

Lecturer

Don Albert, a Fulbright Scholar, is an architect and urban design graduate of UCLA. He is the founder of the award-winning architecture firm SOUND SPACE DESIGN, which has been operating globally since 1995.

Don has designed and executed architecture, urban design, and master planning projects in Australia, South Africa, California, Portugal, Bali, and Turkey. He is renowned for his innovative approaches to the contemporary challenges of tourism and climate change. Additionally, Don is the founder of Climate Change Cities, an online network of participants seeking urgent answers for the built environment. Currently, he is lecturing and teaching at institutions in Australia and South Africa.

The post Don Albert first appeared on Θ SEA.

Kevin Fellingham

useradmin — Wed, 03 Apr 2024 11:33:10 +0000

Kevin Fellingham

Lecturer

Kevin Fellingham is an internationally recognized architect and educator. His practice has built work in Italy, the UK, Canada, and South Africa and has received a number of design awards internationally, including the WAN World House of the Year in 2007. The practice has a particular focus on working sensitively with historic buildings and landscapes and is committed to working with, rather than against, the natural environment.

Kevin studied at the University of the Witwatersrand and at MIT, where his research on The Woodland Cemetery was awarded the Ralph Adams Cram Prize for excellence in Interdisciplinary Research. He worked in a senior design role for leading practices in South Africa, the USA, and the UK. From 2008 to 2010, he was a Sir Isaac Newton Design Fellow at Cambridge University, and from 2012, he served as a Senior Lecturer in Theory and Design at the University of Cape Town in South Africa. Currently, he teaches at the School of Explorative Architecture (SEA).

The post Kevin Fellingham first appeared on Θ SEA.

Jana van Dalen

useradmin — Tue, 15 Aug 2023 13:54:03 +0000

Jana van Dalen

Tutor

Jana is a professional architect at Kevin Fellingham Architects and a founding member of the collective, Her+Perspective, an incomplete archive of women+ in Architecture. She heads the events portfolio and enjoys the design and curation of events and installations for the group. She completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Pretoria in 2014, and in 2018, she graduated from the University of Cape Town, finishing her postgraduate studies as part of the S’Capes studio, with distinction. Her thesis, ‘Drawing the Void | Fabricating the Ruined Garden,’ considers architecture as primarily an endeavour through abstraction and ambiguity, using modes of representation as a means to gain new perspectives. This captures the mode and methodology that she is interested in cultivating. Jana has worked in various fields within the architecture profession, from governmental to high-end residential, on macro and micro scales in South Africa and abroad. In her free time, she enjoys co-editing books on architectural drawing and breathing new life into unused objects, always having unfinished projects.

The post Jana van Dalen first appeared on Θ SEA.

Michael Chia-Liang, Lin

Editor — Mon, 01 May 2023 17:41:00 +0000

Michael Lin

Board of Advisors

Dr. Michael Lin is Research Scientist at MIT and director of Taipei CityScience, specializing in complex urban systems with over 15 years of experience in leading collaboration with Fortune 500 & the public sectors around the world to craft future urban mobility from concepts to reality.

Michael leads the MIT Media Lab City Science future mobility research focusing on Mobility-On-Demand, Lightweight Autonomous Vehicles, and new mobility modes. Michael manages a team of experts and scientists with diverse backgrounds to explore how transportation innovations will reshape our future mobility landscape. He is the inventor of the MIT Persuasive Electric Vehicle (PEV), a shared-use, lightweight autonomous vehicle that aims to solve last-mile transport and freight logistics in dense urban areas. Michael’s work received awards from the Buckminster Fuller Challenge, IF, and Core77 design awards and was featured by The Discovery Channel, Der Spiegel, and The New York Times, and was displayed in exhibitions, conferences, and summits worldwide.

Michael received his Ph.D. degree from MIT Media Lab and two master’s degrees from MIT: a Master of Science in Media Arts and Sciences program and a Master of Science in Architecture Studies with a focus on urban design. Before MIT’s education, Michael received a Bachelor in Architecture from Feng Chia University in Taiwan.

Michael’s other inventions include the RoboScooter, a lightweight electric folding scooter designed as a clean, green mobility solution, and GreenWheel, an electrical propulsion system that integrates a lithium-ion battery pack with a DC motor that can be attached to existing bicycles.

The post Michael Chia-Liang, Lin first appeared on Θ SEA.