Judges

REPORT OF THE JUDGES OF THE BHISHO ARCHITECTURAL COMPETITION FOR THE OFFICES OF THE PREMIER OF THE EASTERN CAPE
John Rushmere, Jose Forjaz, John Bizinos, Laurence Chibwe, Precious Makwe


INTRODUCTION

This competition was launched on the 15th January 2009 by the Competition Administrator, Herbert Prins. A total of 121 architects registered their intention to submit. By the final submission date of the 17th April 2009, thirty competitors had their completed designs delivered to the Department of Public Works in Bhisho. The adjudication took place from the 21st to the 25th April 2009.

Many of the submissions were of a high standard and after lengthy discussion and deliberation on all the submissions, four schemes were chosen by the judges for further in-depth analysis and discussion.

These were:
15 - Comrie Wilkinson (Cape) Architects and Urban Designers
17 - Ikhuba
07 - Architects@126
10 - twothink architecture in association with Greenhaus Architects and Consulthree Architects.

The numbers 15, 17, 07 and 10 were amongst those assigned to submissions on delivery to the competition administrator to ensure anonymity during the judging process.

It was important that the objectives of the competition, as set out in the brief, had been fulfilled. These were to design a building:

  • - with sufficient gravitas to befit the Premier of the Eastern Cape;
  • - that resonates with the cultural values, aspirations and characteristics of the people of the Eastern Cape;
  • - that relates to the House of Traditional Leaders on the adjacent site;
  • - with coordinated, indigenous landscaping that could flow out into the town of Bhisho and become a link between its disparate elements;
  • - that will enhance the status of Bhisho as the capital of the Eastern Cape; and
  • - that acts as a catalyst for change, growth and development in Bhisho.
Whilst all the criteria listed above were deemed to be important and of special significance this competition afforded a springboard for the implementation of a spatial structural development plan for Bhisho that applied generally to Bhisho and its surroundings, and more specifically to the land adjacent to the Premier’s office. The judges consider such a spatial development to be important and that it should be urgently applied.

The Jury established a set of objective criteria by which a balanced and complete analysis of all the submissions could be made and compared one to the other.

These criteria were organized under main themes of urban context, such as environmental performance; functional and technical aspects; architectural qualities, strengths and weaknesses.

The assistance of a quantity surveyor was obtained and it was of great help to establish and compare various aspects of the selected projects.

In general terms all the selected submissions were recognized to have responded positively to all major objectives of the competition, with important conceptual distinctions.

Given the number of entries and the time available, the Jury could not evaluate in detail all aspects of all the submissions and concentrated on the major issues reflected in the criteria referred to, and gave priority to the conceptual strengths of each submission. However, all selected submissions were carefully scrutinized to ensure that there were no major deviations from the main objectives of the competition.

The generally high quality of the submissions made the work of the Jury very challenging, and reflected well on a carefully worked brief and optimal competition organisation.


FIRST PLACE: SUBMISSION 15
ARCHITECT: COMRIE WILKINSON (CAPE) ARCHITECTS AND URBAN
DESIGNERS

The jury found this submission to be the one that best responded to the objectives of the competition as described in the introduction of this report, and the following aspects were found to be of special merit. The proposed building:

  • - addresses Independence Avenue by creating an edge which fosters an urban sense and is a catalyst for future street spatial definition;
  • - creates a strong identity for Bhisho and promises a memorable experience in the way the visual elements make a clear, cultural statement;
  • - creates a sense of dignity in its use of a direct, almost understated, expression of what are perceived to be the aspirations of the people of the Eastern Cape;
  • - highlights the importance of passive technology as a means of environmental control, and this minimizes the need for air conditioning and the use of expensive or special materials or construction systems;
  • - captures the African ethos in a very subtle and elegant way by interlinking a succession of courtyard spaces and in its use of colour, texture and light;
  • - proposes a rich intersection of architectural elements arranged in a complex composition of simple, yet rich spatial entities unfolding as a varied set of experiences where volume, light, texture and natural elements differentiate and animate the spaces and the journey through them;
  • - is organized in a clear and well-defined hierarchy of spaces and functions; and
  • - makes African arts and crafts an integral part of the architectural expression.

The presentation is done in a clear, elegant and sophisticated manner reflecting the architect’s mature experience and deep understanding of expressive graphic means.

The Jury makes the following recommendations that it believes could add further value to the design:

  • - Provision should be made for the possible future expansion of the building. Although this was not a requirement of the brief it is the opinion of the judges that serious consideration could be given to the planning of such a contingency. The design, being so complete in itself, does not lend itself to expansion within the site and therefore it is recommended that provision for extending the building could best take place on the adjacent vacant land. This calls for a part of the presently vacant land to be reserved for future expansion of the Premier’s Office building;
  • - The Premier’s office would be better placed in a more interior position, further back from the entrance thus providing an opportunity for the enjoyment of the desirable succession of threshold and ceremonial spaces that the design allows. It is a common tradition in African culture to create a sequence of hierarchical thresholds that honour and protect “the Chief”. At the same time this would improve security;
  • - The entry as threshold, is well defined, but lacks a transitional element from the outside to the interior.
  • - Greater visibility of the garden courtyards from the outside of the building should be provided. This applies in particular to views from the House of Traditional Leaders and the still undeveloped land on the other side; and
  • - More attention should be given to the distribution and provision of ablution facilities. The premier requires his own ablution facilities, and vertical ducting imposes its own order.

SECOND PLACE – SUBMISSION 17
ARCHITECTS – IKHUBA

This submission was selected for second place as it revealed many qualities that demonstrate with clarity the distribution of functions within a simple and well organized system of courtyards, accesses and circulation. The integration of environmental control devices and the making of space are also well handled.

The Jury noted that the proposal did not fully resolve the urban presence of the building by isolating the mass and volume, and imposing monumental elements. These do not adequately contribute to, or acknowledge the local, cultural values of the Eastern Cape.


THIRD PLACE – SUBMISSION 7
ARCHITECTS – Architects@126

This submission was placed third by the Jury. The proposal is commended for the quality of its functional and distributive systems and for the simple and effective means employed to achieve optimal environmental conditions. However, the Jury feels that the urban presence, relationship within the wider context and the image it projects, do not adequately represent the values of a high level state facility, nor does the building attempt to characterise an architecture that reflects and embodies the values and character of the Eastern Cape.


SPECIAL MENTION – SUBMISSION 10
ARCHITECTS: twothink architecture in association with Greenhaus Architect and Consulthree Architects

The Jury felt that this submission deserved recognition and this should be acknowledged by a special mention. This proposal was unique in the way it resolved the relationship of the building with the urban context and especially in the way in which the building resolved its integration with the natural context, deriving from it its own formal logic in a coherent and highly innovative way. However, the Jury felt that some unresolved aspects of a functional nature did not contribute to the acceptance of this project to the awards group.

JOHN BIZINOS
LAURENCE CHIBWE
JOSE FORJAZ
PRECIOUS MAKWE
JOHN RUSHMERE

The competition procedure was monitored by Herbert Prins, Competition Administrator