Any practicing Architectural Professional will tell you that with the current state of Eskom, the bankrupt municipalities, and soaring interest rates, new work is becoming more and more difficult to come by. Not to mention the huge brain drain and increased emigration rates to further exacerbate the problem.
Many firms, including D4 Architecture, are reinventing themselves by providing other design services to ensure a consistent flow of work into their businesses. This may involve furniture design, shopfitting design, interior design, project management, and site / property inspections and evaluations. Currently we have taken on our biggest clients, a prominent South African bank, to assist with the design, compliance and existing branch inspections and reports. This is part of a massive roll-out of about 450 branches around the country to refurb and in many cases downsize the branches. Without getting into the obvious reasons for the roll-out, this opportunity has not only thrown our business into one the country’s biggest corporate playgrounds but has also forced us to rethink what the profession of architecture can actually evolve into. Since the beginning of 2020 we have been fortunate enough to work with the bank which literally saved our company during the Covid lockdown and the quieter years that followed. We are part of a group of 8 designers responsible for the design, tender drawings, construction drawings and as-built drawings for all 450 branches country wide. Our specific role to assist with design, ensure compliance with the National Building Regulations, check all drawings and to conduct site inspections and reports of existing branches. Although the design side of architecture from our perspective is not a big part our role, the involvement with this corporate giant and roles that we fill have been invaluable in these quieter times in the construction industry.