Creative research submissions

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Pieter Mathews is undertaking his PhD in Architecture with specialisation in Design for the Department of Architecture in the faculty of Agricultural Sciences at the University of the Free State.
The study is practice based and these creative research submissions form part of the school of Architecture.

Afrikaans Hoër Seunskool | Art Campus

SAIA Merit award 2018
PIA Merit Award 2017

The Art Campus was commissioned by Afrikaans Hoër Seunskool in 2014 to accommodate over 240 learners who are taught music theory and various instruments. The project received a Pretoria Institute for Architecture award for the Best Educations Building as well as a South African Institute of Architects Merit Award.

Oaktree Studio

PIA Merit award 2017

The design of Oaktree Studio repurposed an existing unremarkable single-storey house into a mixed-use typology by adding a second-storey design studio. The aim of the project was to make the building adaptable and versatile for multiple future possibilities. Specifically, the design needed to be able to easily transform without much intervention in terms of services and structure. The project received a Pretoria Institute for Architecture Merit Award.

Saadjies

2017

Saadjies was a Cool Capital initiative with the aim to make sculpture more accessible – both from the perspective of the artist and the viewer. The collection was uncurated with the small scale of the artwork making participation cost-effective and achievable to any artist, irrespective of their background or formal training. Over 100 sculptures were received and these were exhibited and photographed outside traditional gallery spaces. The collection was formally exhibited in 5 South African locations and sculpture-bombing took place in more than 8 international cities. Photographs of the saadjies (seeds) spread online and ensured a true open source legacy for South African sculpture.

The Sample Workshop

2017

The Sample Workshop is a catalogue of an exhibition held in the basement of the Javett Art Centre at the University of Pretoria. The building was designed by Mathews + Associates Architects and The Sample Workshop exhibition took place whilst the building was still under construction. Artists supplied the architect with ‘samples’ that provide artistic commentary on the tertiary educational environment, the industry and the space.

Poetry stand

2017

The concept of the bicycle stand was to celebrate the centenary of the Department of Afrikaans/Nederland of the University of Stellenbosch.
Afrikaans poetry is represented by three renowned South African poets who graduated from the University of Stellenbosch. 

The poetic stand serves to activate the urban space when in use or not. The bicycle stand was manufactured from laser-cut mild steel and is powder coated in a dark grey which stands in stark contrast to the predominately white architecture of the urban environment.

Braak Pavilion

2020

Die Braak is the historic town square and cultural heart of Stellenbosch. The word “Braak” means fallow land and refers to the time when this parcel of land was left bare amongst the surrounding agricultural fields and town. In our modern-day context, “Braak” is an unsettling reference to the probable future of our planet. To avoid our planet becoming “Braak”, we need to significantly change the way we think about the resources available to us. The 2020 Stellenbosch Triennale theme, “Tomorrow there will be more of us”, echoes this sentiment.

The pavilion, a temporary structure erected for the Stellenbosch Triennale, enters into dialogue with the possibility of a planet of waste, devoid of resources. Constructed of reclaimed materials, the pavilion confronts visitors with this bleak prospect and invites them to consider alternatives, like learning to appreciate waste as resource

Creative output, Academic, paper, MAAA, Stellenbosch Triennale, Die Braak, Pavilion, architecture, Publications UFS, University of the Free State

Creative output, Academic, paper, MAAA, Stellenbosch Triennale, Die Braak, Pavilion, architecture, Publications UFS, University of the Free State

Creative output, Academic, paper, MAAA, Stellenbosch Triennale, Die Braak, Pavilion, architecture, Publications UFS, University of the Free State

Creative output, Academic, paper, MAAA, Stellenbosch Triennale, Die Braak, Pavilion, architecture, Publications UFS, University of the Free State

Creative output, Academic, paper, MAAA, Stellenbosch Triennale, Die Braak, Pavilion, architecture, Publications, UFS, University of the Free State
Creative output, Academic, paper, MAAA, Stellenbosch Triennale, Die Braak, Pavilion, architecture, Publications, UFS, University of the Free State