S P E C I A L R E P O R T “I AM AN ARCHOHOLIC. . .”

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“Architecture is a difficult profession but it offers a lifetime

of growth and inspiration. It is a physical expression of

the dreams and ambitions of mankind. As architects, we

reveal what we think about life and society and our design

responsibility is immense if we aim to leave a legacy of value.”

– Adrian Maserow

LIFE AS AN ARCHITECT – THE LIFE AND TIMES OF ADRIAN MASEROW

“I AM AN ARCHOHOLIC. . .”

4 >

A review of AMA Architects over the decades

“At AMA Architects, we never take for granted the priv-

ilege of designing buildings. The diversity of our work

under one roof is a sign that with each opportunity,

we gain new knowledge, always seeking refinement,

efficiency and presence.”

Adrian Maserow graduated from the University of

the Witwatersrand in 1981 with a Bachelors Degree in

Architecture. He then went on to study for his Masters

under the guidance of Professor Guedes and Professor

Dennis Radford, completing it in 1985.

Maserow’s thesis towards his BA in Architecture that

was published in 1981 and was titled: A strategy for an

urban pensioner community. It considered the human

life cycle as critical to the designer’s field of interest

and integrated a pensioner community housing project

into an urban framework, much in the same way that

the now popular ‘New Urbanism’ has unfolded.

“My Masters thesis in architecture was an exploration

into design processes that really interested me. I use

these processes today as I think in the abstract in

order to embrace the holistic vision that holds function,

humanity, art and poetry in all design. The most signifi-

cant mentors and academics that influenced my aca-

demic life and later my ability to practice architecture,

were Pancho Guedes and Leon van Schaik.”

Pancho Guedes lives in Portugal and has been one of

the most passionate promoters of architecture as an art.

Leon van Schaik runs The Masters Programme at The

Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Australia.

After 9 years as a partner of Koseff Maserow van der

Walt, he went on to form Adrian Maserow Architects

when the former practice was disbanded in 1993. With

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a change of shareholdings and new partners on board

in 1999, the practice was renamed AMA Architects.

In 2001, AMA Architects reinvented the firm’s mis-

sion and expand its opportunities. In 2002, the inte-

rior design firm, D12 Interiors was added to the

group to complement the AMA service offering.

“I started AMA Architects a few short months before

South Africa’s first democratic elections,” says Maserow.

“These were remarkable times. Parts of the nation

feared the worst. Some people were stockpiling

tinned food to take them through an imagined period

of no basic services and food shortages.”

Maserow’s keen timing was fortunate. His ‘positioning’

equally so, as he joined forces with some of the

country’s most vibrant and dynamic developers in

the metro area of Johannesburg’s northern suburbs,

which in particular included Sandton.

Adrian Maserow has been a member of The Institute

of South African Architects and the South African

Council for Architects since 1983. He is further a

member of The Royal Institute of British Architects

and The South African Property Owners Association.

The practice is guided by a committed belief in the

contribution that good architectural design has to-

wards the life of the community. Maserow, together

with principals Gerald Pereira and Marco Fanucci,

are all deeply committed to an exuberant and evoc-

ative contemporary architecture which is appropriate

to the age in which we live.

“One of the most stimulating aspects of architecture

is that, in designing buildings for different functions,

we become familiar with the workings of those busi-

nesses and industries. I have designed motor show-

rooms, golf clubhouses and retirement villages. I

have spent valuable time with retailers anticipating

how their centres will be supported. Hoteliers have

given me insight into their functionality. Through

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working with logistics engineers, I have gained

knowledge of the flows and requirements for large

distribution warehouses. I have designed head of-

fices for banks, advertising agencies, parastatals,

medical aid companies and leaders in the steel and

diamond industries. All of this is so exciting because

my staff and I invariably deal with the leaders of

those industries and work at a high level of human

endeavour and completion.”

Insight into life as an architect

“There is no training prior to going to architecture

school that gives you any indication that you may be

able to be an architect. What you perhaps have is a

sense that you embrace the ‘things’ of life a little dif-

ferently from others around you – a piece of wood that

was chiseled into a shape, a strip of leather that was

made into a belt, building models, paper sculptures, mud

houses, tree houses and the like. . . but do you know that

you want to be an architect?” comments Maserow.

“You have probably also enjoyed exploring a cave,

hiding in a dugout, climbing into a dormer roof or

creeping into a cellar. You have walked the streets

and alleys, climbed stairways at school, hidden un-

der storerooms and made your own cushion homes

in the lounge. You’ve had hobbies like sketching,

playing music, writing poetry and singing and dancing.

These are the experiences that I’ve had and found

that other architects have had, and that is why we

have become architects!”

Architecture is different to those professions that only

have logical and knowledge-based analytical outcomes

to work with, because architecture is an art. It is one

of the few professions that demands poetic inter-

pretation in order to have a meaningful impact that

transcends function which results in delight.

Shelter, of course, is a necessity and the provision of

it is an imperative. But to build identifiable communities

that are adequately nurtured means that the entire

framework of habitation must embrace a holistic view

of man that satisfies body, emotion and spirit.

“The ego plays a strong role in surviving as an architect

in a consumer society because of the unrelenting com-

petitiveness that you face on a daily basis. This either

strengthens you or diminishes you as an architect.

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Much architecture has been a knee-jerk reaction to

the perceived market place conditions, resulting in a

kind of prescription architecture seen as a universal

pill that provides ‘cures’ for all situations. This is, of

course, extremely limiting and disappointing and it

negates all that we are able to achieve.”

“But beyond that, the design responsibility of the archi-

tect is immense if we aim to leave a legacy of value.

The poetic aspects of architecture inhabit the centre

stage of society. We must design with inspiration

and it is our responsibility to shape our architectural

world with spaces and places of iconic merit. Life is

celebrated through architecture and the bringing of

inspired function and beauty to the physical world is

the responsibility of the talented architect.”

“Nevertheless, so many aspects of this demanding

profession can trip you in your attempts to run ahead.

Our allies and friends are so important to our viability

in this profession. But the danger that we sell out is

always present. Our fragile egos could easily take us

away from our centre, our inner strength.”

Sketching abstracts into reality

As a student of architecture, Maserow explored the

tools of architecture and the ability to compose

buildings through drawing. The pen or pencil was

his preferred medium for this exploration.

“Sketches have been a strong part of my life as an

architect. The BIC pen allows for the explorations and

thinking processes that I use. Beauty is sought, ideas

are reconsidered and notions are revealed through

the workings and reworkings of lines on a page. This

is where design starts and always tells its truth. I

10 >

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believe that no beautiful design can be built without its

notion having been sketched on paper.”

Presentations

“Our clients are vital to our endeavour and the most

promising relationships evolve where the level of re-

spect and our joint mission is powerfully focused.”

Presentations are important, as communicating a vi-

sion from the abstract is vital to the level of accept-

ance, buy-in and promotion of the architecture. The

communication ranges from sketches through to

polished 3D renderings and animations. For the last

six years, AMA’s in-house presentation facility has

been run by Lana Myburgh, who has taken presenta-

tions to a new world-class standard of presentation

and innovation.

11 >

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Conceptual perspectives.

12 >

The need to be significant

Architecture is an art and yet it has a direct function

and purpose for humanity that elevates it simulta-

neously into the realm of significance and presence.

“AMA Architects have excelled in the areas of archi-

tecture that include housing, office buildings, retail

centres, refurbishments, golf clubhouses, apartment

buildings and interior design,” says Maserow. “Our

clients include private business, banks, parastatals

and listed property companies. Our friends and col-

leagues are businesspeople, developers, agents,

engineers, quantity surveyors, landlords, bankers,

suppliers and contractors.”

Through its direct relationship with D12 Interiors, AMA

Architects has been able to provide the full service

design needs of its clients, delivering a full range of

design services right through to the procurement of

detailed assets like crockery, cutlery and artwork.

Sarene Lyon Nel heads up the D12 interior design

team, and brings a strong and professional leader-

ship to their offering.

The firm’s position in the marketplace has been

strengthened through a dogged determination to

always be relevant and at the cusp of need and vision.

“Most of the architecture commissioned is when

there is a trust that the architect will perform re-

sponsibly. We attempt to grow that trust through a

fresh approach towards the analysis of a project’s

needs and availability to consider and review many

options, with a worldly and a contemporary vision of

the architectural field is always an advantage.”

Taking the analysis to its broader context, Maserow

acknowledges that “South Africa is a land of promise

and hope and we understand our responsibility in

uplifting its people through world-class design.” Under-

standing the responsibilities that they have towards

the world’s dwindling resources and energy sup-

plies, the partners at the practice make every effort

to adhere to the correct use of renewable energy.

These issues are always brought into focus with

their contemporary projects.

“For our design team, we are driven first by an inspi-

ration. We then find an order from which we distill

an idea worthy of design excellence. In order to be

inspired, we suspect that buildings have ‘hearts and

souls’. Whilst our projects must perform their mate-

rial functions first, the architecture must be imbued

with meaning through the buildings’ ability to ‘speak

to us’ – through a sustaining and encouraging vision.

Views of Paddock House.

We attempt to build environments that will exert a

kind of ‘magic’ that lives well beyond the functional

experience and its obvious environment.”

World Architectural Festival – Barcelona, October 2008

In October 2008, Maserow attended the first World

Architecture Festival (WAF) in Barcelona. Prior to this

gathering, the international nature of architecture

and the universal cultural aspirations that architecture

represents, had not been expressed in any global

event. The WAF reviewed the realised buildings of

the profession’s global achievement on the ground,

highlighting the extraordinary role of architecture in

the world’s economy and in society generally.

Sitting through the assessments of the chosen projects,

Maserow was reminded why he chose a career as a

practising architect. From 730 entry submissions,

250 were singled out and presented to a esteemed

panel of adjudicators, representing the best of the

best in the discipline.

“Many of the entries came from the ‘starchitect’ firms,

who seem to operate wonderful ‘talent-seeking pro-

duction houses’. They work ‘out of the box’ in order to

make their unique moments in architecture and,

through this, they achieve prominence and recognition.

But, throughout the world, the highest proportion of

architects are still smaller firms which are often a col-

laboration, a group of inspired and passionate teams

that can transform the field of architecture. These groups

are adventurous and experimental with purpose and

I was grateful to see their works.”

13 >

Views of Paddock House.

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“It is often strangely exciting to travel. Away from your

mother tongue, it is stimulating to be an alien in a foreign

city, far from the routine of regular day-to-day life. Barce-

lona is a really exciting, passionate and promising city

and it was a fantastic venue for this world forum. It is a

magnet for people that enjoy its drive and humanity. Its

architecture has been recognised as a strong proponent

of the contemporary and the modern. This dizzy combi-

nation of the World Architectural Festival and the City

of Barcelona was so outrageously appealing. I soaked

up the architectural genius and excitement of our age,

much like a student would at the foot of his masters.”

“As architects, we engage with each other with a know-

ing recognition of our similar fates. Make friends

with an architect and you will likely meet someone who

urges you to celebrate your day to day life. We also

often share the view that our age is far too formulaic,

too calculating, too careful and too inhibited perhaps

to recognize the magnificence in which we live.”

One of the most interesting discussions and debates

revolved around the question: Who is the client? It is

a simple question, but one that is problematic for

architects. Is the client the person who pays the fee, or

is the client the end user (often someone entirely dif-

ferent)? Is the client, perhaps, society itself? Or, in

respect of sustainability, is the client in fact the Earth?

The conclusion was that the ‘place’ was the client.

The expression of identity and the aspect of significance

At this time in the planet’s history, it is the dominant

global economy that finds expression in the New

Modernism. Westernisation has had a profound in-

fluence on the expression of the built form, and it inevi-

tably changes the nature of ‘the place’. The current

modernity is dominated by the Northern Atlantic

cultures. It is symbolised in an outward looking,

modern ‘Coca Cola’ brand of architecture and much

as it may be loathed by traditionalists, as Jencks

once noted: “The cultured Parisians loathed Eiffel’s

grotesque iron tower, but it is now the emblem of

France!”

Concept for dry docks in China.

18 >

Architects have a ‘duty of care’ to take issue with. The

matter of identity, although only partly to do with

architecture, is very personal. It has to do with who you

are, your sameness and your differences. Architects

all come from communities. They have a ‘collective

memory’. The world metropolis absorbs the mix of

cultures. This is signified in the contemporary archi-

tecture which we subscribe to..

People are alive to a popular admiration of modern

architecture. Interestingly, technology goes side by

side with capitalism. It homogenises function and,

therefore, design. Architecture concentrates on what

is important to people, and thereby finds its signifi-

cance.

“In the end, I identify with Ken Yang’s philosophy that

states that ‘giving pleasure is one of the most impor-

tant aspects of architecture’. For me, it’s the sensibility

of the contemporary mind that seeks clarity of purpose

through form and art that most attracts me. I admire

incisive resolution and uphold architecture worked

from a continuous flow of refinement of the mo-

ment. Our greatest goal is a process that is simulta-

neously exhilarating and elusive, that moment of

recognition that holds the meaning of creation as its

greatest purpose which gives us identity,” Maserow

states.

“For AMA Architects, architecture of merit is the phys-

ical expression of the dreams and ambitions of our

society. We design buildings to attract people to them

– our cities must speak to us of community, technology,

materiality and the hope of its people and its spaces in

the African light. We design public spaces and private

spaces, some with largesse and some intimate. But

the ultimate responsibility of the architect is the Art of

Architecture, which must function at an optimal level.

We attempt to build environments that will exert a

kind of ‘magic’ that lives well beyond the functional

experience and its obvious environment. Through

this, we find meaning and memory in our architec-

ture. Our architecture talks to a greater purpose – it

provides an uplifting and human framework for our

cities,” Maserow concludes.

“We have learnt that the four pillars of our design work

are embedded in the concept of significance, pres-

ence, materiality and emptiness. Architecture has the

capacity to be inspiring, engaging and life-enhancing.

It is through this process of architectural exploration

that we find our purpose.” <

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