Architect Hassan Mia Asmal
He is armed with a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Cape Town which he obtained in 1982 preceded by a Certificate in Architectural Draughtsmanship in 1974 (M. L. Sultan Technikon) from Durban, he is registered with the South Africa Council of the Architectural Profession (SACAP), a member of the Cape Institute for Architecture (CIFA), member of the South African Institute of Architects (SAIA) and a member of the South Africa Black and Technical Allied Careers Organisation (SABTACO).
ACG was formed in September 1993. Before that the architect was in practice as an individual which was referred to as Hassan M Asmal Architect. At the onset of the firm there were about eight employess which has risen to 38.
Born in 1955 in Newcastle, KwaZulu Natal, Mr Asmal is the director and founder member of ACG Architects and Development Planners.
Awards
In 1997 and 1998 Mr Asmal managed to scoop on behalf of the practice, ACG Architects and Development Planners, the South African Institute of Architects Award for excellence, for the construction of the Hartleyvale Sports Stadium. In 2002 he received the first prize of SABTACO joint awards initiative for leadership on the Unicity Council Chambers project for the City of Cape Town.
The following year Asmal was awarded on behalf of ACG Architects and Development Planners, the South African Institute of Architects award of merit, for alterations and additions to the Unicity Council Chambers in Cape Town.
However the architect is not all work and no play. He enjoys sports such as soccer, cricket, badminton, squash, tennis and reading of local affairs – newspapers and magazines; non-fiction; and his personal favourite -spending quality time with family and friends. Since 2008 Hassan has been a member SACAP validation panel to Cape Peninsula University of Technology, a member of Africa Union of Architects – Vice President, an alternate delegate to UIA (International Union of Architects) Council among other architectural councils.
Professionalism in the Industry
The South African architects historically have a very high level of professionalism and ethics which are guided by international practices. With recent developments says Mr. Hassan the recognition of other categories of practitioners, is the challenge to ensure that this culture filters down to all practitioners. It is in the interests of the public as well as for the benefit of the industry for architects to maintain these standards as they progress from a developing to a developed country.
“For us to be an international player, it is essential for us to maintain these standards. Our standards are recognised the world over and this is borne out by the fact that architects trained in South Africa are sought after and South African practices are increasingly being appointed on projects in others parts of the world which was previously the domain of practices from the developed world” said Hassan.
Challenges in the Industry
The economic cycle which the industry faces makes the development and growth of practices a challenging one Architects tend to be conservative about future prospects; this can influence their profiles as global players. While this impacts on all practices, it makes it particularly difficult for emerging practices and those headed by individuals from previously disadvantaged communities who do not necessarily have the networks to access work while also have to overcome the legacy of the past.
Another challenge is the work ethic which is going terribly down thus hindering our future development. Availability of experienced practitioners complicates this further. A shortage of experienced practitioners is experienced because majority of them prefer to practice in other more developed countries. Architects trained in South Africa are in demand overseas and there are opportunities to work on exciting projects in other parts of the world. Many do come back with valuable experience but there is no way of knowing how and when.
One may ask what about the recent graduates? Well, South Africa continues to produce good standard of graduates, however her educational institutions are under strain and there is an opinion that they are not producing them in sufficient numbers. Most of these institutions do not have the space, funding or capacity to expand. South Africa has 11 schools while South Korea has 77 for about the same size of population.
“We have managed to overcome these challenges with hard work, dedication and rigour often working long hours and making other sacrifices; a conservative approach to financial management and lots of training” added Hassan.
Advice to Young Upcoming Architects
There is no substitute for hard work and application. Set the highest standards and do not compromise unless it is absolutely essential. There is also no substitute for honesty and integrity. This is a creative field and one gets as much out of it as one puts into it.
Young architects should realise that there are no quick fixes in this industry; work hard and try and gain as much experience in as short a time as possible – experience is key to ones future development and success. Young architects should aim to back themselves to achieve their goals and will be surprised how much they can achieve.
“Do not be arrogant; this is a profession about creativity, skill, interaction with people and understanding their needs. Do not underestimate anyone as you will find that sometimes the most creative solutions come from the most unlikely sources. This is a wonderful profession and you need to decide what you want out of it – concentrate on the positives and manage the negatives” added Hassan.
Projects
The firm has been fortunate to be involved in a number of significant projects such as the Hartleyvale sports stadium, alterations and additions to the Cape Town City Council Chambers, Cape Town International Convention Centre and a range of community projects. Some of these have been in association with other practices in which the firm believes their interaction has benefitted the project as a whole.
Projects the firm is currently working on include the new Khayelitsha District hospital, Cape Town film studios, Eden on the bay mixed use development plus a range of commercial projects.
ACG Architects and Development Planners projects include: Klarinet (new office block for the Navy),Mitchells plain public transport interchange, Hartleyvale hockey stadium, unicity alterations and additions, Newland cricket stadium (upgrade for the 2003 World Cup), Turfhall softball stadium,Rocksole commercial development, Blue downs library,Scottsdene multipurpose youth centre,SAMWU Mitchell's plain health care centre, Khayelitsha secondary school among others.
Conclusion
Architecture is a multidimensional career. One is learning all the time and exposed to different aspects of life and various other issues in the projects that one is involved in. In this way one is always learning and facing new challenges; looking for creative solutions; adopting and adapting existing and new technologies; learning about other people’s cultures, way of living, idiosyncrasies’ etc.
Depending on many of these factors, every project is different in that one has to develop an approach and a creative solution, and one realises it through the final product that is built. There is a lot of angst that sometimes goes with this but in the final analysis all of this makes the practice of architecture exciting, challenging and something to look forward to.
