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Join 22 international and local critics in two days of open-to-the-public reviews at the GSA! Held in three concurrent locations in the city, this is a unique opportunity to see and engage with some of the most interesting work being produced in the school. Students will present their developing Major Design Projects to a panel of academics, practitioners, makers and public intellectuals. We encourage the audience to ask questions and make comments after each presentation. For a complete schedule of the reviews, please e-mail Jade Mokoena on jadem@uj.ac.za

Visiting Professors Chiara Ingrosso and Luca Molinari of Università degli Studi della Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Naples, Italy in the Social Space Bar, following their two-day seminar. Chiara showed a project entitled The Citytellers by the Italian photographer and filmmaker Francesco Jodice, a trilogy about three different global cities: Sao Paolo, Aral and Dubai. The Citytellers explores the transformations of today’s megalopolises, particularly in terms of new social, political, economic and religious phenomena. The screening was followed by a seminar discussion group around the relationship between film, cinema, architecture and urban design. M1 students explored parts of Johannesburg, culminating in five short films which will be screened at the GSA Summer Show in November.

Henning Rasmuss was born in Johannesburg. Influenced by the building boom in the late 1960s and early 70s, and fascinated by the energy of large building sites, Henning chose to study architecture – graduating Cum Laude from Wits University in 1994. After early works completed in Berlin, Johannesburg and Hong Kong, he co-founded Paragon Architects in 1997 with Anthony Orelowitz. He is a founding director of all companies in the Paragon Group. Since 2012, he has been responsible for all the Group’s International Projects, and for Business Development in Africa. This has led to project engagements in 18 countries on the continent, and completed projects in 11 countries. Henning has contributed numerous articles to South African and international design and architecture publications; and co-wrote and co-published the books ‘Contemporary South African Architecture in a Landscape of Transition’ (2006), and ‘Cape Town Stadium: Between the Lines’ (2010). He lectures by invitation; has served as external examiner for various universities; and has served as Jury Member for the Corobrik Architecture Student of the Year Award in 2011, 2012, 2013, and for the Kenya Association of Architects Award of Merit in 2014.

Nina Cohen and Fiona Garson have been in partnership for 15 years. The studio draws on skilled staff and collaborators as the need arises. This flexibility enables the partners to be intimately involved in all projects and to be discerning when deciding which projects to take on. As the partners say, 'our open and respectful working relationship with each other and with our staff makes for good decision-making and a collegial working environment. We enjoy working in a team and collaborating with others.' Many of the buildings Cohen and Garson have designed are ground-breaking. They have been published in prestigious magazines such as Domus (Italian), Detail (German), Architecture Digest (South African) amongst others. They received the Visi Designer of the year award in 2012 for the the Wits Art Museum. They also received a award of excellence from GIfA and a National Award of Merit from SAIA for WAM.

Unit 11's Thomas Chapman (Local Studio) has just completed a brand new entrance for Wits University on its Jan Smuts entrance, opening the campus up to the street and the public in a bold, dynamic way. This marks the practice's latest Braamfontein project. As Wits Vice-Chancellor Professor Adam Habib notes, Wits is determining how it can break down the barriers that exist between the University and its location in Braam and Parktown. “Just as many universities worldwide have played a pivotal role in the revitalisation of their surrounding areas, so too does Wits want to do the same in Braamfontein,” adds Habib. “The reformation of Braam into a trendy, attractive, safe, inviting precinct is a key strategic priority for the University for the next five years, as we work towards our centennial anniversary.” Congratulations to Tom and his team for this brave new step!

In this short two-minute video, we will take you through the steps required to put a convincing and comprehensive 5-10 page portfolio together, showing your creative work at its best. Professor Lesley Lokko, Sumayya Vally, Sarah de Villiers and two current students will take you through the process, explaining how to combine text with images, what to show, what not to show . . . everything you need to gain access to the GSA! For a really good example of what's coming, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8EgQbuLfjw, a video by the University of Sydney, available on YouTube.