Jo Noero on socially purposeful South African architecture

Architecture in post-apartheid South Africa has a very important role to play, Jo Noero shares his thoughts on this.

Related Profile

Jo Noero
Jo Noero
Jo Noero is principal at Noero Architects and a tenured professor at the University of Cape Town (UCT).
More on Jo Noero

Download options
Download: Jo Noero on socially purposeful South African architecture
Click on a link to download the video file

The language of architecture and identity in post-1994 South Africa is something very complex. Understanding that public buildings need to speak to people about the very nature of public buildings and looking to ways in which building can merge education and cultural production, Jo Noero explores the spaces in between.

From "Shack Chic" to "Radical Chic",  Jo Noero is principal at Noero Architects and a tenured professor at the University of Cape Town. Noero feels that the 90s provided a platform to showcase post-apartheid's potential to become socially purposeful.

South African architecture needs to have a sense of self, says Noero.

The language of architecture and identity in post-1994 South Africa is something very complex for Noero. Understanding that public buildings need to speak to people about the very nature of public buildings as well as looking for ways in which a building can merge education and cultural production, he explores the spaces in between.