Change the world

09/11/2021

Mandela University architecture students took first place in both the 2021 PG Bison’s 1.618 Education Initiative student competition and the Caesarstone Student Designer competition.

Zander Deysel was the winner of the PG Bison competition and Gideon Williams, the Caeserstone competition.

In addition, Gideon also won the best presentation award and fellow student  Andrew Proudman, took second place in the Caesarstone competition and Mandela Uni was recognised as the winning institution in the PG Bison competition.

One third, namely six students, of the finalists in these two industry-sponsored design competitions were third-year Mandela Uni Architectural Design students under the supervision of Donald Flint and Barry Bradley, third-year Design Studio Masters.

“The six Mandela University students are continuing a tradition of participation in these and similar annual national competitions that has yielded numerous winners, runners-up and finalists for the University’s Architectural School over the years, said Donald. 

“The School is particularly proud of this year’s winners and would like to recognise that in these difficult times, it is even more of an achievement on their part.  Their diligence, hard work and what has been judged to be “exceptional creativity”, does much to bring recognition and status to the Architectural School, and also to the University, the importance of which we do not underestimate.”

Gideon’s first prize in the Caesarstone competition won him and his lecturer an all expenses paid trip to a design fair of choice anywhere in the world to the value of R100 000 as well as a R7 500 for his winning presentation. Andrew, in second place, won R15 000 in this competition. 

Zander and his lecturer will both receive R50 000 each for winning the PG Bison competition.

Both competitions went down the avenue of recycling and repurposing in the built environment. The PG Bison Competition, “Towards a World Connected”, required a design for an Aerial Skyway, Heritage Route and Community Facility Terminus at the historical Strand Street Quarry in Cape Town.

The Caesarstone challenge was the adaptive reuse of the historical Collier Jetty and Fish Quay in the Victoria and Alfred Basin, Waterfront, Cape Town, to be part of the already significantly recycled and adapted historical harbour precinct. 

Contact information
Mr John Flint
Senior Lecturer
Tel: 27 41 504 2719
donald.flint@mandela.ac.za