We take great pride in the meticulous organisation of our archives. Last year’s extensive moving and revamping project resulted in the renewed accessibility of our many archive spaces, and in turn set the stage for this year’s continuation of archival functions.
The Drawing Room and the Resource Centre were our main focus points, where we revised furniture arrangements and worked to make all retrievals more convenient. Parallel to this all our other archival spaces and storage systems are constantly being upgraded and revised, while the digital database of archival metadata is refined behind the scenes.
#MakeTodayMatter #UniversityOfPretoria #UPArchitecture #boukunde #AAUP #archives #archive #architecturearchives #architecturalheritage #history #heritage #architecture #interiorarchitecture #landscapearchitecture #boukundearchive #boukundearchives #historicalartefact #artefact
We're excited to announce the first book sale of 2026. The sale will take place in Boukunde, starting at 12:30 on Tuesday the 12th of May.
Remember to bring cash to purchase preloved books at bargain prices, as well as a selection of brand new books.
Get a free journal with each purchase (while stocks last).
Stay tuned for a list of book prices to follow soon.
#boukunde #boukundebooksale #architecturebooks #secondhandbooks #architecturalhistory
#UPGraduation2026: On Tuesday 12 May we will celebrate many architectural graduates from our department. You can view the graduation live on YouTube (link in the page bio)
The first year Architecture student recently spent a day engaging with Architecture from their personal experience, traveling to two sites, the Greek Orthodox Church and Doxa Deo Chapel. Extending their exposure from campus to the bear city, where they interrogate Architecture by comparing two religious artefacts with differing intents and spatial qualities while learning how to capture experience through drawing.
Why does the UIA award matter?
The UIA Award for Innovation in Architectural Education is organised by the UIA - International Union of Architects Architectural Education Commission and recognises excellence in architectural and urban design education worldwide.
Aligned with the UNESCO-UIA Charter for Architectural Education, the award highlights pedagogical approaches that respond meaningfully to contemporary societal and environmental challenges. In this context, the recognition received by the University of Pretoria’s Department of Architecture speaks to the international relevance of architectural education that is contextually responsive, research-led, publicly engaged, and committed to inclusive futures.
For us, this is not only a moment of celebration. It is also an affirmation that architectural education in South Africa can make a serious contribution to global conversations on the future of the discipline, the profession, and the city
#MakeTodayMatter #ChooseUP #UniversityOfPretoria #UPArchitecture #Boukunde
Reflecting on a meaningful visit to Hasselt University as part of the ongoing collaboration between the Unit for Urban Citizenship and Global Partnerships Hasselt University INT³, Interdisciplinary International Internships.
Our eight Master’s students in Architecture had the opportunity to engage with 8 interdisciplinary UHasselt students and staff through a rich programme of workshops, collaborative sessions, and site visits. The visit created space for intercultural exchange, interdisciplinary learning, and critical reflection on migration, integration, inclusion, and the role of design in addressing complex social realities.
Workshops on migration, culture, universal design, and Building Beyond Borders helped broaden the conversation, while project sessions and engagement around Melusi Informal Settlement kept the collaboration grounded in lived realities and community partnership.
The site visits were especially valuable. At C-mine, students reflected on the transformation of a former mining landscape and the ways migration and labour histories continue to shape place. The visit to the refugee centre offered important insight into the experiences of displacement and reception.
In Antwerp, the visit to the Red Star Line Museum was particularly significant, prompting reflection on the human dimensions of migration, belonging, and memory across time.
We are deeply grateful to Sara Schaeken, Els Hannes, John Silvertand, and the wider Hasselt University team for their generous hosting and thoughtful programme.
We now look forward to welcoming the UHasselt team to Pretoria in July and August for the next phase of the collaboration in Melusi Informal Settlement.
#MakeTodayMatter #UniversityOfPretoria #UPArchitecture #Boukunde #UnitForUrbanCitizenship #UHasselt #INT3 #InterdisciplinaryLearning #GlobalPartnerships #ArchitectureEducation #Migration #CoCreatingWellness
We are proud to share that the University of Pretoria Department of Architecture has received a 2026 UIA Award for Innovation in Architectural Education for the entry, From Awareness to Co-Implementation: A Staged Pedagogy for Climate Justice, Spatial Justice, and Circular Material Practice.
This international recognition affirms a pedagogical approach that connects architectural education to the urgent realities of our time, including socio-spatial inequality, climate risk, civic responsibility, and material accountability.
The awarded entry reflects a curriculum that prepares graduates for expanded roles in practice: as critical thinkers, facilitators, collaborators, and designers able to work responsibly in complex urban contexts.
Over the coming days, we will share more about the award's contents, including the staged curriculum model and the key thematic strands that shaped the submission.
We are honoured to see this work recognised on an international platform.
Congratulations to the team that prepared this entry: Prof Carin Combrinck, Dr Jan Hugo and Jason Oberholster
#MakeTodayMatter #ChooseUP #UniversityOfPretoria #UPArchitecture #Boukunde
The 1st Edition Public Interest Design in South Africa by Prof Carin Combrinck, Claire du Trevou and Tshepo Mokholo is now live!
Link to order your copy in our page bio
This book presents salient examples of architectural projects and practices in South Africa since 1994 that collectively subscribe to the paradigm shift towards Public Interest Design.
Congratulations on this excellent book!
#MakeTodayMatter #UniversityOfPretoria #ChooseUP #UPArchitecture #Boukunde #PublicInterestDesign #SouthAfrica
Student exchange to Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden.
During the 2025/2026 academic year, Tristan Poulter, Melissa Springett, Klara Viljoen & Wesley Wright completed an entire semester at Chalmers as part of their postgraduate studies in architecture.
This is an exciting collaboration between University of Pretoria and Chalmers University of Technology, where 4 postgraduate students from each university can exchange for 1 entire semester.
We are extremely proud of the quality of work that our students have produced on their exchange. Thank you to the entire team from Chalmers for your excellent standard and collaboration. We truly value this exciting exchange and look forward to hosting some of your students soon.
#MakeTodayMatter #UniversityOfPretoria #ChooseUP #UPArchitecture #Architecture
Our Honours students had the privilege of visiting Qurtuba (https://qurtuba.co.za/) to view the creativity and exploration they have achieved with timber, using recycled materials and circular construction.
We were also joined by the @reality_studio_mpdsd team from Chalmers University of Technology, Liane Thuvander and Marli Swanepoel.
We look forward to seeing how the students incorporate the learnings from this visit into their projects. Their brief focuses on a rigorous participatory design process through which honours students, together with ten community field researchers from Melusi informal Settlement, will investigate housing needs, housing typologies, and the spatial implications of dwelling in conditions of informality and uncertainty, with particular attention to circular construction and design for disassembly.
Thank you to Zubair Sader, Yusuf Patel and Muneer Adamjee for hosting us and inspiring our students with your great work.
#timberconstruction #creativity #sustainability #MakeTodayMatter #UPArchitecture
