Constructing Practice: Local Studio

Thomas Chapman, of Local Studio, talks about his approach to materials invention and how he finds inspiration in Johannesburg and its peripheries. Constructing Practice traces the narratives of young firms from around the globe, featuring the participants of a Columbia GSAPP symposium that took place on November 17, 2017, and expands the conversation to include many others, to tell us how they do what they do. Hosted by GSAPP Professor Juan Herreros, principal of Estudio Herreros in Madrid.

Local Studio is a practice based in Johannesburg, South Africa, established by Thomas Chapman in 2012. The firm works in affordable housing, social infrastructure, and public space sectors, and is responsible for several projects that have played a part in the regeneration of downtown Johannesburg. Recent awards include the Saint Gobain Architecture for Social Gain award for the Outreach Foundation Community Centre in Hillbrow and the ILASA award for the Westbury Bridge and Park Project. Current projects include the design of a pedestrian promenade and affordable housing tower in Braamfontein and a commemorative arch for Desmond Tutu in Cape Town in collaboration with Snøhetta.

“I’ve always been drawn to materials that really tried to do things quicker, create better spaces with less effort and less budget. And in the end what invariably has happened is that these materials that we use–which are all about transparency, about lightness–tend to symbolize a new direction for architecture.”
—Thomas Chapman

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