When discussing the renovation of the older buildings on campus, a recurring theme emerges: we need to preserve the “look and feel” of ALA, meaning the Learning Commons. This is where we tend to spend most of our time on campus and is the brainchild of architect Mphethi Morojele.
Through the vision he shares with us of transforming Africa, and informed by ALA values and pedagogical vision, Morojele transformed the old print factory on the campus into the beloved hub that the Learning Commons is today.
Morojele is an acclaimed architect and Principal at MMA Design Studio, a world class, African architectural firm that has been delivering projects for more than 22 years. His portfolio of amazing projects includes the South African Embassy in Addis Ababa, the Westwood Way Private Residence in Johannesburg and the Parktown Girls High Science Centre are just some of the projects he has to his credit. We could not have been more pleased with the results of the Learning Commons work he did for us. It was cited as an example of why his firm was named Best Architecture & Urban Design Studio – South Africa in 2019.
Mphethi Morojele (supplied)
Morojele is a World Economic Forum global commissioner on diversities and is an occasional lecturer at the School of Architecture and Planning at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. He has served on numerous advisory boards, competition juries and consultancies dealing with the built environment in Africa and beyond, including the “Urban Age” global conferences (London School of Economics) in 2006, the Xth Venice Biennale of Architecture 2006 the Conference of the Parties (COP17) Durban, South Africa 2011, Holcim Sustainability Awards (Africa and the Middle East) in 2011, the Scientific Committee for the 2014 Union of International Architects (UIA) congress in Durban South Africa and the Symposium on Indigenous Design (Melbourne Design School )2018.
As we set our sights on tackling the renovation of the auditorium and on building a Creative Commons at ALA, we could not think of a better partner than Morojele to help us get our wish of getting the right look and feel for the updated spaces.
