FGG Architects

COMPANY PROFILE

2013

stimulating,enduring designs

The building and construction industries have seen many challengesover the past few years. With the global economic crash, the lack of reliable projects after the 2010 World Cup and the recent revelations surrounding corruption in the bidding process, the sector has been left wanting, but fortunately there is renewed hope as leading construction firms have started to report upturns in their financial performance and increasing demand in their order books.

Group Five, one of the country’s leading construction companies, reported an increase in earnings of over 15% for the six months leading up to December 2012 compared with the same period in the previous year and this sort of news is encouraging, not only for construction but for all surrounding industries, including architecture.

There are hundreds of architectural firms in South Africa, small and large, old and new, but one company

in particular stands out for having a long history, an exceptional portfolio and an eye for quality like no other. That company is FGG Architects, 53 years old this year, but bringing new and fresh ideas to every project that they are involved with.

Jeremy Hathorn is a Director at FGG and he tells IndustrySA more about the company’s history and their work in Africa and Saudi Arabia.

“FGG’s originators were Derek Franklin and Pat Garland. They were friends and colleagues from their schooldays and they had started their own practices in the late 1950s. Eventually, they joined forces and started the firm Franklin and Garland and shortly thereafter they were joined by Pat Gibson and the firm became Franklin, Garland and Gibson or FGG.

“After them, other partners came through and the practice was doing a broad spectrum of work, based in Durban, mostly doing work in KwaZulu-Natal but further afield as well.”

COMPANY REPORt

PAGE 2 MAY 13

stimulating, enduring designsEditorial – Roland Douglas Production – Ben Martell

FGG Architects is one of the country’s leading architectural organisations. With a long list of successful projects, Jeremy Hathorn, Director of FGG, tells us more about some of the flagship builds and also, what you need if you want to become a world class architect.

ROYAL APPOINTMENTFGG’s stellar reputation has seen them selected as architect of choice by many famous names including Hilton Hotels and Standard Bank but when the company was approached by Kenyan partners to assist with the design of an African lodge in Saudi Arabia for a Saudi Prince, the company knew that their skills would be tested.

“The project in Saudi Arabia was a spin-off of some lodge work that we had been doing in South Africa and in Kenya where we were contacted by Kenyan clients who had been approached by a Saudi Arabian Prince to build a replica of a fishing lodge that they had near Lake Victoria.

“However, the brief was very different from a 12 bed fishing lodge; it was more like a 120 bed lodge in the desert so it was quite a shift from the original idea,” says Mr Hathorn.

“Despite the new technology and CAD programs such as Revit,

the modern way of designing buildings, we still have the ability

to do sketch plans by hand with the feel and personal touch that

comes with that”

FGG ARChItECts

MAY 13 PAGE 3

“The Kenyan people asked if we could take over the project and it was very interesting because we tried to work from here and introduce an African element into that environment by hiring South African contractors to do the stone work, thatching and pole work,” he adds.

The requirements of the Saudi Prince were specific and very ‘African’ and this created obstacles for FGG. All of the materials had to be transported to Saudi Arabia from South Africa and subsequently had to undergo rigorous screening.

“There were all sorts of import controls, especially around agricultural elements, so it was a challenge.

“To manage the project we teamed up with a Saudi firm of engineers who had an office in Riyadh and through their offices we were able to email all our drawings and get all the information on site. Eventually, we got direct emails on site; about 120km outside Riyadh and that freed things up and made communication quite easy,” says Mr Hathorn.

Keeping the African feel was a must for this project and to ensure that the lodge remained distinctly African, FGG used South African expertise for all aspects of construction. This in turn resorted in South African skills being spread to labourers from as far away as China.

“We try to use local contractors as much as possible,” says Mr Hathorn. “With this project, having an African bush lodge theme, there was no thatching expertise in Saudi Arabia and the materials had to come from South Africa.

“We used a local stone merchant as the client was keen that we didn’t use Saudi stone or Saudi stone masonry. The SA stone mason trained Chinese labourers and artisans and they eventually carried out all the work under his supervision.”

After successfully overseeing design and construction of the lodge in Saudi Arabia, FGG ended their involvement before further attractions were added to the site and the project became a fully-fledged entertainment resort.

“That lodge was quite unusual as it had a 50m shooting range designed by the US Marines that was suitable for machine gun fire, an ice rink, an arcade gallery, a sushi bar, a bowling alley and enough room for the Prince’s 300 closest friends.

“We finished in 2004/05 but he wanted to add a golf course and turn the whole place into a major conference venue. At that stage we were not keen to carry on with it so we stopped our involvement at the end of the lodge phase,” says Mr Hathorn.

Although FGG headquarters are in Durban, the natural home of the business, they are happy to work in any region of the world but it is important that they can find a partner company who knows the local market.

“We would be happy to look at work in other parts but we would look for a local partner. In Mauritius we teamed with a group of local architects who we have a good relationship with. It is important that there is a local partner who is able to deal with the day-to-day running of the job,” says Mr Hathorn.

COMPANY REPORt

PAGE 4 MAY 13

MEDICAL FOCUSFGG have a portfolio of work that ranges from Hilton College to the Eskom Control Centre in Pietermaritzburg and they can offer services to clients from any industry, but over the past few years the company has gained a reputation with the design of medical buildings.

“We are general practitioners so to speak, we will take on a broad spectrum of architectural work from residential to hotels to retail but for many years we have focussed on medical work. We are just finishing off work on a hospital in Mauritius and we have taken on a job on a hospital extension in Pietermaritzburg,” says Mr Hathorn.

One of the most recent medical projects for FGG has been the K-Rith Tower in Durban, a building which has received a lot of attention because of its relationship with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

“We are completing a state-of-the-art TB research building in Durban, sponsored by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute based in Washington,” says Mr Hathorn.

PAGE 12 MAY 12

STRAPLINE

Parsons & Lumsden have been proud to be associated with FGG Architects on several prestigious projects such as:

Nkozi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital, Durban

Midlands Medical Centre, Pietermaritzburg

Doris Duke Medical Research Building, Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine,

KwaZulu Natal

K-Rith Tower Building, Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine

New Lecture Theatre Complex, Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine

Hilton College, Hilton, KwaZulu-Natal

Medical Research Council, BSL-3/2 Laboratory Facilities in KwaZulu-Natal

Suite 2, 6 Inkonka Road, Kloof, 3610 P O Box 800, Kloof, 3640 Tel: (031) 764 7727 Fax: (031) 764 7897 Email: pandl@pandlcc.co.za www.pandlcc.co.za

Consulting Engineers : Mechanical

FGG ARChItECts

“This is the first building that the Institute has funded outside of North America. This is a R200 million building in itself, then the equipment is the same again.”

Projects of this size start with a meeting where requirements are established and details discussed to assist the architect with preliminary designs, as Mr Hathorn explains: “We help the client establish the brief. We ask many questions to try and understand the requirements, mainly to establish the size of the building, everything right down to details like what each room will comprise, what machinery will go in and how many people will be needed.

“Then we will go into detail and start with sketch plans and flesh out the design of the building.”

Finishing touches are being made to the building and it should be fully operational next month.

“The K-Rith Tower is functioning now, researchers are in the building, the commissioning process is nearing an end and so by the middle of June the building will be 100% up and running,” says Mr Hathorn.

RECESSION?While there may be renewed hope for construction firms, the economy in general is not what it was and FGG have noticed the effects on the industry. The com-pany have managed to keep a solid flow of work coming in and steer away from any economic problems but they are conscious of the global recession and are remaining vigilant.

“We have seen effects from the slowdown, we are very aware of it,” says Mr Hathorn. “In our planning we are mindful of the fact that the horizon is not as far

away as it could be. We are trying to keep the practice as streamlined as possible so the impact is reduced. We have been very fortunate over the last few years, we have been very busy and we have managed to keep work at a sustainable level and weather these times very well.”

Right now, the outlook is promising for FGG. The country is still investing heavily in infrastructural projects and with the reported upturn in fortunes for construction companies, the pipeline remains strong.

“We certainly have sufficient projects to see us through the next two years,” says Mr Hathorn, “that’s about as far as one can look forward in this climate. Building projects have a lifecycle, projects come in and within a couple of years they will have gone through the system so provided they come in now, we can plan through the lifecycle of those projects.

“For the short to medium term things are looking good.”

COMPANY REPORt

PAGE 6 MAY 13

FGG ARChItECts

ad

Award winning “15 Alice Lane Towers” a Paragon design is a reminder of great South African talent and ingenuity. Right from the start, focus

on precision, accuracy and detail was established.

Modena Design Centres, Autodesk’s Award winning and top GOLD Partner, provides the software support, expert training and consulting services needed to produce high level

documentation – from concept and visualization to construction drawings in order to create award winning projects.

“We have found Modena to be agile, innovative, responsive and interested in detail. They’re highly competent and knowledgeable [and their] training programs have been of huge benefit for our staff and business “ Henning Rasmuss – Director Paragon Architects.

Modena Design Centres:Durban Office031-312 9273185 Bulwer Road, Glenwood, Durbanheather@modena.co.za

Other Branches:Johannesburg – Head Office0861 MODENA/663362

Cape Town021 794 0702

Maputo+ 258 21 494098

www.modena.co.za

TRADITIONAL METHODSModern architecture, to an outsider, may seem like a complex and highly technical world, mainly because it is exactly that but at FGG the traditional skills have not been lost in the transition to the digital era. Having these traditional skills makes FGG unique as Mr Ha-thorn explains: “Despite the new technology and CAD programs such as Revit - the modern way of designing buildings - we still have the ability to do the sketch plans by hand with the feel and personal touch that comes with that. The practice has long embraced new technology and computer based designing but we have the skills to design by hand and give that softer touch when required.

“There is less and less of this about so it’s a benefit that we do still have these skills.”

If you consider yourself skilled enough to work alongside the partners at FGG, you will need more than just a relevant qualification.

“Besides the obvious talent and training, you would need a willingness to get involved, share the vision and have an extremely good work ethic,” says Mr Hathorn.

A commitment to excellence, the embracing of technology, the creation of stimulating and enduring designs and satisfying both the needs of the client and the environment are at the heart of the FGG vision and while they stick to these principles they will undoubtedly continue to grow and remain at the forefront of the architecture industry, not only South Africa but at international level too. .

COMPANY REPORt

PAGE 8 MAY 13

When it comes to Revit technology, FGG work with Modena Design Automation Solutions for industry specific training, implementation and support. Jeremy Hathorn says that Revit systems are playing an increasingly important role in the everyday business of FGG Architects and working with Modena to stay on top of the software and technology is vitally important. “We are determined to keep abreast of design and drawing aids. The Revit system allows you to design a building in three dimensions whereas traditionally everything was done two dimensionally and you had to just imagine what it would look in 3D. “The Revit process is really a great help when building 3D models of design projects. It is a great tool for problem solving, it highlights the implications in the vertical elements of the building, floors above and floors below and it makes it so much faster to make an alteration.“We are in the early stages with Revit; we are experimenting with it in a couple of projects. The benefits are obvious, as we go forward it will be a huge help.”

FGG ARChItECts

MAY 13 PAGE 9

(0)1603 618 000

info@industrysa.com

East Coast Promotions Ltd, Ferndale Business Centre, 1 Exeter street.Norwich, NorfolkNR2 4QB

+27 31 208 2272www.fggarchitects.co.za