Celebrating women leaders at dhk
8 August 2024
dhk Architects celebrates women’s triumphs, sacrifices and contributions to society all year round.
Our entire team contributes to our success. Around half of our team are women. They are highly skilled, leading major architectural projects locally and abroad. These leaders are supported by an equally adept administrative staff that forms the backbone of the studio. Currently, women make up 45% of our 27-strong management team. Find out more about some of them below.
Renske Haller
Partner | Managing Director
Renske has worked in the United Kingdom and The Netherlands, growing her insights in urban design, and gaining experience in an international context. She returned to South Africa and joined dhk Architects in 2006. She was promoted to Partner in 2009 and appointed as Managing Director of the practice in 2014. Renske has experience in the design and execution of a wide range of projects at various scales and complexities, from spatial development frameworks and masterplanning, to individual public and private buildings, public spaces and detailed landscape treatments. She has specialised experience in designing leisure and hospitality projects around the world, including luxury resort hotel projects and mixed-use developments incorporating residential, retail, hospitality and commercial elements. As dhk MD, she leads the strategic direction of the practice and is involved in all aspects of its financial, operational and strategic growth and development. Renske has a particular focus on increasing the diversity of the practice and the profession, and in building a culture of high-performance led by clear shared values within the internal team.
Leigh Bishop
Partner | Executive Director
Leigh has over 16 years’ experience in the industry. She joined dhk as a Partner and member of the board of directors in 2019. Prior to joining dhk, she led her own practice, Leigh Bishop Architects, in Durban. She has an immense enthusiasm for architecture, providing considered design solutions with speed and efficiency. She specialises in business development and guides teams working on various residential and hospitality projects, overseeing design delivery and implementation. Leigh’s currently leading the team behind City Park, an innovative mixed-use development in the Cape Town CBD. In April 2024, she was included on Africans Column’s list of 50 Influential African Women Architects. She was lauded for her commitment to inspiring inclusivity and gender equality in architecture, striving to motivate and create space for future female leaders in the industry.
Shantal Ruiters
Finance Director | Member of the Board of Directors
Shantal is an experienced finance professional with a demonstrated history of managing various financial facets of a large organisation. She’s an indispensable part of maintaining the seamless daily and long-term functionality of dhk’s finances while monitoring annual expenditures and forecasting. She manages her team with proficiency in advanced accounting systems and a positive leadership style that encourages development and agility. Over the years, Shantal has worked in the events and marketing industries, including on large-scale projects such as The Ocean Race (Cape Town and Abu Dhabi) and the World Triathlon Championship Series. She joined dhk in 2019 and serves as a Finance Director and a member of the Board of Directors.
Natasha Geils
Office Manager | Personal Assistant
With over two decades of experience as a personal assistant and office manager, Natasha has worked with diverse teams and individuals across industries, honing a unique set of skills that allows her to excel in a demanding work environment. Natasha was bitten by the architecture bug in 2012. She started at dhk in early 2012 as a PA and in 2018 became dhk’s office manager, while still serving as PA to founder and executive chairman Derick Henstra. Her overarching goal is to empower the people she works with to more easily do their jobs. As an indispensable all-rounder, in addition to being a PA and Office Manager, she adeptly organises events, liaises with clients and manages the admin team.
Tanya Busschau
Senior Associate | Head of Urban Design
Tanya has over a decade of experience in public and private sector projects. Since joining dhk in 2018, she has been involved in several urban design and architectural projects in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Italy, Romania and Mauritius. She was promoted to Head of Urban Design in 2023. In this role, she leads the architects and urban designers who make up the urban design team and actively considering the future of the team and urban design within dhk as a whole, together with the larger management team. Some of her notable projects are Springfield Estate, Hatfield Town Centre and Conradie Park – designed as an urban village with a pedestrian-friendly environment, featuring wide sidewalks, cycling paths, and an integrated non-motorised transport plan.
Wardah Razak
Senior Associate | Head of Implementation and Training
Wardah, an 18-year veteran at the practice, is involved in all stages of the architectural process, particularly the technical development and detailing across a wide range of building typologies. She’s part of Renske’s team, currently working on The Signature in Mauritius and Seafront Estate in Seychelles. She’s also contributed her expertise to developments such as Drostdy Hotel, Delaire Graff Estate and Waterway House, the first phase of the new mixed-use Canal District at Cape Town’s bustling V&A Waterfront. Wardah is extremely passionate about inspiring and mentoring the next generation of architects. She champions the Go for Gold initiative which provides students from disadvantaged communities the opportunity to enhance their architectural education and receive mentorship throughout their tertiary education.
Sarah Patterson
Senior Associate | Architect
Sarah has close to 20 years of experience working on both urban design and architectural projects. She’s passionate about the need for well-considered, inspirational building projects that contribute to the creation of vibrant and equitable places. She also participates in mentoring activities and network events for women in architecture. In her nine-year tenure at dhk, she’s contributed extensively to projects in the education sector, particularly the spatial implications in designing for shifting pedagogies and the digital teaching environment. Parklands College in Cape Town is one of her notable projects. It was expanded to include a new learning and innovation centre. She also contributed her expertise to the newly completed multimedia academic learning centre at Bishops Diocesan College in Rondebosch.
Fahiema Regal
Associate | Architect
Fahiema marked an impressive 20-year tenure with dhk in July 2024. Throughout her career, she has been responsible for detailing, documentation and coordination on various projects. Her experience covers all types of construction (structure, building methods, etc.) and building types, including residential, apartment blocks, hotels, office buildings and retail. One of her standout projects is Axis in Century City, Cape Town, an apartment block designed to capitalise on views of Table Mountain and the Atlantic Ocean. It comprises 85 luxury residential apartments and penthouses, supplemented with small-scale commercial and retail space at ground level. Axis earned a Bronze Design Award in the 2019 A’ Design Award & Competition in the Architecture, Building and Structure Design Award Category.
Hilary Alexander
Head of Communications
Hilary has 30 years’ experience as a specialist in business-to-business communications for organisations in the built environment. She has worked in South Africa and the United Kingdom as a team lead and as an independent consultant for engineers, architects, property developers, urban regeneration agencies and city improvement districts, among other clients. She joined dhk in 2023 with a mandate to develop and implement the practice’s strategic communications programme. While her first love is writing, she’s also a strategic thinker and creative producer, with a proven track record in leading content development teams, developing communications programmes, conceptualising and producing strategic collateral and other components on the full spectrum of B2B communications.
Lisa Bridgeford
Interior Designer | Head of dhk Interior Design
Lisa is one of the founding directors of dhk Interior Design (dhki), a leading interior architecture and design firm working across the hospitality, commercial, education and residential sectors. dhki is a sister company of dhk Architects. She’s a seasoned professional who has delivered interiors for nearly 30 hotels across Africa throughout her career. Her talented team has completed various innovative projects in Mauritius, South Africa and Namibia for clients including Fairmont, Old Mutual, Rabie Properties, University of Stellenbosch, Abland Property Developers, Retail Capital, Sun International, Takealot, SPEAR Reit, Vantage Properties, Delaire Graff, Mont Choisy Mauritius, among others. dhki’s most recent projects include the MySpace student residences in Stellenbosch, the refurbishment of the Grand Hotel at GrandWest Entertainment World, and the multimedia learning centre at Bishops Diocesan School. The team has also recently completed an elegant and functional customer service desk located at the centre of Canal Walk, Cape Town’s largest shopping centre.
Daphne Nederstigt
Associate | Architect
Daphne has been with dhk since 2017. She works on various architectural, interior design, and construction projects, ranging from high-end residential to hospitality builds, including in the Seychelles and Mauritius. Her responsibilities cover all project stages, from concept plans to construction packages. As part of Renske’s team, she’s been involved in The Signature (Mauritius) and Seafront Estate (Seychelles) from inception and contributed to Delaire Graff Estate’s Owner’s Villa and Superior Lodges. Daphne also wears the sustainability hat as she leads dhk’s Sustainability Committee in collaboration with dhk Partner Peter Stokes. The forum aims to promote green building principles within the practice. Daphne believes that architects have the privilege of shaping the built environment, and the ethical responsibility to create healthier spaces that minimise environmental harm.
Michelle Coetzee
Associate | Architect
Michelle describes herself as a ‘generalist’ architect. She loves working on a wide variety of projects of various scales, budgets and levels of complexity. She enjoys realising designs from conceiving concepts through to designing the information flow and documentation needed to make it a reality. At dhk, she’s also at the forefront of an internal platform that facilitates discussions about design-related topics. Michelle previously worked for a Cape Town practice in early 2004 where she remained for nine years working on a variety of projects. At the end of 2012 she relocated to Seattle where she worked for Olson Kundig, spending six years with the practice (two on returning to South Africa) before moving on to another Cape Town practice for four years.
Sarah Tarr
Associate | Architect
Sarah joined dhk in 2015 and was promoted to Associate in June 2024. Over the course of her career at dhk, she has worked on large commercial developments, ranging from offices to hotels and large-scale residential projects, at all stages, from design to construction and completion. She was recently part of the architectural team behind the newly launched multimedia academic learning centre designed for Bishops Diocesan College in Rondebosch. Her other notable projects at dhk include the 2017 Triangle House office conversion to the Radisson Blu Hotel and Residence (now known as Pullman Cape Town City Centre), Sable Corner at Century City, Grand Hotel at GrandWest and Conradie Park in Thornton.
