On 27 May, dhk Architects welcomed seven students and three faculty members from the from the Norman Foster Institute (NFI) to engage and share insights on designing public spaces in different contexts of Cape Town. The discussion highlighted a need for these spaces to be robust, accessible and decentralised.
The students are part of the second academic year of the Norman Foster Institute’s Master’s Programme on Sustainable Cities, which commenced in January 2025. The programme includes students from sixteen nationalities and diverse professional backgrounds, ranging from architecture to journalism. This year, the programme has expanded its focus to Africa, with three pilot cities: Cape Town in South Africa, Melilla in Morocco and Freetown in Sierra Leone.
During the visit, dhk Partner and Executive Director Guy Briggs led a presentation focusing on a range of public space projects. He was supported by contributions from dhk Partners Peter Stokes and Pierre Swanepoel. The session was also attended by dhk Chairman Derick Henstra.
The presentation and discussions were followed by walking tours to Battery Park in the V&A Waterfront and the Longkloof Precinct project. Both projects were collaborations between dhk’s architectural and urban design teams.
A full circle moment
The visit was also a full circle moment for dhk Candidate Architect Ismaeel Davids from the Urban Design team. Ismaeel is back at dhk having returned from Madrid where he spent 2024 doing a Master’s Degree programme at the Norman Foster Institute Programme on Sustainable Cities. He’s now applying his knowledge within the Urban Design team run by dhk Senior Associate Tanya Busschau, with strategic oversight from dhk Partner and Executive Director Guy Briggs.
He believes his experience on the programme broadened his perspective and deepened his understanding of how cities work. He noted, “Norman Foster calls cities our ‘greatest inventions’ and I’m starting to see exactly what he means”.
Reflecting on the visit by the 2025 cohort to dhk and Cape Town, he said: “dhk has many years of experience working in the city of Cape Town and successfully navigating public-private partnership through their work. I think it’s important for the students to understand the role of the private sector in the provision of public space, in addition to their engagements with city officials. I have no doubt that they [the students] will make a massive contribution to bettering our cities. It’s reassuring to see that the future of this programme is in cities in the global south, where in my opinion will benefit the most.”
dhk believes in nurturing the next generation of leaders in its field, and that one way to do this is to build strong relationships with educational institutions locally and abroad, and to share knowledge. Following the success of the Norman Foster Institute visit, the studio is preparing to welcome eleven 4th year students from the Lebanese American University in July.
Other recent engagements include a lecture at the School of Explorative Architecture presented by dhk Chairman and Founding Partner Derick Henstra. dhk Partner and Executive Director Guy Briggs and dhk Senior Associate Vahin Parmananda also recently dedicated their time as jury members for two initiatives. This includes the Cape Town 2040 design proposals developed by UCT Architecture students and the National Stages of the Saint-Gobain Architecture Student Contest, respectively.
Note: Cape Town 2040, an innovative think-tank and research group dedicated to exploring the potential of Cape Town and the Western Cape as hosts for the 2036 or 2040 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games. Guy and Our Future Cities CEO Rashiq Fataar have been spearheading CT2040 with a keen focus on how the event can catalyse sustainable development, enhance resilience and foster greater integration across the city and region.