We’re proud of our people and believe in celebrating their work. In this Q&A, we’re profiling dhk Professional Senior Architectural Technologist Lucienne Myburgh, who has been with the studio for 10 years. We asked him about the studio culture, his work and journey over the past decade. In a full-circle moment, we learned that Waterway House, a multi-storey commercial and retail development in the V&A Waterfront district, Cape Town, was his first dhk project, completed in 2017. Fast forward to 2025, his current project, the luxury apartments at 5 Dock Road, is directly opposite and approaching completion.
Tell us a bit about your background?
Lucienne Myburgh (LM): I completed my National Diploma in Architectural Technology and Bachelor of Architectural Technology at CPUT [Cape Peninsula University of Technology] in 2012 and 2013, respectively. I've always wanted to work in the Cape Town city centre. So, after spending about a year and a half at a Stellenbosch-based architectural practice, I applied at dhk and got the job in 2015. I’ve been here ever since.
That's ten years at dhk. How has your experience been?
LM: After finishing your studies, you think you know a lot and that you have the tools to be proficient in the world of architecture, but that's just a starter kit to what you need to do and implement in the real world. The best knowledge is through experience. My time at dhk has been good in terms of gaining that experience in the studio and with the variety and scale of projects. These are not small buildings and to acquire that kind of knowledge is invaluable. It’s something that can’t be taught in a classroom.
A central ethos for dhk is the concept of having an open studio and mostly in-office working. You may work in nuclei of teams, but being in an open studio gives you access to the wealth of experience within the studio. That's something people may not be privy to online. That doesn’t necessarily refer only to a specific building. It's the fact that everyone is open to a discussion, which gives opportunities to learn and delve deeper into understanding and resolving the building. You're never discouraged from asking questions and if a mistake happens, we sit down as a team, resolve it together and move forward.
What kind of projects have you worked on since joining the studio?
LM: I'm part of team Pierre [the architectural team led by dhk Partner Pierre Swanepoel] at dhk. Over the years, I've been involved in the design development of projects from concept to completion. I’ve worked on large mixed-use projects incorporating retail, office and residential spaces and projects involving the refurbishment and adaptive reuse of existing buildings.
Recent notable projects include The Rubik, a 27-storey contemporary mixed-use tower in the Cape Town CBD and 35 Lower Long, a 14-storey R500 million office development in the Cape Town CBD's Foreshore.
Other past projects include Sable Park, a multi-storey commercial development in Century City, Cape Town, and Waterway House, a multi-storey commercial and retail development in the V&A Waterfront district, Cape Town. I've also been fortunate to work on adaptive reuse projects in Cape Town such as Summit House and Longkloof Precinct [blocks A & B, the existing two towers].
What's on the drawing board at the moment?
LM: I'm working on 5 Dock Road, the luxury apartments overlooking Battery Park in the V&A Waterfront district. The project will be completed and occupied towards the end of 2025. I've also started to work on The Paradigm, a new mixed-use urban block building in Cape Town with 240 luxury apartments and street-level retail. I've started getting into the nitty gritty of the project and am assisting with documentation and design development.
It must be exciting to see 5 Dock Road approaching completion?
LM: Absolutely. It's been a good challenge, and I think once they’ve finished removing the scaffolding and revealing the building, it'll look great on the canal, especially from Battery Park.
Now that I think of it, my first big project at dhk was Waterway House directly opposite the canal and now ten years later I'm back working on 5 Dock Road, opposite it. It's a full circle moment and it's the first time I've thought of it that way.
There's a strong emphasis on professional development at dhk and social activities. Are there any portfolios you're involved in?
LM: A few of us who've been at dhk for a number of years are involved in “Documentation 101”. The intent is to create a proficient, efficient system, to streamline our work going into projects, so we don't spend a whole lot of time redoing what we've done before. That comes back to the experience and knowledge we have in the office. This is also to prevent people from working in silos when there's a wealth of knowledge across our offices in Joburg and Cape Town that can be used to better manage our time on projects. By leveraging the expertise within dhk and our IP, we want to ensure people are supported while improving efficiencies.
Do you have a favourite dhk project?
LM: It's The Rubik, even though it was a tough project in terms of getting the work done. It was a six-year journey in which we also faced Covid constraints. Looking at it now, it’s nice to see something a bit different in terms of a tall high-rise building.
We had to respond to challenging site constraints in terms of site size and geometry, urban massing and form and internal design configuration of parking, offices and residential uses but it's [the building] almost paradigm shifting because of the “the rubik” and how it twists. It's sort of tucked away and it gives you this surprise if you're walking the streets of Cape Town. You can see this building that's straight, but it's not. It's shifting.
How would you describe the culture at dhk?
LM: It's good; everyone has a great work ethic, but we've learned that you need to find a balance between work and things outside of work.
It's great that you can approach anybody and talk to them about experiences on projects or workshop things. You can learn from each other's issues and understand that beyond your two screens, you can reach out and ask anybody questions.
Beyond the work itself, there's also a social aspect within the office from activities to having discussions with like-minded people about all the tribulations that come with working on projects. The open studio allows for that. It creates a very approachable environment which helps people to learn and develop their experience.
Is there a moment that stands out for you from the past ten years you've been at dhk?
LM: I'd say completing a project. On a lot of projects we work on there's hard graft, meeting deadlines and a focus on resolving things. I think a month or two after completion, you can take a step back and admire what has been done, appreciating the gravity of what has been created and completed. It's a great achievement to envision something for three years, for instance, and then to see it standing tall and proud. It's a good reminder and representation of what you're working towards, which is good.