AJ Scheuble

Albert-John studied at the Nelson Mandela University, attended the St Lucas School of Arts in Ghent, Belgium, on an exchange programme and has completed various part-time urban design courses at the University of Cape Town. With 18 years’ experience in the industry, he has worked on varied local and international projects across scale, from master planning new city precincts to high-rise residential projects. AJ joined dhk in 2006 and is now a senior associate. His key focus is on delivery – interpreting the client brief, producing the necessary documentation and guiding the engineering disciplines, whilst keeping a close eye on programme and cost.

Daniel Hookins

Daniel graduated with a Masters in Architecture from Nelson Mandela University in 2011 and has worked since in various firms in Cape Town over the past 11 years, gaining experience in high-end residential projects, commercial developments and tertiary-education buildings. Daniel joined dhk in 2017 and was made an associate in late 2022. His key focus areas are conceptualizing the designs of large mixed-use developments, high-rise residential schemes, tertiary campus buildings and hotel developments in various locations throughout Africa.

Daphne Nederstigt

Daphne joined dhk in 2017. She is a project architect, and as of late 2022 also an associate at the studio. She works on numerous architectural, interior design and construction projects ranging in complexity, scale and stage, focusing on the design, coordination and documentation of each. Her scope at dhk spans high-end residential to hospitality work, and she is responsible for a broad range of tasks across the board, from competitions, to concept plans, council drawings and construction packages. As well as various outreach and administrative initiatives she’s involved in, Daphne is also part of the company’s sustainability task group.

Derick Henstra

Derick studied his architectural degree at the University of Cape Town and also completed a course in building studies at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. He founded Derick Henstra Architects in 1983 after which dhk was established in 1998 to form a multi-disciplinary design studio.

Derick is a founding partner and the executive chairman of dhk, and is a member of the board of directors. He leads the design review board which examines the architectural projects throughout the company’s Cape Town and Johannesburg studios. His passion lies in the pursuit of good architecture and design with a focus on the urban context, and under his leadership dhk has established a reputation as an innovative design-driven commercial practice.

Fahiema Regal

Fahiema joined dhk in 2004 as an architectural technologist and has more than 15 years’ experience in the industry. She has been responsible for the detailing, documentation and coordination on a range of projects including hospitality, retail, residential and commercial buildings.

Guy Briggs

Guy has been head of urban design at dhk since 2012 and is a member of the board of directors. He was previously based in London, where he specialised in urban regeneration, development strategy, and masterplanning. Guy is a member of UDISA and chairperson of its steering committee, as well as the V&A Waterfront Design Review Committee. He is also a member of the Academy of Urbanism and a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in the UK. He teaches at the University of Cape Town, has been widely published, and regularly gives public presentations on regeneration, urbanism and sustainability. Guy also sits on the dhk design review board.

Henry Boardman

After graduating with an M.Arch with Distinction in Design and Technical Resolution from the University of Pretoria in 2012, Henry went on to work at a large architectural practice in Johannesburg for 10 years before joining dhk in 2018 as Professional Architect. In his 14 years so far in the architectural profession he has worked across the commercial, residential, hospitality and mixed-use sectors. Proficient in translating a vision from concept to completion and construction, he has worked on local and international projects, applying his skills in roles that span architectural, heritage, urban and interior design, and technical resolution.

Jason Lowry

Jason is an associate and graphic designer with over a decade of experience working in the creative industry. Coming from a background in print media and publishing, Jason joined dhk in 2015 and has since been involved in all aspects of design from identity, brand building, web development and online presence to experiential design, wayfinding and marketing campaigns for residential and commercial developments at dhk.

Some of the more notable projects he has worked on have been Battery Park’s branding and wayfinding design, Parklands College Secondary School’s “Innovation and Learning Centre” environmental graphics and the Norval Foundation signage and wayfinding strategy.

Johan Moolman

Johan studied architecture at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology and has more than 30 years’ experience as principal agent and project architect. With an extensive portfolio of work in commercial, retail and residential developments Johan has administered a number of projects under the JBCC contract. He has also worked on several private residential projects in a private capacity. Johan joined dhk in 2017 as an associate bringing a wealth of practical experience to the company.

Kershlen Moodley

Kershlen joined dhk in May 2023 as BIM Manager. At the studio his multifaceted role encompasses management of BIM protocols and architectural software on all projects (management, deployment, maintenance and troubleshooting). As the person responsible for all BIM/Revit related issues he also sets the standard for studio best practice and is responsible for training staff (through awareness and skills workshops). He’s also part owner of Slinx Interiors, which has worked on various large-scale hospitality jobs, and the founder of KAD Studio, which has grown into a consulting BIM, Visualisation and Design practice. His areas of special interest and expertise lie in technological advancement, and efficiency measures through technology and BIM.

Leigh Bishop

Leigh joined dhk as a partner and member of the board of directors in 2019. She studied architecture at the University of Kwazulu-Natal and is a SACAP registered professional architect. Leigh has over 16 years’ experience in the industry and has worked for several prominent firms throughout her career. Before joining dhk, Leigh established her practice Leigh Bishop Architects in Durban and from 2009 to 2018 she managed projects from inception to completion in the healthcare, high-end residential and commercial sectors. Leigh has an immense enthusiasm for architecture, providing considered design solutions with speed and efficiency.

Martin Lardner-Burke

Martin studied architecture at the University of Cape Town before reading an MPhil in Environmental Design in Architecture and completing his RIBA Part 3 at the University of Cambridge. Martin is a Senior Associate at dhk and is based in the firm’s Johannesburg office, leading teams working on a wide range of large-scale projects. With a primary focus on achieving high-quality architectural solutions, Martin has been involved in a number of award-winning projects, both locally and internationally. Furthermore, Martin is a member of SACAP, SAIA, CIA, ARB and RIBA.

Michelle Coetzee

Michelle obtained her BArch degree from the University of Pretoria in 2002 before joining 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. Michelle joined dhk in July 2022 as a Professional Architect.

A self-described ‘generalist’ architect, she enjoys working on a wide variety of projects of various scales, budgets and levels of complexity. She enjoys realising design, from conceiving concepts through to designing the information flow and documentation needed to make it a reality.

Natasha Geils

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, and 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.

Peter Fehrsen

Peter studied architecture at the University of Cape Town and was a principal design partner at KCvR Architects before co-founding dhk in 1998. He leads the Johannesburg studio and travels between there and Cape Town. Together with Derick Henstra, he leads the design review board overseeing the design development of the studio’s projects. Peter brings his experience in conceptual design and masterplanning through to detailed design development to dhk’s projects across the board. He has been active in many significant urban renewal and projects in South Africa and abroad, and represents dhk’s projects in Italy.

Peter Stokes

Peter graduated from the Canterbury School of Architecture and gained experience working in the UK, Germany and South Africa. He joined dhk in 2008 to expand the company’s input in the areas of sustainable architecture, masterplanning, urban design and delivery of sustainable developments. At dhk, he has full responsibility for delivering projects and maintaining the highest professional and technical standards across all stages of the project development process and leads a team working on projects throughout South Africa.

Pierre Swanepoel

Pierre studied architecture at the University of Cape Town, as well as the University College London, UK. Prior to joining dhk in 2008, he worked for several highly respected architectural firms in London. He has extensive involvement in the design and implementation of projects at a wide range of scales and complexities, including residential developments, commercial office buildings, hotels, public buildings, and public spaces as well as masterplanning. He is familiar with all aspects of sustainable development from the design of individual buildings to larger scale developments.

Renske Haller

Renske obtained her architectural degree from the University of Cape Town and has worked in South Africa, the UK and the Netherlands where she also gained experience in urban design. She joined dhk in 2006 and was appointed as a partner in 2009. In 2014, Renske joined the board of directors and took on the role of managing director. She has experience in a range of projects at varying scales and complexities, from spatial development frameworks and masterplanning to individual buildings, public spaces and landscapes. She currently leads a team working on several private residences, boutique hotels and galleries. Renske also sits on the dhk design review board.

Riaan Niezen

Riaan joined dhk Architects in January 2018 as a 3D artist where his focus was rendering stills and assisting with design development, while also improving quality, streamlining production processes, and widening the studio’s offering, which ultimately led to his promotion as Head of 3D Visualisation in 2023. As a department the 3D team’s scope ranges from conceptual white box modelling to hyper-realistic marketing material. Riaan also teaches 3D and Photoshop skills to colleagues and facilitates job shadow training. His background – studies in Landscape Architecture, a stint in Cape Town’s film industry as an art department assistant and time at a Virtual Reality simulator company – has helped hone his extensive visual acuity, which is also influenced by a passion for photography and film.

Sarah Patterson

Sarah is a Cape Town-based architect and urban designer who has spent the last 13 years working on urban design and architectural projects in both the public and private sectors. She is a senior associate at dhk working within the urban design team.

Sarah is interested in the continuing debate on how to make urban environments more equitable and inclusive through the adaptation and refinement of both public and privately-owned spaces. More recently she has focused her energy on the education sector, particularly the spatial implications in designing for shifting pedagogies and the digital teaching environment.

Sarah has participated in public seminars, workshops and conferences around issues of housing, informal settlement upgrading, public infrastructure provision, public engagement, urban density and future learning environments.

Shantal Ruiters

Shantal completed her Honours degree at UNISA in 2010 and did her SAICA articles at Nolands. Before joining dhk, she worked in the experiential marketing and events industry on large-scale events like the Volvo Ocean Race (Cape Town and Abu Dhabi), and the World Triathlon Championship Series. Major projects, albeit not architectural in nature, they equipped her with the experience to manage various financial facets of a large organisation. Her key focus areas are business financial control and reporting. As of late 2022, Shantal is Finance Director of dhk, and one of the Board of Directors.

Steve Peters

Steve studied architectural technology at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. He joined dhk in 2004 following 14 years’ of experience in the industry. Steve is the head of technical design of the architectural studio, and leads one of dhk’s teams of architects, working on several large projects both locally and abroad. He has a proven track record in the successful documentation, implementation and delivery of medium- and large-scale projects in the commercial, retail, residential and hospitality sectors, and maintains the highest professional and technical standards across all stages of the project development process.

Tanya Busschau

Tanya is an senior associate and professional architect with over ten years of combined experience in both the public and private sectors. During this time, she has performed an architectural and urban design role on a variety of projects ranging in scale and complexity. Tanya joined dhk in 2017 and has since been involved in several architectural and urban design projects from conceptual design to technical documentation, and contract management to site supervision.

Vahin Parmananda

Vahin completed both his B.A.S and MArch degrees at UKZN. After graduation he worked for Durban-based firms and in 2020 started his own small practice called ANARKI.  

Vahin has also been involved in the education sector, lecturing in both Architecture and Interior Design. He started at dhk in 2022 as a Senior Architect where his primary focus has been on luxury hospitality projects. Now an Associate, he oversees the design and delivery of projects and provides mentorship and guidance to his team. On a company level, he is also involved in providing input on the firm’s sustainability and BIM forums.

Vahin’s areas of expertise and special interest lie in creating sustainable, equitable, socially conscious and technologically advanced architecture that pushes the boundaries of traditional design. He is interested in exploring the potential of AI and machine learning, and how these can help us create more effective buildings.

Wardah Razak

Wardah studied her architectural degree at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology and has also completed post-graduate courses in Construction and Human Resources Management. She joined dhk in 2006 and has since been involved in a wide range of construction and building typologies across all stages of the architectural process. Wardah is extremely passionate about learnerships, heading dhk’s mentorship portfolio which offers guidance and support to interns, as well as, bursary students throughout their tertiary education and early careers. Furthermore, Wardah is involved in business development which aims to optimise organisational efficiency and is also a member of the dhk staff forum.