about
Collective Studio Africa was started in 2015, by two architects in Johannesburg with collaborators in certain central nodes throughout southern Africa. The studio was established to utilise architecture as the vessel and departure point for an interdisciplinary practice. Our work ranges through research and development, exhibition and discussion, to the primary focus of design and build.
The philosophy at Collective Studio revolves around a humanistic approach. We believe that meaningful design is fundamentally about the resultant human experience, and we prioritise a focus on people, place and program. In our practice collaboration is essential to achieve these meaningful interventions and Collective Studio Africa aims to provide this platform to promote both individual and collective empowerment in the communities within which we work.
some of our work
our approach
Architecture
Collective Studio Africa believes that architecture presents opportunities for transformation – materially, conceptually, and sociologically. Driven by the desire to enrich and improve daily life, the buildings are designed to meet the diverse needs of the communities they serve. Inspiration is drawn from many influences around the world and the work clearly articulates this enthusiasm for issues of place and identity.
PLANNING & URBANISM
Collective Studio Africa vision is one that promotes multiple interpretations of the civic experience. This vision is dominated by the experience of transition, the possibility for capturing memory and meaning, and the constant striving for an organic quality that can shift to express the sense of place as a constantly evolving organism or community involvement – is key to the master planning methodology.
Collaboration
Collective Studio Africa believes in working together with the community and other cultural thinkers to merge all available skills.
Sustainability
Sustainability is a lifestyle – a philosophy that focuses on how you use and live. We seek to achieve the optimum environment through orientation, shading, and sensitivity to the local climate.
Collaboration
Collective Studio Africa believes in working together with the community and other cultural thinkers to merge all available skills.
Sustainability
Sustainability is a lifestyle – a philosophy that focuses on how you use and live. We seek to achieve the optimum environment through orientation, shading, and sensitivity to the local climate.
Collective Studio Africa believes that architecture presents opportunities for transformation – materially, conceptually, and sociologically. Driven by the desire to enrich and improve daily life, our buildings are designed to meet the diverse needs of the communities they serve. Inspiration is drawn from many influences around the world and our work articulates this enthusiasm for issues of place and identity.
Our vision is one that promotes multiple interpretations of the civic experience. This is dominated by the experience of transition, the possibility for capturing memory and meaning and the constant striving for an organic quality that can shift to express the sense of place as a constantly evolving organism or community involvement and is key to the master planning methodology.
WHO WE ARE
Collective Studio Africa offers a variety of services including a full or compartmentalized architectural design and build; product design; service coordination; project management; site supervision; as-built documentation and development consulting services. We are first and foremost design solution-orientated professionals and excited by the opportunity of ancillary engagement. Collective Studio is registered within the South African Council for the Architectural Profession – SACAP.
Collective Studio is also a Level 1 BEE contributor
AVELA MAGQASHELA
Avela has over 10 years of experience in the architectural profession, in a variety of scales and South African contexts. He began his education in Cape Town, graduating with a B Tech Architecture in 2009 before 2 years later graduating with his B Tech Honours Project Management, both from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. Avela later completed his Bachelor of Architecture Honours and then Masters degrees in Bloemfontein at the University of the Free State in 2015. Since graduating, Avela has further worked in Cape Town, and Johannesburg, where he co-founded Collective Studio Africa with Benjamin in 2015.
Avela has worked on a variety of projects including private residential, industrial, commercial and public buildings - completing the City of Joburg, Council Chambers in 2016 with Studio MAS. The relationship between scales across our built environment - from the city block to the door handle - fascinates Avela as he focuses his practice around the general tangibility of his design decisions.10 years of experience, spent full-time in the Architectural Profession, mainly focused on conceptual design, council submission, 3D presentations, graphics, marketing packages, and detail/design development. Avela won the Western Cape Caesarstone House competition in CPUT,2009.
BENJAMIN KOLLENBERG
Benjamin co-founded Collective Studio Africa in 2015 alongside Avela to promulgate their collective design vision. While working part-time for Collective SA, he went on to graduate Honours in Architecture, cum laude in 2017, and thereafter his Masters in Architecture cum laude in 2018, both from the University of Witwatersrand. Benjamin received multiple awards for his thesis titled “Capital Capitol”, including the SACAP award for the best architectural student over the full course of studies - 2012-2018. In his 5 years of experience as a design architect.
Benjamin has predominantly focussed his practice on art galleries, museums, schools, and accessible housing solutions. Benjamin believes in architectural thinking to provide broader social, economic, and environmental solutions where the collective whole can be greater than the sum of the focused parts.