The Epic – Housing in South Africa 2014

Architectural firm Messaris Wapenaar Partnership held a celebratory function in May to mark its 30th anniversary in business. The practice – which was established in 1982 – has grown from a micro-business operating out of a garage to a company of almost 40 people with a solid track record in residential, industrial, commercial, retail and infrastructure projects.

Apart from celebrating a milestone for the company, the function presented the ideal opportunity to say thank you to MWP’s clients and industry colleagues for their support over the years.

MWP’s scope as a practice has diversified rapidly over the past decade. Multi-unit residential projects, which formed the cornerstone of the business for a long time, continue to be important but are now complemented by a range of projects for commercial, industrial and retail clients. Participation in large-scale infrastructure projects has developed this even further over the past three years.

Each of MWP’s five partners brings different strengths to the mix, resulting in a team which is fully capable of undertaking the range of projects on the company’s books. This, in turn, has enabled the company to weather the cyclical ups and downs in the different sectors of the market better, giving it an uncommon stability in these difficult times. Further reinforcing this position is the fact that a good deal of the infrastructure work is being undertaken outside South Africa, allowing the company to benefit from economic upturns in other countries.

The practice has a strong focus on training and mentoring, and at any given time has a number of students completing the practical components of their study courses in the office. MWP has also helped mentor small emerging practices. Practical mentoring is recognised as having an important role in the education of young architects and technologists, and has benefits for MWP too, as many of these youngsters return to work for the company when they complete their studies.

Economies and markets are probably too changeable to predict with any real certainty what the future holds, but MWP has undoubtedly positioned itself well to be able to take on a wide variety of work for a range of clients in different sectors. The company is now at a size where it is willing and able to take on projects large and small and retain relationships with long-standing clients, whilst also building new relationships and broadening its horizons.

Having said that, delivering a quality product which meets the needs of the client in functional, aesthetic and financial terms remains the core philosophy at MWP. The partners – Arthur Messaris, André Wapenaar, Carl Eckert, Marius Erasmus and Jeffrey Cole would like to extend their sincere thanks to their staff and clients for making 30 successful years possible.