The Pretoria Institute for Architecture (PIA) recently presented the University of Pretoria (UP) with its Presidential Award, an extraordinary accolade awarded for excellence in the built environment and an acknowledgement of excellence in the field of architecture and service to the profession.

“UP’s Department of Facilities Management continues to place an emphasis on excellent architectural input for a large and diversified portfolio of buildings on various campuses,” PIA President Jeremie Malan said. “The buildings and these campuses are well maintained, and new buildings are well considered in terms of architecture, heritage and landscaped space. These campuses, especially Hatfield campus, is of huge cultural, heritage and architectural value not only to the University but to the users and the City of Tshwane.”

Professor Susan Adendorff, Director of Facilities Management, accepted the award on behalf of the University. She noted that UP has a rich history in the education of the architectural profession, stretching back to 1929.

President of PIA Jeremie Malan; Professor Susan Adendorff, Director of Facilities Management at UP; Professor Chrisna du Plessis, Head of the Department of Architecture and Chair of the School for the Built Environment at UP; and Nicolaas Bester, Deputy Director: Campus Planning and Development, UP. 

“The fact that UP has such a diverse and exceptional portfolio of buildings and campuses is the result of more than 100 years of insight by our predecessors,” she said. “We as the Department of Facilities Management are but the current custodians of this exceptional portfolio that comprises 735 buildings across all our campuses. Fortunately, our predecessors had the insight to allow the portfolio of buildings on our campuses to evolve to reflect the zeitgeist of each era of South African architecture as it developed over the history of the University.”

Prof Adendorff added that the department’s responsibility does not end in acting as the custodians of the University’s architectural heritage, but also maintaining and expanding the portfolio with a long-term view of sustainability. “We are fortunate that our Campus Planning and Development team is ably supported by our Technical Services team in achieving this particular goal. We believe that the way we care for our campuses will foster in our students a protective spirit of the place, and that by creating this awareness in our students, they will carry this out wherever they find themselves in the world as UP alumni.”

She also thanked UP’s Campus Services team for being instrumental in this regard.