A career as an Architect

Delisa B. Ndhlovu (DN) is a registered architect practising in Namibia. Born and bred in the City of Kings, Bulawayo, he has 14 years of experience in the architectural industry. He shares insights on his journey to being an architect in this conversation with Gracious Nyathi (GN).

GN: Hello Mr Ndlovu and thank you for joining us on Phakama Career Talks. Please tell us a bit about yourself.

DN: Thank you and greetings to you Gracious, as well as everyone else that has joined us on this platform. I’m delighted to be on this platform and special thanks to the Phakama Career Talks team for considering me as a guest on this platform. Well, I’m a registered architect currently practising in Namibia with 14 years of experience in the architectural industry. I’m born and bred in the great city of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.

GN: You are very welcome Mr Ndlovu we are equally delighted to have you here .How did your journey to being an architect begin? Who or what inspired you?

DN: Well... My journey is quite an interesting one. Originally when I was doing my A’ levels my target was to do either Medicine or Dentistry. However, during the year of my enrolment for University I applied to the University of Zimbabwe at the School of Medicine and was offered Dentistry. Soon after applying at UZ and following a visit by one of my uncle’s who is a Deputy-Director at Town Planning Services at the Bulawayo City Council, he then encouraged me to consider Architecture instead, as it was a fairly new program at NUST and there were not enough local architects in Zimbabwe. The first stream of 5th years actually only graduated at the end of my first year. On recollection and on looking back, I then realised that when I was young, I actually enjoyed sketching or drawing houses plans. Since then, I have not regretted on the career guidance I received during my valley of decision.

GN: What subjets were you good at during your high school days and which subjects did you end up settling for in order to venture into architectural studies at university?

DN: I was actually an all-rounder, save for Geography which sometimes gave me headaches. I excelled well in Mathematics and Additional Mathematics. At A’level I did Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry. During our varsity days, to study architecture you needed to have an A’level combination with any the following subjects and with an A or B score in your finals: Mathematics, Technical Drawing, Art, Physics and Geography.

GN: You spent close to six years working towards gaining your qualifications as an architect. Do tell us a bit about this journey please.

DN: Yes indeed.. In order to be able to qualify as a professional Architect you need to have gone through a 6 year education in architecture which includes your first degree of five (5) years called the Bachelor of Architectural Studies (Hons) and then a Master of Architecture in the sixth year. However, some countries like South Africa, have had the route to a Master of Architecture reduced to 5 years. If you only attain the first degree, chances are you won’t be able to qualify as a professional architect. You will be restricted to being a Senior Architectural Technologist. On completion of your M.Arch you then need to work for at least 2 years under a ‘Registered and practising Architect’ for you to be able to sit for your board exams and to eventually qualify as an architect. Just as a side note: By law and across the world, you can only use the term ‘Architect’ only if you have set and passed the board exams of the regulating Architect’s Council of your respective country. So that's the route that I've followed towards qualification and successful registration as an Architect

GN: You currently run an architectural firm in Namibia. How did that happen? How did you manage the leap from Zimbabwe to Namibia?

DN: I left Zimbabwe in 2008 in search for greener opportunities as our construction industry at the time had gone down. I had the option of trying South Africa or Namibia. I however eventually settled for Namibia as it seemed to be new territory at the time. On arrival into Namibia I got employed by one of Namibia’s oldest and biggest firms, Kerry McNamara Architects Inc. I worked there for 6 years and qualified as a registered architect in 2013. In my last year at the firm, in 2014, I also became an Associate at the firm. Later on, I then however decided to take a giant leap of faith to venture out and form my own practise called DB-Ndhlovu Icon Architects Inc.

GN: What led you to opting for Namiba over South Africa though?

DN: The majority of my colleagues had tracked down to South Africa and I felt competition for job placement would be higher than in Namibia. They were also fewer colleagues from Nust that were considering a move into Namibia. Myself and a fewer individuals from NUST were actually pioneers here. My father had also been in Namibia for five years. So him being in Namibia also provided a soft landing.

GN: For those eyeing a career as an architect, what challenges and opportunities do you advise them to prepare for?

DN: A career as an architect is very demanding and sometimes stressful as you have to put up with long hours of work and long nights under immense pressure due to tight project deadlines. Failure to meet project deadlines means clients can move to the next architect. As architects we are not supposed to compete on fees or remuneration but on service delivery as well as creativity. So it's a tough market... In all these situations, you also need to be patient as the long journey in architecture requires tenacity and diligence. The rewards of being an architect can even come later in your career as the profession is also heavily linked to a country’s economic growth and performance. Also you need to be strong willed as a project can be cancelled at any time due to project financing or cash flow challenges, so time of delivery is also of essence... That's why we are usually trained under tough conditions with tough deadlines... But all in all, amongst the challenges and tough conditions, the most satisfying experience is that Architects by virtue of being authors of the Built environment, we have the ability to create social discourse, determine how people use the built environment, define or reinforce nation's culture and identity through built form as well as provide a sustainable future for upcoming generations. Architecture combines all forms of art such as visual arts, music etc and can also be used to heal communities.

GN: What subject combinations at high school should prospective architects have as they prepare themselves for this area of study and work?

DN: Prospective architects should consider either Mathematics, Technical Drawing, Art, Physics or Geography. In Zimbabwe, during our time, NUST also had Special entry requirement for those who are enrolled at the Country’s Polytechnics. Normally these would enter into second year using their Higher National Diploma Certificates..

GN: What career opportunities and work roles are available for those who have ventured into architectural studies?

DN: They are so many options. Besides being a practising architect, the career road map can lead you to any areas that need technical expertise in naturing a Nation’s built environment and/or infrastructural development. Some architectural graduates get employed by Bank’s; Non-profit organisations; Town Council’s or local Authorities, Educational institutions; infrastructural financing institutions; creative environments such as movie creators, for example Hollywood with architect’s being involved with set designs. Other's may also include Interior Architects, Landscape Architects, Green Building Design Architects and Urban design Architects. However, when you go through your M.Arch you are also trained in all those other specialty areas..

GN: Please elaborate on interior architecture is it by chance related to enterior design and what is it all about,

DN: Yes its more related to Interior design but not Interior Decoration. There is a difference between the two. Interior Architecture specialises and is only restricted to the interior of a building whereas a fully trained Architect can design both the interior spaces as well as the exterior of a building. The exterior is the actual built form of a building (what we see when we look at a building) and as well as what surrounds such built form.

GN: What is your general career advice to those following this discussion?

DN: If you are interested in Architecture, go for it. The world and especially, Zimbabwe, is in need of young Architects. We also need more lady architects coming on board. Architecture is exciting and highly rewarding due to its added advantage of creating strong linkages and network with other professions. You also get to have an opportunity to earn a living outside formal employment through what we call "Private Jobs" in the industry. These may include earning additional income by preparing architectural drawings for those odd jobs or projects that are normally not restricted only to registered Architects. Start getting inspired now rather than later.