Craft and intellect : materiality in the domestic architecture of Gawie Fagan

Abstract

The domestic architecture of the seminal South African architect Gawie Fagan expresses a unique technological inventiveness formed by a deep appreciation of the technical and haptic properties and qualities of building materials. This appreciation was established through childhood exploits, a University of Cape Town engineering training, a pragmatic Pretoria University architectural education, years of architectural conservation practice, and hobbies such as sailing, flying and boat building. But the simplicity of Fagan’s technological solutions belie their inner complexity, richness and effectiveness as they synthesize craft-based and grounded pragmatic intellectual approaches. This paper will outline these aspects as well as the inheritances of Fagan’s approach to the use of materials, and will highlight how he synthesizes Cape vernacular influences with those of the late Modern Movement to achieve a unique, honest and economical material expression in his architecture.

Die huishoudelike argitektuur van die invloedryke Suid-Afrikaanse argitek Gawie Fagan openbaar ‘n unieke tegnologiese vindingrykheid wat gevorm is deur ‘n diep begrip van die tegniese en haptiese eienskappe en kenmerke van boumateriale. Hierdie begrip is gewortel in wedervaringe tydens sy kinderjare, sy opleiding in ingenieurswese by die Universiteit van Kaapstad, die pragmatiese argitektuur-onderrig aan die Universiteit van Pretoria, jare in die argitektoniese bewaringspraktyk, en in stokperdjies soos seil, vlieg en bootbou. Die eenvoud van Fagan se tegnologiese oplossings verskuil egter ‘n innerlike kompleksiteit, rykdom en doeltreffendheid in die manier waarop hulle ‘n sintese van ‘n handwerk-gebaseerde benadering met ‘n gefundeerde pragmaties-intellektuele benadering verteenwoordig. Hierdie artikel sal hierdie benaderings uiteensit, die nalatenskap van Fagan se benadering tot die gebruik van materiale definieer, en aantoon hoe hy inheemse Kaapse invloede met dié van die Laat-Moderne Beweging saamvoeg om ‘n unieke, eerlike en ekonomiese materiaal-uitdrukking in sy argitektuur te volbring.