Khayakazi Matangana (Flagstaff, 1986) is a Senior Architectural Technologist who holds a Master’s degree in the Built Environment from the Durban University of Technology. Her work experience spans from 2005 when she joined an office as an architectural intern, working on British-inspired heritage projects in KwaZulu-Natal. She then moved on to work for various offices, where she was involved in the design development and technical documentation of healthcare, educational and residential projects. Between 2011 and 2014, she worked for a non-profit organisation as a Construction Site/Project Manager. Here, she was involved in social development projects, providing highly needed facilities such as classrooms, play areas in crèches, and toilets in townships and impoverished informal settlements in and around KwaZulu-Natal. This experience with urban informality would later lead her to pursue a Master’s degree which sought to find an alternative approach to housing the urban poor living in informal settlements. Khayakazi is a lecturer at the Durban University of Technology, currently teaching Architectural (Studio) Design II, with over five years of teaching experience. She has previously taught Construction and detailing, History and Theory of Design modules in the same university. Her areas of interest are related to housing disadvantaged urban communities and the improvement of opportunities in rural areas, enabled by the principles of sustainability, social cohesion and equality.
Antonio Blanco (Seville, 1973) is an M.Arch graduate from ETS de Arquitectura de Sevilla in 2001, and a registered professional architect in South Africa, Spain and the UK. He holds a Ph.D in Civil Engineering from the University of KwaZulu-Natal. After a one-year scholarship at Facoltà di Architettura della Sapienza Università di Roma in Italy, he opened his own practice in Seville. Since 2001, Antonio has been the lead Architect of over 130 architectural and infrastructural projects, including competitions, proposals and over 80 built projects, among different categories such as housing, healthcare, landscape architecture, sport, cultural and educational facilities, public buildings, offices, commercial, urban design and intervention on heritage. From February 2002 to December 2012 he led the Projects Department at the Technical Office of the City of Camas. In 2008, he took part in the Leonardo Program practicing in Hannover, Germany, which resulted in a winning proposal for an architectural competition. His work has been internationally published in specialised journals and exhibitions, as well as presented in international conferences such as AIA Committee On Design Fall Conference 2012 and UIA 2014. Currently, Antonio holds a position as Senior Lecturer in Environmental Design and Sustainability at the Anglia Ruskin University. As a researcher, he is interested in processes of sustainable development enhanced by the application of smart initiatives, particularly in the Southern African region.