Designed by Experience

Japie Kitshoff
Kitshoff Architectural Designs

In recognition of his extensive and broad experience in town planning, building control, architectural design and traffic engineering, Japie Kitshoff was recently accredited with the prestigious title of 'Professional Senior Architectural Technologist' by the South African Council for the Architectural Profession.
 

Following his acknowledgement within the industry and his experience gained largely while working for the City Council, Japie recently decided it was time to take the plunge and start his own business. He launched Kitshoff Architectural Designs 2 years ago and the demand for his expertise has exceeded his own expectations.

Handling a variety of projects simultaneously, Japie's day is filled with design work, site supervision, site developments and landscaping. He is currently employed with the development of eight large houses (each with a floor area of 500 to 600 sq meters) on the Zevendale Country Estate at the same time as the upgrade of the Kuilsriver Golf Club. As a keen golfer himself, Japie is clearly enthusiastic about this latter project.

Landscaping at the Kuilsriver Golf Club     (click to enlarge the images)

"Its a R4 million upgrade which includes the bar, lounge, staircasing, a new entrance and landscaping of the surrounds and the job certainly came with a few challenges" he explains. "At the outset we were restricted by the heavy rock formations around the site and the excavations had to be performed using explosives within very close range to the building itself. The rock excavation involved a series of sub-processes including the drilling of bore holes for the explosives followed by the controlled blasting itself, secondary breaking and loading. The rock is removed in slices but its certainly not an easy job." The new entrance, stylish bar area and landscaping surrounds are now complete and Japie anticipates the entire upgrade including the lounge area and new changing facilities will all be finalized by the end of the year.
 

Japie completes all his design work from concept and preliminary design through to the final plan using AllyCAD. “All my designs are done from scratch and I find AllyCAD most intuitive as I work out the design at hand. There are a number of ways to use the programme and I switch between the basic drawing functions and the architectural toolkit features without thinking about the programme itself. I usually receive the initial survey plan in an AllyCAD format which is also convenient for me" notes Japie.

All Japie’s recent work including the developments at Zevendale Country Estate are characterised by practical living and working spaces designed with a conservative finish. The choice of modern furniture finishes add to the aesthetic appeal and Japie has a particular passion for designing the landscaping around the entrance to a building or home. “The approach to a building is where first impressions of the design are formed” explains Japie. His significant experience and attention to such details have enabled Japie to make Kitshoff Architectural Designs successful in a very short period of time.