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Welcome to my blog

Sitting outside the Wits Architecture Building

My name is Anne. I have just retired from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa where I was an Associate Professor in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, working in the environmental engineering and project management domain. Prior to that, I was a lecturer in the School of Architecture and Planning, teaching many aspects of architecture, including architectural history, design and skills in graphics. Before lecturing at the University, I worked briefly in local government as a junior architect and then in a commercial firm of architects. After this I ran a private architectural practice with a focus on architectural heritage design. I have qualifications in architecture, construction management and employment creation through construction. Now that I have retired, I want to continue to provide educational context about architecture, engineering, design and project management in a different forum and to a broader public audience - hence starting this blog.

Heritage prototypes for Rhodes Village, South Africa (click picture for link to the site)


This blog is about design - interiors, buildings, environmental adaptations to buildings, and urban planning. The main focus is on how we can improve the design of our spaces and buildings where we currently live and work, to enhance the use of space, the environmental comfort, the building performance in terms of sustainability, and as a cohesive element of the neighbourhood in which you are located. The emphasis is on those small and inexpensive adaptations that we can make for maximum impact, whether in improving thermal comfort, water or power saving, accommodating a new member of the family in the home or staff in your office. A sustainable approach will seek to have the lowest environmental impact, so this generally translates to the smallest use of resources, often associated with reduced cost. Playing into this is my interest in lean engineering, which seeks to reduce waste in its many manifestations, whether in demolition, use of new materials and components, and in the use of the space going forward. Lean engineering also informs the optimal use of space - improving circulation, reducing the amount of space needed for any activity, combining activities to minimise the need for space, and ensuring the least use of services, such as for lighting, ventilation and water. 

When you moved into your current building, whether your home or your place of work, there would have been many important reasons for the choice of locality. The famous adage of any property professional "location, location, location", applies to us all when making this important decision. As time goes on, we inevitably feel the itch to move or do major renovations, whether because we run out of space for our increasing number of possessions, or because of expansion of our family or workforce. If we choose to move or undertake extensive building work, this translates into massive disruption - changing address with all our service providers and clients is but one dimension. Also, there is the risk that the change will not deliver entirely on our objectives, entailing considerable cost and time.

Kitchen renovation that I designed to double the storage space
while making no changes to the walls, electrics or plumbing


What we explore in this blog is how to make much more modest adaptations, small changes that we can monitor and adjust, following the philosophy of adaptive co-management, in which we are sensitive to the needs and aspirations of all the users of our space. Because of the low cost and use of resources with each adaptation, we have not committed to huge outlay, making it so much easier to adapt as we go along. In this blog I will share ideas on how to rearrange your space, purchases that can help to maximise storage at a relatively low cost, ways to lower your energy and water bills, and DIY projects that can liven up your space. I am planning to post every Friday, and will link each blog post to X (formerly Twitter) @fitchett_anne.

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Location: Johannesburg, South Africa

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