SpeakerMokena Makeka was selected among 100 architects globally by Hertzog and de Meuron to be a part of the Ordos 100. He is a two-time recipient of the CIA Award of Merit and a 2010 nominee for the Johnnie Walker Celebrating Strides Awards in Design. He sits on the World Economic Forum's Global Agenda Council for Design, is an external examiner at the Columbia University School of architecture and lectures at the University of Cape Town. Makeka’s vision is to create a sound African aesthetic that serves the public and client, bringing dignity and grace to the built environment.
Makeka runs a studio-based practice called Makeka Design Labs. As quoted in Destiny Magazine, 2013, he says:
I run my studio as a place of learning and enquiry with a purpose. We seek to inspire our clients and take them on a unique journey from which everybody grows... They [my staff] are all hungry to do well actually and everyone is very humble but confident. They all have a slight quirkiness which makes them interesting individuals. [R]emember architecture is an art; it requires personality, intellect, stamina and bravery.
I like it when people surprise me. It makes me run harder. That’s inspiring.