Two Five Five Architects
TwoFiveFive Architects is a commercial architectural practice and consultancy founded by principal architects Theo Kruger and André Krige with the intention of creating spatial and structural solutions that are powerful in both purpose and poetry – designs that challenge convention, inspire curiosity and instigate change, while remaining buildable and within budget.
With offices spanning Johannesburg and Cape Town in South Africa, we strive towards imbuing every project with local, site-specific relevance, no matter its national or international location. We work in consideration of the client’s vision and budget, in sympathy with the site’s context and community, and in advancement of our environmental agenda. Our creative mandate is to design environments that extend beyond form and function, to arrive at solutions that are as innovate as they are enduring. With the understanding that what we create will far outlive us, our studio aims to translate every design opportunity into an iconic architectural asset with inherent, inter-generational value.
Working in absence of any singular aesthetic, our output is first and foremost grounded in ingenuity and experience – where materials and processes are interrogated, adapted and refined to arrive at a compelling, considered design language that elevates each site and the way in which it engages its users. In doing so, we aim for our work to continually intrigue the mind and inspire the soul. Irrespective of the sector or scale of application, our commitment to this philosophy remains consistent – whether designing gender inclusive bathrooms for an educational institution, transforming a 100 m2 inner city stand into a mixed-use multi-storey development, or custom-engineering towel rails for a private residence.
Be it cultural, civic, corporate, commercial or residential in nature, we understand that regulatory, budgetary and scheduling complexities are inherent in any architectural design process – and that the strategic navigation of these factors is critical to a project’s relative success and return on investment. Central to this is exhaustive planning, global benchmarking, calculated partnerships as well as the ability to negotiate a common vision that serves sometimes divergent stakeholder interests. Importantly, we regard our clients as integral to our process, and choose to engage with them as collaborators rather than as patrons.
As a studio, we are often asked to operate at the intersection of preserving our cities’ architectural heritage and answering the changing socio-economic demands of our urban centres and the needs of their inhabitants. Achieving this balance requires insight into the complexities of the real world, and innovation to improve upon them. We believe that architectural design is the only means to demonstrate respect for our past, sensitivity for the challenges of the present day, and a responsibility towards a shared and sustainable future.
