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MenuHomeUpfront Now Up Books Towns Structures People Firms Lexicon | SCHLAPOBERSKY, IvanBorn:ArchitectSACA:Reg No: 2110 Year registered: 1961 | ||||||
BArch (Rand), MArch (Penn), ISAA, TIA, ARIBA, MSAITP. In 1966 he was a signatory to the broadsheet, CREDO. In 1967 he was amongst the founding members of the Urban Action Group (UAG), and through this their teaching activities at the Wits School of architecture as the Urban Action Teaching Group. In 1969 he was of address 10th Floor, Queen Elizabeth House, 151 Smit Street, Johannesburg. Of SCHLAPOBERSKY CHIPKIN (2008:349-350) says: The principal designer of MOROSS and PARTNERS was Ivan Schlapobersky, a founder of Architects Against Apartheid (AAP), a prize-winning architect, Planning Professor at Wits, and a principal at WITHERS & GERICKE when he put together (with the assistance of 5th year architectural students at Wits) the Urban Design Handbook (1973), a valuable physical description of large contemporary projects in Johannesburg. He was a graduate, too, of Penn under Louis KAHN. Schlapobersky impatient with outmoded theory: he was a populist as reflected by the big sensitive market place. Awarded the Gold Medal for Architecture in 2026. Citation: Ivan Schlapobersky, a University of Pennsylvania graduate and principal designer of Moross and Partners, today M Architects, is known or landmark projects like the Saatchi & Abel Headquarters in Rosebank and a broad range of commissions, from carefully crafted single residential homes (one of which won the SAIA House of the Year Award in 1967) to large-scale master plans. Among Schlapobersky's key house commissions are Houses Linz, Wallington, Veitch, and Phyllis Schlapobersky. His most influential professional contributions was, from the mid-1980s onwards, his role in introducing and advancing the concept of the nature-situated office park in South Africa. Schlapobersky's lifelong connection with nature, including an intimate knowledge of South African tree and plant species, led him to preserve established trees on sites and work around them — a deviation from standard practice, in which sites were generally scraped clean. Similarly, his office projects generally incorporate outdoor spaces at every level, in the form of balconies and terraces, giving occupants access to fresh air throughout — a principle later borne out by the ventilation demands of the Covid-19 pandemic. Academically, Schlapobersky started the urban design programme at University of the Witwatersrand with Nicholas Patricios in the early 1970s, introducing students to concepts and practices for work with greater societal impact at a larger scale, and transferring knowledge from the life and professional experience he had acquired overseas during and after his graduate studies. Equally significant is Schlapobersky's moral leadership within the profession during one of South Africa's most difficult periods. In the mid-1980s, he was a founding member of Architects Against Apartheid, a collective of practitioners who refused to undertake work for the apartheid government and who actively sought to align the architectural profession with principles of justice, equality and social responsibility. This stance required personal and professional courage and sacrifice and helped shift the ethical discourse within South African architecture. Schlapobersky's lifelong commitment to education and empowerment is exemplified by his foundational role at the Alexandra Arts Centre in Alexandra Township, Johannesburg. From 1987 to 1991, as a founder, teacher and manager of the Centre, he helped establish a diploma course in architectural design and drafting, enabling many young people to gain skills and formal accreditation and creating pathways to sustainable livelihoods and professional careers that would otherwise have been inaccessible. In addition to these civic efforts, Schlapobersky demonstrated profound personal integrity and bravery by providing refuge in his home to the Reverend Frank Chikane from February to August 1987, when the apartheid security police sought Rev. Chikane. During this period, his home became a meeting place for key anti-apartheid leaders, including Murphy Morobe, Eric Molobi and Valli Moosa, who met every other week in his house and garden with Rev. Chikane, and who later played vital roles in guiding South Africa toward a peaceful post-apartheid future. Schlapobersky's career exemplifies architectural excellence, social conscience, mentorship and lifelong dedication to practice, matched by a personal record of ethical leadership and courage during a difficult period in South Africa's history. The SAIA Gold Medal for Architecture is awarded to Ivan Schlapobersky in recognition of his outstanding contribution to South African architecture, and of his moral leadership and personal courage during the struggle against apartheid. Submitted by William Martinson. List of projects With photographs With notes
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