Yolanda van der Vyver

Yolanda van der Vyver demonstrated academic promise from a young age when she matriculated in 1985 with cum laude. She received the Standard Bank Merit Award in 1987, studied with a University of Pretoria Bursary during 1987, 1996 and 1998 and was awarded a bursary from the HRSC in 1998 and 1999. She acquired her bachelors degree in architecture in 1995 and completed her BA Hons (French) in 1996. Her Masters in Architecture in 2002 was also completed at the University of Pretoria wherein she researched the curriculum of South African History in Architecture. Throughout her career as architect, she continuously remained in contact with the University of Pretoria on a part-time basis. During the years 1999 through 2003 she presented a course in the History of the Environment to 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 5th year students and was invited to act as external examiner for this subject in 2002 and 2003.

From 1997 till 2002 she was involved with various projects at SV Architects in Pretoria – a firm that mainly specialises in healthcare design. In 2002 she was commissioned to work at HLM Architects in London on the design of the New Derby Hospital in the United Kingdom and in 2005 she worked at HLM in Glasgow, Scotland on the design of the new ACAD hospital, Glasgow.

Apart from her academic activities she penned a number of publications in leading architectural magazines in South Africa. She was approached by Beeld to contribute to a regular feature in Beeld Plus and her first article appeared in July 2005 wherein the debate on indigenous architecture was investigated. Engineering News also published an article on African architecture where she contributed, together with Alan Lipman and Trish Emmett, in a critique of South Africans who follow imported styles in stead of exploring context sensitive designs.

Yolanda registered as an architect in 1998, but has had her own practice since 1996. Her company has been involved in a number of projects including health care facilities, numerous residential projects and group housing schemes and estates. She teamed up with Karlien Thomashoff, an award winning architect, to form Y+K Architects in 2005.