Abstract
Jaco Booyens was born in Pretoria on 17 April 1969.
He spent his early years wandering in the veld on
the eastern outskirts of Pretoria near his parents’ home in
Constantia Park. It was here where he first encountered structures
made out of the surrounding earth. Besides observing the
extensive scattering of termite mounds, a small number of
modest man-made structures also caught his attention1
: He was surprised by their “stubbornness to survive”2 and felt compelled
to attempt to repair one of these dilapidated and abandoned clay
houses. Despite having to abandon this ambition
at the time due to technical difficulties3, little did he suspect that later in his life he would become known for his structural innovation and his knowledge of
natural earth construction.
He spent his early years wandering in the veld on
the eastern outskirts of Pretoria near his parents’ home in
Constantia Park. It was here where he first encountered structures
made out of the surrounding earth. Besides observing the
extensive scattering of termite mounds, a small number of
modest man-made structures also caught his attention1
: He was surprised by their “stubbornness to survive”2 and felt compelled
to attempt to repair one of these dilapidated and abandoned clay
houses. Despite having to abandon this ambition
at the time due to technical difficulties3, little did he suspect that later in his life he would become known for his structural innovation and his knowledge of
natural earth construction.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 18-25 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Architecture SA: Journal of the South African Institute of Architects |
| Issue number | 99 |
| Publication status | Published - Feb 2021 |
| Externally published | Yes |