Thirty-five-year-old Gregory Katz set up shop as a ‘one man show’ in 2005. ‘I am a bit of a control freak,’ he says, admitting to doing everything from ‘admin and invoicing to designing, detailing and supervision.’ Having studied at the University of Cape Town and then a Masters course at New York’s Columbia University, Katz subsequently spent time in the offices of deconstructivist specialists Daniel Libeskind and Zvi Hecker, both famed for their spiralling, spiky forms. He also admires the installation work of Turrell, Eliason and Dan Graham, people who ‘push spatial experience but not in a gratuitous formal way like a lot of architects.’
Buildings
Lot 424, Norwood, Johannesburg
Concrete seems to come naturally to Katz. The architect’s own house is one of three he designed and built in the Johannesburg suburb of Norwood, each a rough-edged symphony of cast and poured concrete. The Lot 424 project, with its hard-edged palette, is more than just homage to Le Corbusier. A true exponent of live/work space, Katz says he ‘rejects the categories of residential or commercial space,’ defining sustainable architecture as that which offers maximum flexibility and steel and concrete provide a solid basis for a flexible future. His Cellular House concept is a long, slender tube, designed around a framework of ‘cellular beams’ that allow the ground floor façade to be folded away, integrating the house with the garden - ‘it really suits our climate,’ he admits. Other projects include a range of architecture-inspired jewellery combining diamonds with epoxy resin.
INFORMATION
Address
Unit 2, Lot Four Two Four
52 Dorothy Road
Norwood, Johannesburg
P.O. Box 5552 Jhb 2000
