ground FIZIK design

02/02/2026

26/12/2025

A slightly different form of the threatened (status is vulnerable) endemic alpine specie of Eucomis vandermerwei - white flower and way less spots.

09/12/2025

13/11/2025

Somewhere between all the scaffolding a landscape shall arise.

24/10/2025

Things are starting to take shape.

16/10/2025

All bricks matter.

For most of my professional life, I have been advocating for the recycling of materials found on sites and/or materials considered wastage from building operations, back into the design and site. In general, this hasn’t really been a very successful venture. This has been a frustrating journey especially in light of data and research coming forward indicating the finite availability of building resources. Over the past few years I have been trying to understand these challenges and the reasons as to why the built environment is not making more extensive use of pre-loved valuable building materials, with small projects of my own in and around our home. This is the latest addition to the collection, comprising of recycled bricks from a demolished wall repurposed into a staircase and small podium off a stoep with an insert of discarded glass mosaics. There was a lot of elbow grease required to clean the bricks and handling in selecting suitable bricks for the structure. This is time consuming and does require considerable patience and a critical eye. At the end of the day, only cement and sand was additionally required and around 90% of all the bricks were utilised in the structure - the remaining bricks are still usable (for the next project). Will post images of the completed structure shortly when the grouting and clean up is finished.

♻️

25/09/2025

Waiting for coffee sketch. Something to distract the mind from a crazy busy week and to just slow down.

13/09/2025

Wall textures…

As the cremnophytic wall nears completion, time to evaluate the variety of textures and finishes the wall has in order to support the variety of cliff dwelling plants that it will soon house. Now it just to find those cliff dwellers for the wall.

27/07/2025

The nectar rich Aloe spicata is just coming into bloom now and shortly the sugar birds and bees will drink themselves into a stupor. Shortly they will be spoilt for choice when the equally nectar loaded Aloe vryheidensis starts to bloom.

08/07/2025

Winter skies…

It may be just the beginning winter but there is still plenty to enjoy from the natural environment whilst basking in the warming sunshine.

❄️

29/06/2025

Taking some down time to play with the kids in the dirt building a cremnophytic wall. See you on the flip side

03/06/2025

Site work…

The less glamorous side of design work, figuring out the technical aspects for an irrigation supply system in the bowls of a structure. The play of light and shadow amongst the dust and noise of construction is however rewarding.