Inspiration

Passionate about Community and Culture

Sandra Felix is a registered architect and co-founder of Greenbrick Designs. Sandra and her business partner Rudi Oberholzer, a landscaping expert, focus on a total habitat integrating built and natural environments. Greenbrick Design’s slogan is “Growing buildings, Building gardens” which demonstrates their departure from the traditional approach to construction and design. Sandra has always been artistically inclined, this combined with her passion for community, culture and society were what attracted her to the profession of architecture. Sandra has studied both locally and abroad and has worked with some of the best architects in South Africa.

According to Sandra her greatest accomplishments have been projects which engage clients and users beyond that which they would have expected, bringing a deeper experience of space and meaning to the daily lives which use buildings as canvasses for their activities. She says “I have explored in a theoretical, technical or design manner something in every project – no matter the scale or cost of each project- and take these valuable lessons forward to my future projects.”

“Providing guidance has always been a challenge” says Sandra. In a predominantly male industry, Sandra has often found herself being the only female on site. This has meant learning to assert herself without resorting to stereotypes. Today, she says she can be herself “I acknowledge that I may not have the solution to every problem, but that I can facilitate appropriate responses to the different building and design challenges by being open to the process and including all the team member’s differing views.”

As a wife and mother of two balancing work and home is still a constant challenge for Sandra. She does find that running her own business is more conducive to setting her own priorities and managing her time. Sandra finds herself inspired by everything, from the textures, patterns and details she encounters daily to the incredible creativity and thoughtfulness employed by her colleagues both locally and internationally. She is stunned by the inventiveness that seemingly ordinary people have in interpreting their environments. Sandra says “South Africans re-invent their environment constantly… probably due to need but this has meant that we have learnt to use our resources to their maximum capacity.”

Sandra has been involved with Khuthaza for a number of years. Having a desire to do some form of community work Sandra, in collaboration with her colleague Carin Coetzee, has presented a number of seminars on “Reading Building Plans.” About her work with Khuthaza Sandra says “During this time I have gained more than I have given - in the passion and enthusiasm which permeates members and in the very palpable thirst for knowledge and experience which they share.”

Sandra attributes her success to persistence and a focus on learning from every experience. She believes that self-criticism leads to constant self-improvement. Her advice to women in the industry is “Be yourself, and be courageous in living your life unapologetically. Be proud to be a member of this industry and realise that you have so much to give.”