Page 18 - Landscape-Issue155

PERSONALITY PROFILE
JOHAN BARNARD Freedom Park Sikhumbuto

Johan Barnard, a stalwart of the landscape architectural profession, founded

Newtown Landscape Architects in 1994 together with Graham Young. The company
is based in Johannesburg but undertakes work throughout the country. Below, he
responds to a few questions put to him by Landscape SA magazine.

Q: How did your interest in landscape department (yes, they actually
landscape architecture start, and had one!) to undertake a master plan for
what led you to choose it as a Newtown. Graham was also invited as
career? they wanted landscape architects with
When it was time for me to decide what urban design experience to integrate the
I wanted to do after matriculating, very public space with new buildings for the
few people knew about landscape area. In 1994, the city appointed myself
architecture. However, my father had and Graham as a JV for the project, and
a friend who was head of horticulture thus it was that we named the company
at Tuks (University of Pretoria) and Newtown Landscape Architects. All our
arranged for me to spend time with him. initial work was for the City of Joburg,
He knew Chris Mulder, an icon in the which fell into four regional structures.
landscape architectural profession, and I focused more on the CBD work which
I met with him at his office, at the same had to be implemented before the 1995
time watching Menno Klapwijk build a Rugby World Cup, and Graham focused
model for the SA Reserve Bank. On that on the master planning for open space
day, I knew for certain that I wanted to development in Soweto, Ennerdale and
become a landscape architect, and this Johan Barnard, Newtown Landscape Architects Orange Farm.
was reinforced when I met Prof. Willem
van Riet shortly thereafter. Q: Which projects stand out in
computers would come to dominate our your mind, and what made them
Q: Please give details of your profession a few years later with CAD, special for you?
studies and any favourite subjects REVIT and others. The first projects for which I did detail
I did the four-year BL course and enjoyed design, while still a student, were the
construction and planting the most, as Q: Please describe the launch picnic spots along the N2 through
well as botany and ecology, which my of your company, Newtown Wilderness and Knysna – those spots are
class mates did not! We all hated public Landscape Architects (NLA) still there!
administration and computer science, NLA was born from an invitation I After the army I joined DDV Design,
and were completely unaware of how received from the City of Joburg’s where I worked on the landscaping of

16 Landscape SA • Issue 155 2025 Check us out www.salandscape.co.za