Hello, as of Dec 2017 I have migrated all my content onto www.jhonobennett.co.za and will be updating my portfolio there. Please click HERE to visit the latest site location.


Background

My name is Jhono Bennett, and I am a socio-technical architectural urbanist based in Johannesburg. I'm currently a collaborating leader of GSA_Unit 14  as part of the newly launched Unit System Africa from the University of Johannesburg's Graduate School of Architecture as well as holding a position in the DSD Desis Lab at UJ's FADA. 

I carry this position while managing the operations of 1to1 - Agency of Engagement; a non-profit entity that provides a design based collaborative service between grass roots organisations, professionals, academia and government.


Among the various practices I have been involved with in my early career, most influential has been my work with Architecture for Humanity on the Football for Hope Initiative as well as the South African Shack Dwellers International Alliance.  It was during my work as a student with the Slovo Park Project; a student and community led research, co-design initiative, that I developed a critical stance in regard to the role of design in the fluid and dynamic developing areas of South Africa. More recently I have been working closely with Architecture Sans Frontieres through their teaching and design research initiatives here in Johannesburg and Cape Town.

My current focus is around the inclusive use and design of our South African cities, specifically the role that design plays in this. This has led me into work with various department of the South Africa government, key local and international research institutes and international universities including Harvard's GSD, USA and the University of Sheffield, UK.

In 2015 I was nominated as an Ashoka Fellow and currently am part of the YALI Mandela Washington Fellowship (YALI MWF) through 1to1 - Agency of Engagement.

Having been trained in Durban (my home town) and Cape Town, I  hold a master’s degree in architecture with distinction from the University of Pretoria with a supplemented semester abroad at the Carlton University in Ottawa, Canada.

My training has been greatly augmented by my experience with YALI MWF, specifically through their summer programme on leadership and social impact through policy hosted by the UC Berkeley's Goldman School for Public Policy.


For more detailed information, please see my Linkedin profile (below) below or my CV/Resume:



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2016 Mandela Washington Fellow

2016 Mandela Washington Fellow

2015 Ashoka Fellow

2015 Ashoka Fellow

ASF - UK Expert Affiliate

ASF - UK Expert Affiliate