noh ARCHITECTS is a multi-award-winning practice that has been based in Gqeberha since 1996.
Where it started
Tim Hewitt-Coleman studied architecture at Nelson Mandela University under Professor Danie Theron. He graduated in 1993 with a treatise on the role of the urban trader’s market in poverty alleviation. He then trained at Harlech-Jones Treasure Architects, where he became absorbed by a question that has shaped the practice ever since: what can an architect do about the legacy of apartheid planning and poverty?
His answer was to become what he called a “developmental architect.” He spent his early years in townships and rural areas, meeting ordinary people, project steering committees and local negotiating forums, and building modest but badly needed community and education buildings. In 1996 he founded the practice and taught design at the university that same year.
A partnership, and a name
Tim soon joined forces with Sindile Ngonyama and Dr Innocent Okpanum to form Ngonyama Okpanum Hewitt-Coleman. The structure and ownership of the firm changed over the years. Sindile has since passed away, and Innocent has retired to Nigeria. In 2018 the practice took the name noh, a respectful nod to the three founders and the history they share.
Cutting our teeth
The practice grew through some of the city’s defining projects: the Boardwalk Casino and Entertainment Complex, the Raymond Mhlaba Sports Centre in Motherwell, and the Nelson Mandela Bay 2010 World Cup Stadium, designed with GMP Architects of Germany. Collaborations with architects in the USA, Sweden and Australia followed. Throughout, our heart has stayed with the social side of the built environment: the Kwanobuhle Youth Services Centre, the Ntshekisa Carwash, the Fountain Road urban renewal in Walmer Township, and the Ubuntu Education Centre with Stan Field. The Ubuntu Centre received an Award of Merit from the South African Institute of Architects and a National Award of Excellence from the Fulton Awards.
What we do today
Today we’re best known for green building, repurposing and urban renewal, as well as public transport design, urban design and work on land use rights. Our recent work ranges from route shelters for the city’s public transport system to the award-winning Leopard Trail Huts in the Baviaanskloof.
Giving back
Tim served as President of the Eastern Cape Institute of Architects and on the national board of SAIA. From time to time he also serves as an external examiner for Nelson Mandela University’s School of Architecture. We train architectural students in-house and are proud of how many candidates we’ve taken through to professional registration with SACAP.
Toward a Natural Order Habitat.