Informed by the colonial history of their home in Cape Town, Heinrich and Ilze Wolff established their eponymous architecture firm in 2012 as a vehicle for addressing social inequities, as well as the erasure of indigenous landscapes and narratives. While spatial design is at the heart of its activities, the firm distinguishes itself through its reliance on a diverse set of employees and collaborators—including photographers, artists, filmmakers, and writers—and an expansive practice that encompasses social justice advocacy, research and scholarship, and conceptual art. Wolff bolsters its practical design business with consultancy services, an in-studio art gallery, a publication, and site-specific artistic interventions, all of which emphasise innovation and social engagement, and blur the lines between design, art, and activism. “The city of Cape Town . . . is both a source and a site of knowledge production,” the firm asserts. “The public projects that we design all motivate for a more connected and inclusive public realm.”
www.wolffarchitects.co.za