Breytenbach, Amanda

Profile

Current Institution: 

Amanda Breytenbach describes herself as a ‘passionate green citizen’, who believes in a responsible and sustainable environment. Breytenbach was trained as an architect, but through her personal interest in higher education, she took up a full-time lecturing position within the Department of Interior Design in 1996. From 1999 to 2021, she was involved in departmental and faculty management positions and participated at national and international level in design forums/organisations. She also supervises Master’s degree students.

Breytenbach believes in the continuous search for cutting-edge and innovative designs teaching and learning and supervision practices, but she contends these should be underpinned by a heightened sense of responsibility towards the environment and society.

Amanda Breytenbach

Reflecting on lessons-learned for BIM implementation in design curricula in South Africa

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Architecture & Built Environment

In this paper, the authors reflect on the findings from a building information modelling (BIM) literature review, which comprises contemporary literature from the past five years, considering national and international development of BIM implementations, focusing on the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industries. This study acknowledges BIM as a digitalisation breakthrough that emerged in the third industrial revolution (3IR) and evolved rapidly within the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). BIM technology instils the attribute of being a contributive team member in co-designed projects and facilitates effective project outcomes by reducing time, cost, wastage, environmental impact and energy consumption.

The influence of the fourth industrial revolution: A multi-discipline approach for design education

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Design Education Strategy

Klaus Schwab defines the word "revolution" to convey the "abrupt" and "radical" change, which brought about the first, second, third and fourth industrial revolutions. Schwab explains that the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) will transform the way humans communicate, socially connect, function day to day and operate their jobs. The 4IR is not only about technology; its fundamental difference is due to these technologies combining: as a result, the physical, digital and biological spheres overlap.

The Postgraduate Supervision Space: From formal meetings to late-night calls

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Design Education Strategy

Undergraduate studies in design disciplines focus the design student’s attention on solving problems through designing projects in purpose-built studios or workshops while having regular face-to-face contact with design lecturers. Postgraduate research requires students to shift their focus from a practically orientated physical space to a theoretical-orientated mind space. The design research requires the student to engage with the solitary deep independent thinking supervision space in which contact and reflection occur. This paper will focus on the supervision space, which is described as both space and place in which the supervision interaction between student and supervisor takes place.

Do the right thing- combat our unsustainable future with design education

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Design Education Strategy

Governments, policy makers and environmental activists across the globe, entered the 21st century with a renewed focus in combatting the impact of humanities unsustainable practices. To achieve this goal a paradigm shift towards being environmentally responsible and accountable is required in which humanity will have to adopt radical personal change. This paper therefore aims to address the unsustainable future that humanity faces through investigating the role of education as agents of change in motivating sustainable practices and inspiring personal, ethical conduct amongst university students.

 

Cultivating sustainable thinking through employing a student-centred learning approach

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Design Education Strategy

In  order  to  save  both  the  planet  and  the  human  race,  society  needs  to  take  action  and  adopt  sustainable practices and approaches. The embedded modes of operations and encultured human behavioral patterns are under attack and radical changes are required, to ensure a future that provides sustainable  living conditions. Through employing various teaching and learning strategies, educators aim to convert the student’s approach and encourage  personal  awareness  that would stimulate   responsible  sustainability  thinking  and design. This paper  explains  how  behavioral  patterns   can  be changed  through  our  teaching  and  learning  approach  thus contributing towards an environmentally responsible design culture and society.
 

An integrated teaching strategy: Reflecting on a collaborative design project

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Design Education Research

An integrated teaching strategy was employed at a first year level in the Department Interior Design to strengthen the connection between first year modules and include participation from a related design discipline in the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture. The teaching strategy aimed to integrate the knowledge and skills that students gain within separate modules and develop their understanding of the interdependence of content that is taught throughout the programme and across departments.

Opening Gates: Reflecting on the liaison role of DEFSA at a tertiary level

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Design Education Research

The paper reflects on how DEFSA has delivered on the Forum’s first aim, with specific focus on the liaison activities that takes place at a tertiary level. This aim, as documented in the DEFSA Constitution, reads “Ensuring that liaison is maintained between relevant primary, secondary and tertiary levels of education in matters pertaining to design education, between technikons, universities, technical colleges, private institutions, education authorities and the design industry” (DEFSA, 2007a).

An assessment of the contribution of design education to the knowledge economy in South Africa

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Design Education Strategy

The Education White Paper (SA, 1997) identifies that the knowledge economy is dependent on knowledge workers that can contribute to the economical development of the country. The White Paper further motivates that it is the role of higher education to provide education and training to develop the skills and innovations that are necessary for national economical development and successful participation in the world economy.

Positioning the Bachelor of Technology: Interior Design within the HEQF

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Interior & Furniture Design

This paper explores the impact of the draft Higher Education Qualification Framework (2004) on the current offering of the Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech). The draft HEQF does not include the qualification structure offered by previous technikon-type institutions. Articulation from Diploma into a fourth year (B. Tech) and thereafter postgraduate studies is not evident in the articulation possibilities of the draft HEQF.

In this paper, focus is placed on the offering of the programme: B.Tech Interior Design as offered by the Department of Interior Design, who forms part of the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture (FADA) at the University of Johannesburg.

DEFSA conferences

DEFSA promotes relevant research with the focus on design + education through its biennial conferences, to promote professionalism, accountability and ethics in the education of young designers. Our next conference is a hybrid event. See above for details.

Critical skills endorsement

Professional Members in good standing can receive a certificate of membership, but DEFSA cannot provide confirmation or endorsement of skills whatsoever. DEFSA only confirm membership of DEFSA which is a NPO for Design Education in South Africa (https://www.defsa.org.za/imagine).