GASS Architecture Studios celebrated its 20th anniversary at an event at Barlow Park in Sandton on 27 February 2025.

Over the past two decades, this award-winning firm has made a multifaceted contribution to South Africa’s built environment through projects spanning a wide range of types, including residential homes and renovations, large corporate headquarters, educational and multi-residential developments, mixed-use precincts, urban planning and adaptive reuse.

GASS Architecture Studios was founded in 2005 when, as principal and founder Georg van Gass put it, “my day job started to interfere with my private jobs”. He struck out on his own, initially concentrating on residential architecture. The studio grew organically for a decade until, in 2016, the firm transformed its structure to incorporate a larger complement of directors and shareholders, which enabled it to expand and operate on a larger scale. Today, GASS Architecture Studios employs over 30 people and operates from studios in Gauteng and the Western Cape.

The firm’s award-winning work has been recognised both locally and internationally. In 2024 alone, projects by GASS were shortlisted for two WAF Awards in Singapore: Green School South Africa (GSSA), shortlisted in the ‘Completed Buildings – School’ category and named runner-up in the ‘Sustainability’ category. Apex Studio received a Herbert Prins Colosseum Award, and various projects were featured at the SCAPE Awards, SAPOA, Construction World, and Big 5 Construction Awards. Projects by GASS, including GSSA, Hangklip House, Apex Studios and Jewel City, have been recognised with CIFA, GIFA, and SAIA awards, respectively.

“Reflecting on our body of work over the past 20 years, we’ve realised that it doesn’t reflect a single signature aesthetic or trademark style,” says van Gass. “Rather, our work represents an approach grounded in a set of core values and principles. Over time, we have developed a unique, contextually responsive approach to design, paired with an unwavering belief in architecture’s power to improve lives.”

This ethos reflects the firm’s human-centred approach to contemporary architecture. Rather than chasing fleeting trends or being seduced by the need to create architectural icons (although the studio certainly has contributed some landmark projects along the way), GASS has focused on ‘responsible architecture’. This approach often results in work that is quiet, efficient and enduring – architecture that simply feels good to be around, rather than seeking attention or making a spectacle of itself. As van Gass says, “Every passing pedestrian is considered a client, too.”

He adds that, perhaps more than anything, the firm’s defining feature is its ‘can-do’ attitude, problem-solving mindset, and pragmatic, hands-on approach to design.

The revival and redevelopment of the central business districts of South Africa’s major cities has always been close to the heart of the practice. From an early stage, GASS engaged with the transformative role architecture and design could play in the social and economic revitalisation of the country. For GASS, this period also marked a commitment to addressing spatial inequalities and transforming urban environments.

“We are excited to share our journey so far and pay tribute to all who have been part of it, including all our visionary clients and collaborators,” says van Gass. “We would also like to acknowledge and thank all the architects, designers and staff who have passed through the studio over the years.”

To mark the occasion, GASS released its first monograph, GASS Architecture Studios: 2005–2025. This 200+ page volume documents a selection of the studio’s most significant projects over the past two decades, with an introduction, photographs and light commentary on each featured project. It showcases GASS’s distinctive contribution to architecture over its first two decades and captures the spirit of one of South Africa’s pioneering and innovative architectural studios.