Marc Sherratt

interview

johannesburg, south africa

The MSSA Office was founded in 2017 in Johannesburg, South Africa. He is engaged in architectural research and projects focused on restoring the ecological environment in Africa.

Founder, Managing Director and Head of the Research Department at Marc Sherratt, Sustainability Architects (MSSA).

It may not be obvious, but Africa is urbanising at an incredible pace. This growth is largely informal and occurs chaotically, without significant state control: people move to cities and build wherever they can find space. This causes significant challenges including the degradation of ecological systems and the ecosystem services they provide in and around cities.

One of our main impact areas is to regenerate locally extinct ecological systems in urban environments. We develop technologies, increasingly AI-based ones, to monitor biodiversity, and based on this data, we designspace.

Africa is an exciting place to implement this approach noting how rich our biodiversity is. Africa is relatively unique in retaining much of its megafaunal diversity due to African belief and economic systems that have protected them, like for example in tribal totems (an animal representing your tribe that you then protect) and other cultural systems. 

I like the fact that architecture is people-oriented. Through architectural solutions, our office helps Africans renew a relationship with nature, but in perhaps a fresh way, a more healing orientated way. We aim to reduce architecture’s destructive environmental impact while also healing people in the process. Can we for example, discuss colonialism and Apartheid using landscape and biodiversity?

The various crises of recent years have taught us to unite as a world, for example, in the fight against covid. I see my role as uniting people to fight global problems using locally applied solutions. In my opinion, an architect’s most important skill involves bringing together different professionals and experts, forming them into a cohesive team and leading them. I think all architects possess a set of skills applicable on a global scale, not just focused on building design. These include a creative approach to complex and unexpected problems; for example, an architect can use their skills to find a solution for elephant endangerment. Don’t they also have a right to be part of our world? Could they become equal citizens in our cities? Can they help us coauthor the design of our cities in Africa? If we never develop a langaue to ask them we will never know.  

It depends on the part of Africa. South Africa, where we mostly work, is an industrialized yet conservative country. Here, we build quickly with cost as the major driver, this doesn’t always incentivise environmentally friendly approaches and materials. It’s hard to convince people to use something new or even different. In the rest of Africa, there is a significant dominance of China in the construction and import of materials. Although there are negative aspects to this, there are also opportunities for experimentation.

Most of our clients are representatives of the government or organizations involved in projects with high social impact: healthcare, schools, social housing, cultural and public buildings. They are people who understand that human health and ecosystem health are deeply interconnected. 

We initiate some research and development ourselves. For example, we did the project "Talking to Elephants", which was presented at the Venice Architecture Biennale last year. We restored the ability of the endangered African savanna elephant (Loxodonta africana) to migrate across the Limpopo province. As the elephant moves, it creates food forests of indigenous fruiting trees for increased food security for rural communities. The designed route is equipped with infrasound devices that communicate a new elephant langauge that guide elephants along a 1,000-kilometer migration corridor. 

We also have private clients. The construction of buildings costs millions of euros, so there is a place for wealthy customers and corporations that can provide an example of environmental sustainability, adaptation to climate change and concepts such as ESG (Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance) and Net Zero (Net Zero Emissions) are still important.

night house
Willowild, johannesburg

singing chapel
rwanda

Talking to Elephants,
Biennale Architettura 2025

vulture cling
johannesburg

covid healthcare
sub-acute facility, springs

VLEIHUIS DEVELOPMENT

We started out like many architectural firms: we tried to win competitions while searching for projects that could showcase our belief system around sustainability. I like thinking back to where we have come from. One of the first projects that we built was a heritage alteration in Johannesburg. It was the first project in Africa certified by the Green Building Council as a Net Positive Construction Waste project - nothing was sent to landfill during its construction (Net Zero) and over 60 tons of waste that would have gone to landfill was used in its construction (Net Positive). I had heard many people say that even Net Zero construction waste was impossible, but things always seem impossible until they are done for the first time. 

In our work, we often use technologies to monitor biodiversity, which I mentioned earlier. One device we developed, the Landear, classifies birds by sound and allows us to track bird diversity, air pollution and climate change. 

We also designed South Africa's first certified Net Zero Operational Carbon government building: a standardized rural clinic that can be built across the country. There should be a certain degree of standardization in things like public infrastructure and objective certification is important to begin inspiring public trust in what you have designed.