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OUR HISTORY

1943

EARLY DAYS FOR SVA

Founder of SVA International, Hellmut Stauch, emigrated from Germany to South Africa in 1935. Stauch opened his own practice in Pretoria in 1943 which expanded to satellite offices in Pietersburg (Polokwane) and Mmabatho. He had a major influence in bringing modern movement principles to South African architecture.
1943
1952

A SEASON OF AWARDS

In the formative years of SVA Stauch won a competition for the Windhoek Library, Archives & Museum which instigated the opening of the Windhoek office and then, in 1953, the design of low-cost housing which were modular in plan and easily expandable.
1952
1958

REACHING NEW DIMENSIONS

Several people with unique skills contributed to the growth and success of SVA .Notably Robin Vorster for his unification of the practice and effective management principles as well as Bryan Prisgrove for introducing high levels of expertise in professional practice . A Johannesburg office was established in 1959 to service two new commissions, the Netherlands Bank & President Hotel.
1958
1967

ONWARDS & UPWARDS

An amalgamation with the office of Ian Park Ross and new projects enabled a Durban office to open which later joined with ‘Piet Bakker Architects’.
1967
1978

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT

The practice was commissioned to design the major Green Acres retail project and the Port Elizabeth office was established. This office later expanded to open an East London office. Construction began on the President (now Protea) Hotel in Sea Point and the Cape Town office was set up in 1965
1978
1980

A NEW DIGITAL AGE

With the introduction of CAD, SVA opened a central computer bureau in Midrand, where all working drawings in the practice were done centrally.
1980
1990

JOURNEYS INTO AFRICA

Expansion into Africa provided valuable experience with projects across the continent and in Mauritius.
1990
1998

GROWTH ABOUNDS

Amalgamation with 'Mwamuko O'Malley Moses' (MOM) created combined offices in Johannesburg for the entire Gauteng region.
1998
2012

STRATEGIC MOVES

A strategic decision was taken to amalgamate all the SVA entities into a single international company.
2012
2015

PARTNERING WITH PURPOSE

SVA partners with GIBB and transforms into a strong majority Black-owned company with a qualified B-BBEE rating.
2015
2023

80 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE

After 8 decades, SVA International continues to be a leader in the industry.
2023