About

Peerutin Karol is an amalgamation of two of Cape Town’s well known architectural practices, Peerutin Architects and Louis Karol.
Peerutin Karol is an amalgamation of two distinguished practices that are rooted in Cape Town’s past.
Peerutin was founded in 1997 by brothers Simmy and David, whilst Louis Karol founded his practice back in 1952. Eitan Karol, Louis’ son, continued his father’s legacy and held the reins from 2010.

Historically the two practices were responsible for many landmark projects within the South African context, including Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront, Wembley Square and the Cape Town Stadium. The practice has undertaken many projects in Africa – Nigeria, Ghana, The DRC, Somalia, Zambia and Malawi – and its neighbours, such as the Seychelles, as well as providing outsourcing skills for many projects in the UK.

The Practice prides itself in the qualitative skills of its employees, and tries to ensure that every team member provides a unique contribution to each project.

Meet
the team

Meet the team

The Peerutin Karol leadership has evolved to create a strong management structure. There is a clear focus on disciplined management and strategic planning, the outcome being that the design and technical teams can operate efficiently without restrictions on their creative freedom.

The day-to-day management of the practice is spearheaded by Directors Simmy Peerutin and Tarryn Cohen, who also oversee the efficient running of the projects, whether at conceptual stage or for buildings that are under construction. David Peerutin, who is Design Director, oversees the strong design ethos that the practice pursues, ensuring that the practice produces consistently well-crafted buildings. The fourth Director, Dr. Eitan Karol is responsible for business development and marketing our practice as an outsourcing resource in Sub-Saharan Africa and beyond.

Underlying the Directorate is a small team of experienced and dedicated Associates. They apply technical and qualitative leadership to the projects, ensuring that the staff of twenty architects and technicians have focus on meeting the goals that are the cornerstone of each project.

All projects undergo regular peer review, so that team members are constantly informed of any changes, and are aware of issues that may have arisen.

Peerutin Karol Architects Cape Town Simmy Peerutin

Simmy Peerutin

Director – Management

Simmy graduated from the University of Cape Town in 1982. He then went on to gain experience in large commercial projects for more than 10 years as an Associate Partner at Shephard Robson, one of the largest architectural practices in London, specializing in health care and public buildings. He returned to Cape Town in 1995 and formed Peerutin with his brother David in 1997.

He has extensive expertise in the management of large and complex commercial architecture projects, has a passion for management and programming of information, and spearheads the overall strategy of the architectural practice.

In 2010 Simmy was made Vice President of the Cape Institute for Architecture and in 2013 he served as President. He is currently the chair of the SAIA Practice Committee and a member of the JBCC Technical Committee.

David Peerutin

Director – Design
David graduated from UCT in 1988 and gained valuable experience at New York firm, Gensler, while working in corporate space planning and interiors. David’s passion is design and he has been the driving force behind the design process in all the residential and commercial projects at Peerutin since its establishment in 1997.

He has a particular interest in interiors and space planning, but has an extensive and varied design portfolio. Some of those projects include luxury houses, hotels, call centres, apartment blocks and office parks. David has designed buildings throughout Sub-Saharan Africa including Somalia, Ghana, and Nigeria. He continues to strive for excellence in design, while understanding the clients’ specific needs, the context, and the technical and practical elements of the project.

Peerutin Karol Architects Cape Town Simmy Peerutin
Peerutin Karol Architects Cape Town Simmy Peerutin

Tarryn Cohen

Director – Management

Tarryn Cohen completed her architectural studies at UCT and joined Peerutin immediately after graduation, when the practice was formed in 1997. She also worked in London for two years at KSR Architects.

Tarryn was made Partner in 2017 and works alongside Simmy in managing the practice. Her strength is organization, management, coordination and the delivery of projects, and she also oversees hiring, resource planning, programming and compliance of projects.

Tarryn’s experience is largely commercial, and includes the Radisson Red Hotel, the Queen Victoria Hotel, a 14,000m2 call centre, and various office buildings and apartment blocks. She also leads Peerutin Karol’s outsourcing projects in the UK, and design projects in West Africa.

Dr. Eitan Karol

Director – Business Development
Dr Eitan Karol studied architecture at UCT, followed by art history at Columbia University in New York. He later completed his PhD at the University of Reading, UK. Eitan is a keen historian of early 20th century South African architecture, and his book, Charles Holden Architect 1875-1960, won the SAH-GB Alice Davis Hitchcock Medallion in 2008.

Having grown up in his father’s architectural studio, Louis Karol Architects, Eitan has worked in the firm’s offices in London, Tel Aviv and Johannesburg and went on to take over the reins in 2010. He was committed to corporate social responsibility and education at Louis Karol and led the practice’s various development programmes. Eitan is focused on business development for Peerutin Karol, both in South Africa and abroad.

Peerutin Karol Architects Cape Town Simmy Peerutin
Peerutin Karol Architects Cape Town Simmy Peerutin

Henning Van As

Associate – Design
Since joining Peerutin in 2015, Henning has worked closely with Design Director David Peerutin on all design and concept development of projects in the office. He was appointed as Associate responsible for ensuring the continued design excellence throughout all aspects of the office.

Giovanni Pivetta

Associate – Design

After studying ‘Restoration and Conservation of Cultural Heritage’ at the University of Parma, Giovanni graduated in Architecture from the Polytechnic University of Milan.

Giovanni refined his design skills by working in Italian architectural practices during and after his studies. He moved to South Africa in 2014 where he joined Peerutin Karol, working closely with David Peerutin on the design and concept development of high-end single residential, estates, and commercial buildings.

Giovanni is responsible for the development of architectural design, competitions, and overseeing the office graphic standards. He was appointed as Associate, bringing international experience and particular attention to detail into every aspect of the design process.

Peerutin Karol Architects Cape Town Simmy Peerutin
Peerutin Karol Architects Cape Town Simmy Peerutin

Lance Muller

Associate – Technical
Lance completed his architectural studies at CPUT and gained experience at Revel Fox & Partners, Charl Roux Architects, and Henry Fagan Structural Engineers. He joined Peerutin in 2014, and was appointed Associate in 2017 with responsibility for all IT strategies in the office.

Lance has an eye for detail and ensures that the construction technology aspects of all projects are coordinated and integrated within the BIM protocols of the office. This includes supporting the respective project teams and promoting BIM and technical excellence throughout the practice.

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Commercial

Residential

Outsourcing

The Studio

Take a look behind the scenes and meet the team of Peerutin Karol.