TEAM
Where the Passion Begins
VIDETTE MC LELLAN
Director. Design Architect
CLINTON MC LELLAN
Director. Coordination Specialist
Our Logo & Heritage
We're very proud of the heritage & symbolism captured in our logo. At the centre is the very famous "modular man" as made known by renowned architect Le Corbusier. This man with his outstretched arm & abstracted hand shape is universally known as a symbol of architecture. The figures to the left and the right of "modular man" completes and symbolises team work - because no man is a mountain onto himself. Our slogan "From and space for the senses" is beautifully captured within these three human figures : positive form vs. negative space. You see, Architecture is both shape and form in the urban landscape, as opposed to only creating spaces & volumes containing people. These spaces envelop users with light, air, smells & sounds. The yellow badge is a contemporary equivalent of the original Mc Lellan family crest as utilized by our Scottish forefathers. Great-great Grandpa sailed from Scotland to South Africa as a bridge engineer... there's some nostalgia there...
PROFILE
Mc Lellan Architects is an architecture firm based in Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa. We are Passionate about architecture that benefits its context socially, environmentally and economically.
We approach each project according to its unique requirements pertaining to time constraints, detail and budget. Together Vidette and Clinton has over three decades worth of experience in the field.
Clinton is experienced in retail-, leisure- and high-rise architecture.
Vidette has special interest in aesthetic design and civic-, residential, and interior architecture. Vidette was awarded runner up in the regional finals of the prestigious Corobrik Architectural Student of the Year for her Thesis in Architectural Design. Her design dissertation was received very positively and was published in Prof. 'Ora Joubert's latest publication on the best design dissertations of the past decade: 10+ Years 100 Projects. She has also been rewarded with the highest grades in her class for the subjects Construction Materials & Construction Methods. This indicates a well-balanced skill set for an architect.
VIDETTE'S THESIS DOWNLOAD
The Design of a Centre for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage at the Old Synagogue in Pretoria
The Old Jewish Synagogue on Paul Kruger Street in the centre of Pretoria is the foundation for this thesis project. This heritage building facilitated some of the most pivotal events in apartheid history - the Treason Trial of former president Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, and the Steve Biko Inquest. For decades restoration attempts have not been fruitful, due to the costs involved paired with impractical reuse functions for the building and the surrounding site. This thesis project aims to once again make the Old Synagogue accessible to the public, through suitable incorporation of the building, as well as its site, into the urban fabric. Therefore this document is structured chronologically - as information was acquired through the year, to reach a solution.