It’s always exciting to welcome a new industry expert to our panel of judges, bringing in a fresh perspective. And our latest addition, Anthony Karam, is no stranger to the PG Bison 1.618 Education Initiative, having been a finalist in 2010.
About Anthony
Anthony Karam is Design Director with Giant Leap and holds a B-Tech in App Design from the Tshwane University of Technology and a B-Arch Honours from the University of Pretoria and specialises in corporate workplace strategy and design.
Before joining Giant Leap Workplace Specialists, Anthony was an associate at Paragon Interface Architects. He has experience throughout the African continent on projects at the cutting edge of sustainable, conceptually grounded workplace strategy and experiential interior design. He has been part of numerous local and international award-winning projects in the corporate interior design sector.
One of his recent projects was for an energy solutions provider in Cape Town, within an adaptive re-use redevelopment of the Makers Mark at the V&A Waterfront. It combined existing industrial structures, workplace strategy, and contemporary technology in a space that represents the energy, culture, and tenacity of the brand, creating an elevated and unique workplace experience for employees and visitors alike.
Notable features include E-scooter raceways connecting throughout the space, a 14-seater feature command centre (featuring an 11m-wide LED screen), brand showcase areas and welcome zones, a work café, bar, and fully equipped music stage for the company rock band and various other social events, including fine dining areas, and a series of exterior work terraces to the ocean. The project also includes a plethora of workplace collaboration tools supporting activity-based working, including and an 8-tier 36-seater event pavilion, facilitating upwards of 520 employees, and a +-3500 m² solar energy generation experience on the roof. Anthony describes it as “high-tech bespoke workplace experience in a novel post-industrial design style”.
Joining the judging panel
Anthony joins the PG Bison 1.618 Education Initiative judging panel for the first time in 2024. He says, “Initiatives like this set a base in my career to look beyond the ‘norms’, embrace creativity, and stive for innovative thinking in design. They offer the opportunity to flex your design muscles, both conceptually and technically, which pushes you as a designer to stive to create memorable experiences and excellent design.”
He is hoping to see entries that serve up unique moments for the ‘patrons’ of the intervention. “This is something I would think could be sculpted by combining a great concept tied into the South African landscape, with good use of proportions, materials, and form in a package that looks great and makes you want to be there,” he says. “I am also excited to see the interpretations of today’s burgeoning design professionals when leveraging contemporary technology and human creativity.”
