By design: Anthony Orelowitz builds opportunities through challenges

The man behind some of the most recognisable buildings along the Sandton skyline, architect Anthony Orelowitz, has always had vision. In accepting the Art, Sport, Science, and Culture Award, the founding director of the Paragon Group said that the most considerable challenges often yield the biggest opportunities.

From the ground-breaking Norton Rose building to the innovative S-shaped Sasol headquarters, Orelowitz and his team spent 15 years developing six of Sandton’s most iconic commercial properties.

“There’s much more to our buildings, it’s about the quality of the space and the life inside,” said Orelowitz, in accepting the award. “The physical space is designed to enhance how organisations function, how culture is manifested, and to help organisations thrive.” With a design ethos rooted in efficiency, the Paragon Group works with young minds, using cutting-edge technology like 3D printing and augmented reality to visualise the buildings they design.

It’s this emphasis on innovation that inspires Orelowitz to seek new possibilities even in the toughest of circumstances. “The COVID-19 pandemic has brought many challenges to our industry,” he said, “but those challenges release a myriad of opportunities. Ironically, due to the pandemic, we have had to re-strategise how to create spaces to entice people back to work. With the need for commercial buildings having waned, other avenues have opened up. So, we must find new typologies to explore, and at 57, this is an exciting prospect.”

One of the things Orelowitz loves most about architecture is the fact that it’s a vocation. “You can be a better architect when you’re 40, and an even better architect at 45,” he said. “I look forward to seeing what kind of architect I can be in my 70s – I think that’s the beauty of architecture as a profession. It can sustain you your whole life.”

In recent years, Orelowitz and his team have pursued work outside the corporate space, doing schools, student housing, flats, and industrial warehouses. “Whatever we design, we’re always looking to find the edge and how that manifests back into our buildings.”

However, it took time to build a winning formula. Leaving his job in Standard Bank’s property division to start his own practice 25 years ago, Orelowitz initially struggled to secure projects. Winning an architectural competition at Melrose Arch proved to be a powerful launchpad. “We started off renovating toilets and lobbies, and we’ve ended up developing buildings like the Sasol building in Sandton,” Orelowitz said, paying tribute to his partners, directors, and colleagues.

Orelowitz’s dedication to excellence is embodied by the man to whom this award was dedicated this year – the late Steven Blend. A judge on the Absa Jewish Achiever Awards for more than 20 years, Blend spearheaded the thriving partnership between Absa and the Jewish Achiever Awards.

Although South Africa has undeniable challenges, we shouldn’t forget to acknowledge the many wonderful things our nation is doing, Orelowitz said. This is why events like the Absa Jewish Achievers Awards must be celebrated.

“We need to tell an alternative narrative about this country, one that doesn’t sugar-coat our situation, but looks at the positives, celebrates the exceptional, and gives us a cause to look towards a brighter future.”