School of Built Environment & Development Studies

Lawrence Ogunsanya

Lawrence Ogunsanya

Lecturer

Leadership Academic Leader: Architecture

Discipline Architecture

Emailogunsanya@ukzn.ac.za

Contact Number 031-260-2050

Campus Howard College Campus

Office Address Shepstone Building Level 8, Room 851

Last Updated 9 months ago

Mr Lawrence Ogunsanya is a Lecturer in the discipline of Architecture within the School of Built Environment & Development Studies (SoBEDS) and a seasoned and qualified professional architect, registered with the South African Council for the Architectural Profession (SACAP). He holds two Bachelor’s degrees (Honours and Advanced) in Architecture and a Master’s degree in Housing. He is currently finalizing his PhD in Town and Regional Planning, making him one of the rare academics in the school with degrees in all built environment disciplines in SoBEDS. Lawrence’s research has focused on the impact of universities on the built environment of the surrounding neighbourhood and the city and how higher education institutions should rethink architectural literacy, particularly factors needed to achieve sustainable built environments in low-income settlements in South Africa. His career in the built environment industry spans over 16 years in which he has outstandingly proven himself in architectural design, project management and urban design. Work experience has seen him undertake various projects of different sizes within different sectors such as municipal, commercial and residential. Mr Ogunsanya community engagements include design consultation and advisory roles for various departments in the university (i.e. Department of Education, Architecture, UKZN Inqubate, Infrastructure Planning and projects etc. Other institutions outside the university are: Women’s Property Network (WPN) and Women in Architecture KZN. During his tenure as discipline leader of architecture in SoBEDS (2016 to current) the discipline has made efforts to transform increasing student numbers from quintile 1-3 (including female students). Furthermore, architecture students have excelled winning numerous prestigious awards both regional, nationally, and internationally (i.e. PG Bison competition, 30th and 31st Corobrik Architectural Student of the Year Awards just to name a few). The Corobrik competitions have been held annually for the past 30 years to reward and advance excellence in the profession nationwide.

Bio

Mr Lawrence Babatunde Ogunsanya is currently the academic leader and lecturer in the department of Architecture in the University of KwaZulu-Natal. He is also a qualified professional Architect, registered with the South African Council for the Architectural Profession (SACAP). He holds two Bachelor’s degrees (Honours and Advanced) in Architecture and a Master’s degree in Housing. He is currently completing his PhD in Planning. His career in the built environment industry spans over 15 years in which he has outstandingly proven himself in architectural design, project management and urban design. Work experience has seen him undertake various projects of different sizes within different sectors such as municipal, commercial and residential.

Degrees Held

  • Masters in Housing
  • BArch Adv. in Architecture
  • Bachelors of science in Architecture

Research Interests

  • Architectural Design and Education
  • Adaptive Reuse Architecture.
  • Sustainable Built Environments.
  • Project Management, Project Packaging and Construction Management.
  • Housing Developments and Urban Design.
  • Social Housing.
  • Housing policies that generate and manage housing projects

Teaching Interests

  • ARCH205 History of Architecture 2A
  • ARCH301/302 Architectural Design & Technology 3A &3B
  • ARCH307/308 Building Science 3A & 3B
  • ARCH309/310 Theory of Structures 3A & 3B
  • ARCH806 Research Methods for Architects
  • ARCH810 Professional Practice
  • ARCH811 Law for Architects
  • ARCH812 Materials and Failures

Research projects and papers

  • The impact of universities on the built environment of the surrounding neighborhood and the city: case study of South African universities in the province of KwaZulu-Natal.
  • Rethinking the architectural literacy of higher education institutions: A case study of University of KwaZulu-Natal: Howard College. In collaboration with Professor Michael Anthony Samuel (University of KwaZulu-Natal, School of Education)
  • 7 key factors needed to achieve sustainable built environments in low income settlements in South Africa.

Community Involvement

Mr Ogunsanya community engagements include design consultation and advisory roles for various departments in the university (i.e. Department of Education, Architecture, UKZN Inqubate, Infrastructure Planning and projects etc. Other institutions outside the university are: Women’s Property Network (WPN) and Women in Architecture KZN.

Student Supervision

Mr Ogunsanya has successfully supervised, mentored, and graduated a number of post-graduate students in the University of KwaZulu-Natal since 2013. In 2017 he successfully supervised and graduated nine masters’ candidates in the disciplines of Architecture and Housing. He is currently available to supervise Masters Candidates in his areas of research and teaching specialization.