ABOUT
The cornerstone of our construction and design company is our unique, environmentally friendly, durable, yet affordable building method.
We aim to be the most innovative building company in Africa. We have a strong focus on research & development, environmental sustainability, cutting edge design, skills development and automation.
Joel Baur, Managing Director
Our Team: a wealth of experience in the housing market and design
Joel loves reading and spending time with his family in nature. He even takes pleasure in sitting in traffic without plans or interruptions.
He is passionate about changing the everyday lives of people and communities through the considered, high-quality design of houses and neighbourhoods.
Some important career milestones as an architects are:
- Gaining work experience at architectural firm Roger Boltshauser in Zurich,
- Co-founding Atelier Manzana,
- Studying at ETH Zurich (Master’s in Architecture) and EPF Lausanne (Bachelor of Architecture)
Benno is passionate about the environment and long-term sustainability.
He has studies in mathematics and agricultural science and a PhD in modelling and solving international CO2-trade systems.
He is determined to work towards improving the quality of life of those who live in poverty. That’s why he joined CITRA – to work towards green affordable housing for everyone.
“The resources of our earth are there for everyone. We are all affected by the destruction of these resources and have a shared responsibility”.
Andreas studied agricultural engineering at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zürich. He has more than 15 years’ experience in development cooperation, working for different organisations in 20 countries in Asia, Eastern Europe and Africa, including the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, the International Federation of Red Cross and the UN.
He has a keen interest in sustainable resources, which is why, in 2010, he decided to dedicate a large part of his time to working as an independent developer and becoming the biggest driving force in the creation of CITRA.
Ernst was born in Zurich, grew up in Tanzania and graduated in Switzerland as a Civil Engineer from HTL (Höhere Technische Lehranstalt). He has worked in Saudi Arabia, Greece, the UK and Switzerland and since 1991 has been residing in South Africa. In January 2019, he joined the CITRA family as a non-Executive Director.
In his own words: “I am thrilled to be part of this young, enthusiastic and competent team and that my experience in this new and innovative building technology is appreciated.”
Adrien is passionate about problem-solving through a user-centred design process, leveraging flexible and scalable complex geometry systems. He led the design effort in sustainable façade development at Zaha Hadid Architects and worked on other major computationally-designed projects.
In his free time, Adrien likes to discover new beautiful places around him and kitesurf with friends.
Michael developed the CITRA building system and currently oversees our engineering projects and operations. He has a keen interest in community, being involved in the founding of Engineers Without Borders South Africa and The Euclid Society.
Outside the office, Michael enjoys a number of activities including chess, tennis, football, Kung Fu and regular gym visits.
Erik finished a BTech in Quantity Surveying at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology in 2001 and has been working in construction as a quantity surveyor or contracts manager ever since.
In 2007 he walked the Spanish pilgrimage trail, the Camino de Santiago, four months before the birth of his first daughter. He dreams about the day he can return to the Camino to walk it with his wife and two daughters.
Realm is a key member of the team, taking good care of CITRA’s financial health. She has a BCom Accounting and PGDA from the University of Cape Town, is registered with SAIPA as a professional accountant and has years of experience in the field.
She enjoys spending quality time with family and friends, sharing a good laugh over a hearty meal and decorating for social gatherings.
With a Speech & Language Therapy background and a big passion for science, Trinidad moved to South Africa and used her skills to develop a career in communications. She has a great interest in sustainability and social development.
She loves spending time with her two little humans and friends, listening to good music, being in nature, participating in community-based activities or just trying to figure out how to travel more.
Trevor trained as a bricklayer, plasterer and tiler and has worked in Botswana, Mozambique and Johannesburg as a site foreman. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, mountain biking and swimming.
With 15 years’ experience in construction, Thabo is CITRA’s man on site. He is as friendly as he is skilled and professional in everything he does: from plastering, bricklaying and painting to managing the workers and more.
He enjoys spending his spare time with his family.
Our History: from tonnes of coffee to an ambitious development and beyond
Our Partners: passionate about design, innovation and sustainability
We work with organisations, companies and government institutions that want to create energy efficient architecture and urban design.
