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19 March 2019 | Story Leonie Bolleurs | Photo Leonie Bolleurs
Ergonomics
Martie Bitzer, senior lecturer at the UFS Department of Architecture, says an architect envisions how the user will live in a space and designs accordingly.

“Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.” – Steve Jobs

Whether at work or at home, scientists have found a way to “comfortably” carry out tasks. According to Martie Bitzer, senior lecturer at the University of the Free State’s Department of Architecture, we all experience discomfort due to the effects of repetitive actions in a day – whether in daily tasks of necessity like washing the dishes or hours spent at work behind a desk or a countertop. “The word ‘ergonomics’ is the key to ease this discomfort!,” she said.

Martie believes that a space needs not only to look beautiful but that it must be practical as well. 

“The specific dimensions of the human body should serve as the designer’s ‘measure’ for the height of your kitchen counter or the angle of your computer screen,” says Martie.

She continues: “In architecture, ergonomics is always the starting point for design. The architect envisions how the user will live in a space and designs accordingly. Ergonomics touches all aspects of a person’s life in a building – from the distance you walk in your kitchen while cooking to the impact of the height of a specific space. It is working at best when you live fluently in a space, unaware of obstacles and challenges. The human body’s capabilities and limitations are at the heart of the responsible designer’s task to improve the quality of life in a building.”

In a world where we are daily more aware of how we engage with our surroundings, good design matters!



News Archive

Kovsies through to the final round of national Sanlam competition
2008-11-21

 

At the research day were, from the left: Johan Human, third-year Physiotherapy student, Mr Carel Thomas, Marketing Manager of Sanlam for the Free State, Marissa van Eeden, third-year Physiotherapy student, and Ms Lieschen de Man, lecturer in the Department of Physiotherapy at the UFS. Another two students were involved in the winning project.
Photo: Leonie Bolleurs


Of the 28 groups of students from the University of the Free State (UFS) who entered Sanlam's national Creativity for Progress Competition, a multidisciplinary group of students from the Departments of Physiotherapy and Architecture advanced to the final round that will take place in December in Cape Town.

The theme of the competition is “A better life for people in informal settlements”. Sanlam also undertook to sponsor the implementation of the winning project as part of their corporate social responsibility initiatives. The winners of the regional round delivered their presentations at the UFS Service Learning Research Day.

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