Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
Previous Archive
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

Faculty of Law unveils faculty logo
2009-03-16









The Faculty of Law at the University of the Free State (UFS) unveiled its faculty logo recently at respectively the CR Swart Building and the Johannes Brill Building on the Main Campus in Bloemfontein. This occasion coincided with the faculty’s celebration of a century of excellence in legal education under the theme “Iurisprudentia 100”. The faculty logo provides a clear direction to the faculty's main entrance. At the occasion were, from the left: Prof. Johan Henning, Dean of the Faculty of Law, Prof. Teuns Verschoor, Acting Rector, and Prof. Niel Viljoen, Chief Director: Operations.

Photo: Stephen Collett
 

We use cookies to make interactions with our websites and services easy and meaningful. To better understand how they are used, read more about the UFS cookie policy. By continuing to use this site you are giving us your consent to do this.

Accept