01
Architecture
Private homes, cultural buildings, mixed-use and hospitality — bespoke architecture grounded in climate, material and culture.
Architecture rooted in place, designed for what comes next.
PICHA Architects is a collective studio crafting bespoke architecture, urbanism and interiors across South Africa and East Africa — quietly considered, deeply local, future-aware.
01 — The Studio
A collective of architects designing with care for the South African landscape.
Founded in 2012 in Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha) by Muriithi Kiugu, a graduate of Nelson Mandela University, PICHA Architects is a bespoke architectural firm at its core — extending into urbanism, interior design, project management, professional built environment consultancy and research.
We work as a collective studio: a partnership of architects, urbanists and designers bringing together more than thirty years of combined experience. Every project is led with intent, drawn slowly, and detailed with the conviction that good buildings improve the lives that touch them.
From the coast of the Eastern Cape to the heights of Sandton — and into East Africa — we build for clients who want architecture that feels inevitable in its place.
0+
Years in practice
0+
Years combined
0
Studios & regions
02 — Expertise
Five disciplines, one studio.
A single design intelligence carried from masterplan to door handle. We move fluidly between scales because the best buildings are made that way.
02
Urbanism
Precinct frameworks, public realm and city-making strategies that put people, climate and dignity at the centre.
03
Interior Design
Quiet, tactile interiors. Considered material palettes, custom joinery and lighting that complete the architecture.
04
Project Management
Owner-side leadership of programme, cost and quality — from concept to handover.
05
Built Environment Consultancy
Advisory across feasibility, briefing, statutory and sustainability — clarity for complex environments.
06
Research
Studio-led inquiry into climate, craft and the African city — feeding back into the work, project after project.
Proud Member Of
03 — Selected Projects
A practice told through its work.
A selection of recent and ongoing projects across residential, civic, hospitality and interior commissions.
Residential · South Africa
House 1031
A bespoke private residence settled quietly into its site.
Education · South Africa
Silangwe School
A primary school making the most of a constrained site and budget.
Hospitality · South Africa
Aqua Spa
A small wellness destination set into a sheltered slope.
Residential · Bryanston
Bryanston Estate
A private home re-oriented toward a north-facing garden court.
Healthcare · Uganda
Kampala Hospital
A contemporary medical facility tailored to a sub-Saharan brief.
Urbanism · Gqeberha
Port Elizabeth Waterfront
An urban framework re-stitching the harbour edge to the city.
Commercial · Mthatha
Mthatha Office Building
An A-grade office above a generous, well-detailed ground plane.
Residential · Kenya
House Gatwe
A private residence stepping with the contours outside Nairobi.
Civic · Lesotho
Lesotho Institute
A civic learning facility for the Lesotho highveld.
Commercial · Kyalami
Kyalami Office
A low, horizontal workplace softened by deep loggias.
Residential · Linbro Park
Linbro Park Apartments
A medium-density scheme organised around shared courtyards.
Residential · Ngong, Kenya
Ngong Apartments
Stacked apartments opening toward the Ngong Hills.
Healthcare · Matatiele
Matatiele Hospital
A regional hospital serving the rural Matatiele district.
Commercial · South Africa
BCC Centre
A multi-tenant commercial building on a prominent corner.
Commercial · Kenya
BOSIRE Place
Mixed-use development with views of the famous Kisii tea farms.
Commercial · Mpumalanga
Lekwa Office Building
A municipal office balancing civic presence and daily use.
We design meaningfully, build diligently, and leave every place better than we found it.
PICHA Architects · Since 2012
04 — Our Approach
Innovation. Sustainability. Place.
We believe architecture should leave a place better than it found it. Every brief begins with the climate, the culture and the community it will join — then is drawn slowly, patiently, until each detail belongs.
Listen first
A studio that values the brief above the gesture. Clients are co-authors.
Build to last
Honest materials, passive design and detailing that ages with grace.
Local craft
South African makers, artisans and trades carried into every project.
Quiet impact
Buildings that are unassuming on arrival and unforgettable on departure.
05 — Contact
Let’s begin a conversation.
Head Office · Johannesburg
377 Rivonia Boulevard, Sandton
Johannesburg, South Africa 2129
jhb@picha.co.za
Port Elizabeth Studio
1st Floor, Harbourview Building
Oakworth Road, Humerail
Port Elizabeth, South Africa 6001
mail@picha.co.za
George Studio
2nd Floor, Shamrock Office Park
97 York Street, George
South Africa 6529
mail@picha.co.za
General enquiries:
mail@picha.co.za
mail@picha.co.za