Kate Otten is known for being an architect of place. Her buildings are born out of the South African context, weaving together materials, skills, politics, light, and landscape to create places that feed and nurture the human spirit. Kate believes that buildings have an emotional presence – ‘fulfilling the emotional and spiritual needs of the users is as important as creating a functional space.’

Graduating from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, Kate worked for a year before setting up her own practice in 1989. Kate Otten Architects has subsequently developed into a singular practice with a varied body of work, including important public buildings and places of memory. The work has a powerful local resonance, seeking to bring a contemporary African sensibility and phenomenological approach to the architectural landscape in South Africa – often acting as an important counterweight to the dominant aspirational ‘western’ aesthetic. Kate’s work has been widely published and has won numerous awards both locally and internationally. She is passionate about the promoting the contribution of women to the profession.