“Hans Heyerdahl Hallen”: A Talk by Errol Haarhoff

Wednesday 4 February 2026, 12.00 noon-1.00 p.m., in 421-619, 26 Symonds St. 

Errol Haarhoff’s new book, Hans Heyerdahl Hallen: Nordic Influences on Modern Architecture in South Africa (2025), co-authored with Kathi Holt and Walter Peters, has been published as part of the Bloomsbury Studies in Modern Architecture series. This series brings to light the work of modern architects whose significance is being reappraised in contemporary scholarship. It seeks to nuance and enrich our understanding of the modern movement and explore the breadth and complexity of the global networks that underwrote it.

The book explores the life and work of South African architect Hans Heyerdahl Hallen (1930–2022). Born in Durban with Norwegian cultural roots, his work (1959-1987) derives a distinctiveness from the way in which Hallen incorporated mid-20th century phenomenological thinking with the cultural, social and climatic contexts of South Africa. Following extensive travels in Europe in the 1950s, he worked for the London County Council on their Roehampton housing project, just a year after Sir Miles Warren also worked there, and studied at the AA. In London he encountered the emerging New Brutalist movement, and key protagonists such as the Smithsons and James Stirling. Holt, Haarhoff and Peters argue that Hallen’s work easily matches the design ingenuity of modern architects around the world. It is a body of creative work that in the broadest sense is a meaningful concordance of architecture and landscape.

For information on the book, see here.   

Errol Haarhoff is Emeritus Professor of Architecture at the University of Auckland. He took up his appointment as Professor of Architecture in 1993. He served two terms as Head of School (1993-98; 2003-06), along with other roles such as Associate Dean Research in the Faculty of Creative Arts and Industries. Errol retired from his full-time role in 2020.