About — Hours Clear Architects

Hours Clear Architects is a design-focused company, based in Cape Town, South Africa.

Hours Clear Architects combines extensive experience in the high-end residential and retail market with an unparalleled commitment to understanding the needs of our clients.

Annemie van den Heever
Principal Architect

Annemie has a Master’s degree in Architecture from the University of Pretoria. She has more than 17 years of experience in single and multi-storey residential design.

Annemie has developed the unique skill to conceptualize multi-storey residential developments from project viability assessments through to completion.

She is emerging as one of Cape Town’s leading residential designers, with an idiosyncratic talent for detail, simplicity, and practicality. Annemie brings the knowledge and commitment to redefine concerns around densification for urban areas as opportunities to create beautiful streets and contemporary lifestyles.

Her recent focus has been on single and multi-storey residential design as well as architectural design for the hospitality industry.

Werner Lotz
Principal Architect

Werner has a Master’s degree in Architecture from the University of Pretoria, winning the Concrete Society prize for best design in concrete.

He has more than 17 years of experience in a wide variety of local and international projects, ranging from renovations and community upliftment projects to extensive government projects and urban planning. He is passionate about finding unique design solutions, leveraging each unique site, and connecting people to the natural environment. His design process involves close collaboration between the client and the design team to ensure a uniquely authentic experience and end result.

His recent focus has been on residential design as well as exhibition and visitor experience design ideation for international projects.

Tali Rayner
Architect

Tali graduated with a Masters’s degree in Architecture from the University of Cape Town with distinction, where she was awarded the UCT Class Medal, Corobrik, CIFA & SAIA awards for top student & best M.Arch and postgraduate work. Tali has 10+ years of experience in the built environment; over the years she has gained a diverse experience working on projects at various stages both locally and abroad.

She has a deep appreciation for the simplicity of modernism, the strength of brutalism, and the authenticity of natural materials. Her designs reflect a thoughtful balance between clean lines, robust structures, and a genuine connection to the environment. Her work speaks of a commitment to timeless aesthetics and a belief that architecture should harmonise with the natural world.

Stefania Siniscalchi
Architect and Landscape Designer

Stefania Siniscalchi graduated cum laude with a Master's degree in Sustainable Architecture and Landscape Design from the Politecnico di Milano.

Her interests in architecture range across many scales, from large-scale urban and landscape projects, to small bespoke renovations. Over the past 7 years, she has gained diverse experience across these scales, working on projects both in South Africa and abroad.

While Stefania is passionate about design, she is especially proficient at bringing these designs to life on site, and has accrued much experience in the construction phase of the projects she has been involved in.

Nicola Nolan
Architect and Urban Designer

Nicola has a Master’s degree in Architecture and Urban Design from the Politecnico di Milano.

She is passionate about adaptive reuse and cultivating spontaneity in design, by creating more beautiful, liveable, and socially sustainable architecture.

With a keen eye for colour, texture, and dedication to detail, Nicola enjoys engaging with clients to create spaces that feel personal, yet timeless.

Maya Sarembock
Architect

Maya has a Master’s degree in Architecture from the University of Cape Town, where she was awarded the SACAP prize (best Architecture student for work done over five years).

Her cross-disciplinary passion for design has shaped her approach towards architecture, whereby she sees any intervention as an opportunity to craft a Gesamstkunstwerk or total work of art.

Her design process values functionality while emphasizing immersive spatial experiences.

Herman Viljoen
Architect

Herman has a Master’s degree in Architecture from the University of the Free State.

He is passionate about architectural details and the art of articulation, firmly believing that the significance of architecture lies in the detail.

Inspired by the words of renowned architect Frank Ghery, his design intent seeks to capture both the essence of its time and place while aspiring for timelessness.

Jaun van Wyk
Strategic Partner

Jaun van Wyk is the director of Studio JVW, an Amsterdam-based design studio founded in 2018. He has a Master’s degree in Architecture from the University of the Free State, South Africa.
His design practice includes Architectural Design, Interior Design, Decorating, and Visualisations. The studio embraces an adaptive way of working, refusing to be categorised by a single aesthetic, approach, or design discipline.

Working across global markets, Jaun has created a studio that integrates an agile flow between disciplines, bringing together various influences and interactions. Collaboration of Architects, Interior Designers, Decorators, and Digital Artists is integral in every project, producing work that is honest, purposeful, and truly transformative.

Thinus Venter
Strategic Partner

Thinus is the managing director at Proto and specializes in strategic concept & content design.

After completing his BA in architecture & philosophy, he applied his trade in London where he was afforded the opportunity to be part of development teams for projects globally.

Over the last 20 years, he has been an integral player on teams and projects that have achieved numerous merit awards and projects that have shaped the South African cultural landscape and abroad.

During his tenure as a lecturer, he taught Design & Theory of Design at the postgraduate level. His focus has since shifted to rapid prototyping and pedagogic research. Thinus has been a moderator at several universities in South Africa and is still involved at the University of Cape Town, and SEA (School for Explorative Architecture).