INHABITAT INTERVIEW: Award-Winning Architect Guy Ailion

Guy Ailion is one of <a href="http://inhabitat.com/studiomas-sustainable-village/">South Africa's</a> brightest young architects. The winner of SA's 2010 National Architectural Student of the Year award for his M.A.Thesis <em> Everywhere is Here: Architecture and a Developing Information Society</em>, his design is informed by a dual fascination with moving images and the <a href="http://inhabitat.com/plantagon/"> urban environment.</a> Not only is he revolutionizing the way South Africans think about space and light and living - but all gushing aside - he is also helping to move the country in a more environmentally-progressive direction. We asked him a few questions about his fascinating cinematic renderings and about the challenges that are currently facing South African designers.

This is a classic example of Guy's simple "self-dialogue"

This is Guy's signature style... quirky but somehow accessible

Another signature sketch

Guy trained with Silvio Rech and Lesley Carstens in South Africa. This classy and low-impact eco-boutique is an example of their signature style. Using local craftsmen is key to their work.

Guy is a multi-talented guy who believes that interiors should be designed in sync with nature.

This design for a culturally-inclusive public information space won Guy the SA 2010 National Architectural Student of the Year award.

Guy believes that on the other side of the digital divide, culture, not hardware, keeps people from being able to plug in to the free information exchange available in the developed world.