Trend Group

Trend Group has carved out a unique niche for itself as an office interior design and refurbishment specialist, featuring both design-and-build and project management capabilities, covering all aspects of the fit-out process.

Established over a decade ago, and with oces in Johannesburg and Cape Town, Trend Group started out by focusing on project implementation from a development and management perspective, Business Development Director Gavin Dickinson explains. “We ultimately undertake the full refurbishment of commercial, industrial, and retail schemes, overseeing the entire process from start to nish.”

A property developer by trade, Dickinson founded the company in conjunction with Meyer Erlank, the current Project Director. Explaining how the evolution to a design-and-build approach came about, Dickinson highlights that the seeds were planted when being tasked to carry out installations in buildings, and then having to outsource the work, often a frustrating process.

Trend Group was subsequently approached by a number of international rms, due mainly to its impressive development implementation track record. Over a decade later, Trend Group now comprises four co-directors, including Mohamed Okasha and Derek Weimer, each bringing with them a unique skill set and wealth of experience.

Clients vary from those with a vacant oce that needs to designed, built, and tted-out, to clients with an existing design that simply needs to be built, to international clients with their own in-house design teams that require roll-out assistance.

“We full a hybrid role straddling both the design and build ends of the project spectrum,” Dickinson stresses. Trend Group has worked across multiple industries, and undertaken projects for the likes of Google, Citibank, Facebook, Booking.com, Bloomberg,

Uber, Red Bull, Unilever, Porsche, Prudential, King Price, Pinsent Masons, Coca-Cola and BBC, among others.

“It’s really important to understand what the client needs, and to meet that need. We are fastidious about delivery. The biggest element is implementation, and for that we always try to be hands-on, and we take our work personally as we believe track record is everything.”

“Professionalism, competence, integrity and enjoying what we do are the foundations of our success. The way we behave, collaborate and honour our commitments with clients, consultants, suppliers and work colleagues make the dierence.

We continue to strengthen our delivery arm, in collaboration with design rms that wish to align themselves with specialist construction companies with a strong track record. We are also keen to focus more on the redevelopment or refurbishment sector, where Trend Group has extensive experience and where we believe there are massive opportunities to repurpose existing buildings,” Dickinson concludes.

As GLH celebrates 75 years of history, we thank our clients and colleagues for their unwavering support awarding us the SAPSA “Firm of the year - Architecture Class”

From the city landmarks of Ponte Tower, the Market Theatre and The Joburg Theatre in the past to the head offices of Standard Bank, Nedbank, ABSA and the experimental projects such as Vodafone SSIC and Witklipfontein Farm, we consistently strive to produce timeless and innovative architecture. One of our core values is the strive for sustainable design and we pride ourselves on having achieved the first 4, first 5 and first 6 Star green rated buildings as well as the first Net Zero Rated building in SA. The COVID-19 has challenged all our established certainties. At GLH, we believe this pandemic has highlighted the weaknesses of our society and will change the way society and businesses will be run in the future. We see this defining year as a new beginning and an opportunity to lay down new foundations for the next generation of GLH Architects: more inclusive, more agile and more in tune with nature. Xavier Huyberechts, Briget Grosskopff, Louise ‘O Raw, Naina Jivan & Leon Fourie GLH ARCHITECTS To explore the future of sustainable architecture, and to take a look back at our iconic history, visit our website www.glh.co.za