Architecture That
Speaks Through Silence
Exceptional architecture is defined not by what it includes, but by what it has the discipline to leave out.
Operating across South Africa, West Africa, Southern Africa, the UK, and select global regions, TBAD brings a philosophy of quiet luxury to every commission. Our work spans residential estates, boutique hospitality, and commercial developments.
We are not interested in trends. We are interested in permanence — in buildings that improve with age, in spaces that honour the people who inhabit them and the landscapes that surround them.
Theo Arewa-Bothma
Founder & Principal Architect
Pr.Arch | M.Arch (Prof) UFS
Theo Arewa-Bothma is the founder and principal architect of Theo Bothma Architects and Design (TBAD), an internationally recognised luxury architecture firm operating across Africa and the United Kingdom.
His design philosophy is rooted in restraint, proportion, and material intelligence — often described as "quiet luxury." Each project is approached with rigorous spatial planning, climate responsiveness, and long-term architectural relevance in mind.
Under his leadership, TBAD has become synonymous with contemporary African architecture, sustainable design integration, and structured project execution for discerning private clients and developers.
Years in practice
Projects delivered
Countries
Publications
Not a Brochure. A Biography.
TBAD does not design Africa from a European desk, and does not design Europe from a Johannesburg spreadsheet. The studio's authority comes from genuinely having lived, studied, built, and maintained relationships in both worlds.
South Africa
1990 — presentBorn, educated, and professionally registered in South Africa. A thirty-year reading of how the country actually builds — from Gauteng suburbs to Cape coastal estates, from SPLUMA procedure to NHBRC oversight.
Nigeria & West Africa
Project experienceExtended family roots in Nigeria inform how we approach climate, materiality, and cultural hospitality across West Africa. We design for the realities of Lagos, Abuja, and Accra — not a sanitised version of them.
United Kingdom
Studio & clienteleA London office and active UK portfolio anchor our European practice. Conservation area policy, listed-building consent, and the English expectation of quiet restraint are all part of our daily fluency.
Continental Europe
Material & design networksRegular travel to Italian stone workshops, German hardware factories, and Scandinavian lighting studios. Our specification sheet is sourced by hand, not by catalogue.