We are placemakers.

In nomadic creation myths, totemic beings wandered the earth in dreamtime, and sang the world into existence.

In their songlines the physical and metaphysical transcend time.

Songline Architects was founded out of Groenewald Preller Architects, originally started in 1990 by the leading female architectural partnership of Trudi Groenewald and Deborah Preller. The firm is currently headed by Cilna de Waal, their long time employee and collaborator on many projects. The humanist and highly pragtmatic ethos of the original firm still resonates in Songline’s sensitive and collaborative design philosophy.

Our diverse portfolio reflects innovative and delightful solutions for the built environment, contextual to its settings.

Ecological integrity is at the heart of our design ethos. We actively look for opportunities to strengthen our spaces’ connection to the natural world. Minimised environmental impact and decreased lifecycle costs enhance long-term resilience.

We deeply appreciate both historic and contemporary architecture, and the way they intersect and inform each other. Our work strives to serve and support community and individual wellbeing, shaped by an immersion of daily rituals and lived experiences.

CILNA DE WAAL

BScArch, BArchHons, MArchProf (UP), PrArch, MBA (UCT)
Cilna completed her Master’s degree in Architecture in 2006 and began her career in Cape Town, where she gained over 18 years’ experience, specialising in both residential and educational projects across the greater Cape Town landscape. She later earned a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business, using this opportunity to explore new development frontiers of the 21st century.
Cilna brings a solution-oriented mindset to developing and delivering relevant, contextual and responsive designs for the built environment. Her sensitive design ethos, combined with a spirited hands-on attitude, enables her to shape meaningful lived spaces.