Noero Architects was founded by Jo Noero in Johannesburg in 1984; the practice now has offices in Cape Town and Port Elizabeth as well. Noero was one of the first architects to work in the South African townships during apartheid. He believes that architecture needs to express the needs and aspirations of the ever woman and man in special but sometimes ordinary ways. Noero Architects has been awarded the Lubetkin Prize from RIBA, the Erskine Prize from Sweden, as well as the gold medal for architecture from the South African Institute of Architects. Noero was director of the School of Architecture and Planning at the University of Cape Town from 2000 to 2005.
