Profile information
Travel information
I am currently
Travelling
My next destination:
Guyana - from Jun 2025 until Jul 2025 View all
Description
Hello! My name is Tarn, I’m South African but lived in London for 15 years, where I trained and worked as an architect. In my routine London life, I cycled daily and enjoyed going to exhibitions, architecture talks / design events, live music, festivals (or a boogey), playing football and hanging out with friends in bars, cafes and parks.
I've had a passion for travel for as long as I can remember and enjoy spending time in nature whenever I get the chance. I'm easy going, social and enjoy exposing myself to diverse cultures and experiences. I’m interested in art, architecture, music and history and enjoy making, being creative and learning new things. I'm particularly interested in vernacular forms construction, natural building materials and sustainability and have undertaken considerable personal research on Ethiopian Rock-hewn Churches.
When travelling, I opt for public transport or hitchhiking wherever possible, love immerse myself in local culture, meeting and staying with people, hearing their stories and understanding the places I visit through their eyes. For me, volunteering is a way to facilitate meaningful exchange and encourage a more holistic understanding, approach and experience to travel.
In June 2023 I left my London-based job (and life) and got a one-way flight to Cairo, Egypt. I've been travelling ever-since. I spent 8 months immersing myself in Islamic culture in the 'Middle East' and hitch-hiking through Arabia before returning to South America. I've been in Brazil for the past 6 months, living and loving every moment, and slowly making my way up to Mexico.
Interests
LGBTQ
Yoga / Wellness
Writing
Sustainability
Politics / Social justice
Performing arts
Photography
Outdoor activities
Nature
Music
Mountain
Languages
Hitchhiking
History
Hiking
Gardening
Fitness
Events & social
Drawing & painting
Dancing
Cycling
Culture
Cooking & food
Charity work
Carpentry
Camping
Books
Beach
Art & design
Architecture
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Afrikaans: Intermediate
Portuguese: Intermediate
Arabic: Beginner
Spanish: Beginner
Persian (Farsi): BeginnerMore details about my language interests
I'm interested in learning / improving my Portuguese and Spanish to enable a deeper cultural exchange while traveling this part of the world.
Skills and knowledge I'd like to share or learn
I'm interested in:
Charity Work
Languages
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Teaching
Helping around the house
Some knowledge of:
Art Projects
Eco Projects
DIY and building projects
Hospitality/Tourism
Babysitting and creative play
Gardening
General Maintenance
More details about your skills
My professional skills relate to the built environment and include architectural drawing, research and design, strong leadership, co-ordination and communication skills. I have led several architecture projects from concept design through to completion, a complex process that involving countless meetings and liaising with various stakeholders (consultants, clients, contractors etc), producing key reports and presentations to navigate planning, heritage and other statutory requirements as well as engaging with manufacturers and suppliers to develop detailed technical design, advocating for sustainable alternatives, and site visits to ensure compliance during construction.
Prior to pursuing a career in architecture, I worked in hospitality (bars and restaurants) including as an Assistant General Manager for a central London pub which required the following transferrable skills; managing some 15 front and back of house staff as well as recruitment, training, weekly staff rotas, daily cashing-up, banking, financial end of week and payroll, weekly food and beverage stocktake, orders and deliveries. During sports events, weekends and the festive period, the role often required dealing with aggressive / intoxicated guests, occasional bar fights, and having to call the Emergency Services. Every day would throw up the unexpected and I was required to think on my feet and take decisive action.
Age
35
What else ...
In addition to architectural practice, I have also undertaken personal research projects, including extensive fieldwork research on rock-hewn churches in northern Ethiopia for seven years, where I documented over forty sites through measured survey, photography and written descriptions. I have presented personal research on several occasions including at international conferences (Ethiopia and Italy) and universities and architecture organisations based in the UK. I’ve published articles in architecture journals and also spent a month as a research fellow for the British Council at the Venice Biennale in 2018.
I'm particularly interested in vernacular forms of construction, natural building materials and sustainability. During my postgraduate education, I participated in a collective self-build project using hempcrete in-situ construction and other natural materials to design and build a small yoga studio in rural Cambridge. The project was awarded the AJ Small Projects 2020, Sustainable Project Award.
Some more information
Smoker
Driver's licence
Allergies
Special dietary requirements
Feedback
As a volunteer he was always very helpful and really helped a lot at the construction. He learned everything very quickly and when i couldn't be there i could totally trust him to do the work, which he always did with a lot of care.
He stayed a few more days and ended helping my father… read more
Photos
Friends
Feedback
As a volunteer he was always very helpful and really helped a lot at the construction. He learned everything very quickly and when i couldn't be there i could totally trust him to do the work, which he always did with a lot of care.
He stayed a few more days and ended helping my father… read more
