Garret is an Architect, urbanist and educator holding a Master of Architecture from Yale University.  He has noteworthy design, built environment policy development, and research experience in East, West and Southern Africa, the US, and has contributed to built projects in South America and East Asia.  He is a registered architect in the US and South Africa.  He has managed design projects for a client base of NGOs and governmental partners, and has coordinated both national and international research efforts for a clientele of UN Habitat, NGOs, government agencies, and universities. 

His past work includes international award-winning design work on health care facilities in Rwanda, the development of the Design and Construction Standards and Guidelines for the Liberia Ministry of Health, guidelines for typical hospital masterplans for the Rwanda Ministry of Health. commissioned research for UN Habitat, and advisory work for the US Green Building Council.

Garret led many of Bantu's projects which integrate design and development strategies, including the Semonkong Hospital and Rural Development Framework in Lesotho, Building the Public City in Johannesburg, the Kenya Affordable Housing Green Building Guidelines, and, currently, the Urban Fabric Initiative informal settlements upgrading projcet in Rwanda. He is the Architecture Programme Director at University of the Witwatersrand, where his research focuses on the social impacts of design and the strategic methods of using architecture and urban design as development tools.