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What I enjoy about The Design Indaba above all is its buzz, all
that positive energy. Mostly this is cause simply by people speaking
on subjects they are passionate about. And sometimes you hear about
projects which really make a positive difference in the world.
Architect Luyanda Mpahlwa spoke to us about his participation in the
Design Indaba 10 x 10 low cost housing project. This is a attempt to alleviate our housing crisis by encouraging innovation in constructing low cost housing.
In 2008, Design Indaba invited architects to design ten low cost
houses on ten sites in partnership with ten international architects,
for ten families.
Luyanda Mpahlwa's firm, MMA architects,
were asked to create a house for the Jonkers family in Freedom Park,
Mitchel's plain. Luyanda showed us some images of squatter camps in
Caraccas, Venezuela, which are shocking even by South African standards:
He reminded
us of the fundamental problem facing us: that our cities must
accommodate more people than they were designed for. And by
"accommodate", Luyanda means more than people simply fitting in or
surviving. Children need spaces to play in . People need gardens and
privacy. In designing this house, Luyanda Mpahlwa was striving to
create more than a unit for living in. He was creating a dignified
house.
To achieve
this, Luyanda's team used an old method of building that has been in
use all over the world - that of using sand bags in a timber frame.
Sand is
packed into plastic bags, which are in turn stacked inside a timber
frame. The frame is covered with wire mesh, and then plastered over.
This technique has a number of advantages. It does not require skilled
labour, and unemployed women from the surrounding community could help
build the house. Sand is plentiful and easy to gather. The
resulting structure is solid and well insulated against heat and cold.
Luyanda and
his team succeeded not only in designing and building this house, but
in having all their techniques officially approved by the relevant
authorities. The house was slightly over budget, having cost R74 230
to build.
Here is an image of the first completed house.
What I
appreciated was the architect's consideration for the needs of the
house's occupants. A double story house like this meant that there was
space for a private area for the children to play in, for a garden.
Luyanda Mpahlwa won the Curry Stone Design Prize
for this project. This is an initiative of the University of Kentucky
College of Design, to recognise design that improves the lives of
people and the state of the world. In an ironic twise, Luyanda could
not attend the prize giving ceremony as he was refused a visa to enter
America. Why? Because he had spent 5 years in Robben Island under our
previous regime.
Like many other speakers at the Indaba, Luyanda Mpahlwa reminded us of the potential and power of working collaboratively.
"Assemble good people" was his advice, as well as:
"If you believe, give it time, passion and curiosity"
