On the outskirts of Cape Town, South
Africa, in the chaotic context of
the Khayelitsha district where the
expansion of informal settlements
runs unchecked, Mokena Makeka
has designed a civic centre that is
distinguished by its high quality in
the conviction that architecture is
a human right for all and a tool for
helping to improve people’s lives.
This
pilot project is part of a programme
run by the Thusong Civic Centre, which
offers support and information to
communities throughout the country.
It was also the right occasion for
Makeka Designs Laboratory to debunk
a common cliché: that the poorer rundown
suburbs get little investment and
bad quality. Makeka, whose mission
is to help redesign the post-apartheid
landscape, was born in South Africa
but grew up between New York and
the South African enclave of Lesotho,
where his father was a United Nations
ambassador. Since there are no maps
of the area, he observed the shape of
the desolate and fragmented urban
fabric from an aeroplane, proposing
to use some of the existing models in
the design of the building. The result
is simple and sustainable architecture
that aims to give a sense of permanence
in a region where everything appears
transitory and fragile. It seeks
to respond to environmental and
behavioural stimuli, while meeting
residents’ social and educational needs
with sports grounds, offices, exhibition
spaces and an urban public park. Elena Sommariva
Architecture is a human right
On the chaotic outskirts of Cape Town, the civic centre designed by Mokena Makeka is distinguished by its high quality.
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- Elena Sommariva
- 21 August 2009
- Cape Town