conversation with an architect

Today we met with Carin Smutts, an architect with great experience in community building throughout the area, both during apartheid and since its end. In her Seapoint home and studio (which happens to be almost exactly the dimensions of our site), we dreamed of one day having a workspace overlooking the ocean like hers and we had an excellent discussion regarding the project and its implementation. The following are some notes from that meeting:

COMMUNITY
- Khayelitsha is a younger, faster-moving township with a strong sense of hierarchy within its people and thus a greater motivation for power struggle and fraud. “South Africa is in a bad state at the moment…”
- beware the community ward: while the women may be trustworthy, many community members have a hidden agenda and we are like to end up spending money on what is essentially a bribe.
- rather than buying land, one can obtain a 99-year lease for 1 R/year
- while it is vital to understand what the community members want, it will also inevitably change, so one must always move ahead finding the middle ground for an satisfactory economic project

WORKERS
- we must pay the local workers per square meter **not a set wage** because nothing will get done otherwise
- no cash. set up autobank accounts so that everyone can be paid electronically
- sometimes you must feed the workers and buy their materials before they begin. conditions are better now than they have been in the past, but nonetheless this may be necessary in the beginning of a job. however, this is not custom; the workers should expect to bring their own lunchboxes and buy materials when necessary.
- do not pay up front except what is necessary; no advance loans. payment is received when the job is finished!
- getting emotional results in losing money and does not help us or the community

INVESTMENT
- training people (i.e. as security officers) and encouragement for them to do voluntary service can result in employment
- people are also less likely to vandalize something if they’ve made it themselves
- material collection can directly involve community members: ask what the townspeople want to get rid of, or what they can help you collect (i.e. bottles)
[Guga S’Thebe—CS Studio]
- successful because its sustained by the community, selling to both locals and tourists
- locals were trained during construction in, for example, the metalwork: making tree cages, balastraudes, and handrails out of scrap material
[also see Laingsburg, Zolani]
[Uthango Lotyebiselwano]
- total community participation in its creation, but without sustained use the building was completely torn down piece by piece

BUDGET (*basic rule of architecture: everything will cost at least double what you expect)
- 5,000 R/sq m is the absolute cheapest (our project is about 160 sq m, which would amount to 800,000 R minimum—which is beyond our current budget)
- in order to fit a bare-minimum budget, use containers and plan to do it all yourself
- steel has skyrocketed, so don’t plan on using steel frame structure
- timber is a major fire hazard in a township
- blocks are the safest bet but cement can still be expensive, and CMUs are not as nice as regular bricks. try to use something cheap like maxi-bricks (taller and thinner) and get a place like Corobrick to donate blocks (Bryan Edwards)
- likewise, insulation is sometimes donated, or at least offered at a good price. talk to John McEvoy

DESIGN
- complete the dream design, but work backward from it; when it comes to construction, figure out what is most essential, finish that part, and work forward incrementally as budget allows
- establish a face, an address, an identity, but make it more about a magical space inside the building than making it shout outside
- creating volume is essential (make it as tall as possible) as scale can not only help establish that identity but create a landmark for the community. remember, one “floor” can technically be 4.5 m high
- the box: figure out the minimum satisfactory standards, and start there. put up some cheap trusses in steel or timber to make a basic sheltered space
- leave a “finished product” with each step, allowing for contingencies and hold-ups
- security is the foremost concern
- avoid windows wherever possible; rather, depend on the transparency of the roof to provide light (less likely to be climbed upon and/or broken into) and whirly-birds for ventilation
- incorporate translucent elements to reduce the need for electric lighting
- never skimp on plumbing (cheaper ceramic fixtures always break down)
- start with standards to get the most product/usable space for your money
- incorporate beadwork into the construction and design of the building itself

PROGRAM
- do not open it up to community groups other than MonkeyBiz—allow them to maintain control, always keeping a business sense rather than getting soft
- allowing other groups to enter threatens the survival of the building if it becomes a power struggle
- embrace flexibility of space in front (for example, people can extend the space by clipping on a tent for special events). keep in mind that front façade is only face that can really be “decorated/designed” as other three walls are likely to become shared property—so keep those back walls solid and open the front up with roller shutters
- elements such as water collection tanks could be additionally used to establish identity

CONTAINERS
- providers: Container World, Big Box
- most common insulation is isowall—foam
- extensive documentation will help the bidding process
- make sure foundation is built up and waterproofed

CONTACTS
- town planner Ilias Brink
- Tana Klitzner, landscape architect looking at the larger environment that can be created for people. working in Khayelitsha on the VIPP project to revitalize urban spaces—the “light box” project (Verina?). particularly focused on security issues. moreover, they have a piece of land in Arare that would be free to whoever would like to build on it..
- Sebastiano Peniza, contractor who “knows how to build”
- Bryan Edwards, Corobrick
- John McEvoy, Sajax (? insulation)
- Lovell Freedman, supervisor of artisan Sydney
- Iain Louw, whose phd student constructed “the coolest house ever” out of found materials, including a wall made out of tvs
- Rodney Harbor, formalized plots of land for tradespeople- Helen Liberman and Sipho Powani, Ekamba Lebantu