email: mission accomplished?

Hi Tom--

Nadeem and I just had a great meeting with Shamiel Jacobs and Denzel Fortuin, the registered architect with whom Shamiel has worked for many years. I brought a full set of drawings and some of the images of the building, all of which Denzel now has taken with him to go over more closely so that he can make the necessary adjustments (particularly in the foundation and structural framing drawings) before he submits them for approval with the municipality. Essentially, Denzel is ready to jump in as architect of record by overseeing the process of submitting the drawings for approval and getting any departures we may need. He seemed like a great guy, soft spoken but friendly and obviously experienced, and I feel extremely positive about he and Nadeem working together in the pre-tender process.

Shamiel also made it to the meeting, and while he won't be very involved until after the approval phase, he certainly had input toward some of the issues Denzel brought up while looking through the drawings and again was able to give us a good sense of what it will take to get the building started.

In terms of a timeline then, both stressed the fact that timing is highly dependent upon the municipality. Very generally speaking, they will take about a month to approve a new building/set of drawings, regardless of size, if there are no departures. If there are certain departures necessary ( i.e. building out to the lot line on all sides) we're looking at something closer to two months. Shamiel still holds that the building should take about three months in construction--barring any major holdups--and so the building could in theory be completed by the end of the year. Given that obstacles inevitably pop up, March still sounds like a good goal.

In terms of design issues, Denzel was most curious about the use of the one container. He wants to make sure that it (and the other instances of corrugated metal) are being used in a way that progresses concepts about where and how people live in the townships, rather than simply corroborating existing shack/container culture. We assured him that with an edible roof garden, new use of the corrugation's pattern in creating openings, and well-painted murals, it will.

Overall it was a productive meeting, and particularly satisfying for me as it now feels like we have completed another stage of the building, and capable hands will be taking it into the next. I will forward you the drawing set shortly, and updated images and brochure will be soon to follow (Denzel was quite interested in the images as a strong selling point to the municipality, hopefully enticing them to pass approval more quickly). I won't be able to update the 3d model until I am back in Cambridge with the right software, but I can definitely photoshop a bit this afternoon and tomorrow.

Cheers
--Ashley

whales for company

Monday night, I have to admit, I was a bit depressed with no Stephanie. No anyone left at the b&b. I even started feeling a little homesick, like I had overstayed my own time.

Today I can’t even imagine how I’m going to leave South Africa and return to not-so-real real life.

Today was probably my last visit to Khayelitsha, mostly taking place at Makatiso’s house for the tri-weekly Monkeybiz market day. I walked around our site and realized that (even though the only physical change we’ve seen on it is that someone recently stole the side door of the existing building) our project has come a long way in the eight weeks since I’ve been here. In the midst of finishing what looks to be the final drawing set for a consultant/contractor meeting on Friday, I see how important it was for us as a group and each individually to allow life here to soak in and affect our entire strategy. I’ll come back and articulate this better when I’m less tired.

I do know that returning to Khayelitsha after our ‘holiday week,’ I have a greater appreciation for its physical and cultural setting within this vast country. Joburg, Cape Aghalus (southern-most point of Africa), Aquila Game Reserve (safari), Stellenbosch (wine country), Cape of Good Hope, Fish Hoek caves behind our house…every place we traveled we were met with an incredible landscape, but moreover a completely different perspective and total way of life. A shabeen in Soweto with laid-back tour guides was more fun than a few bars with a jaded American in Melville; we’re still foreigners and we can still be giddy with other tourists when we see the two oceans meet (wait til you see Steph’s pictures); looking at animals was twenty times better because of how much our ranger loves her job and its location, but it still didn’t compare to sitting in the new Constitutional Court built with the remnants of a former political prison; Stellenbosch really could make you forget that anything else exists outside that little oasis of gorgeous country and beautiful young people; Cape Point reminds you that most tourists really don’t get to see much else outside these lovely bubbles; and—in contrast to all the understanding we’ve gained about the long struggle for equality of opportunity shared by the vast majority of the country—a dinner in Fish Hoek fully opened my eyes to the sudden difficulty, almost terror, people have had with forever losing their old way of life…even if that way of life was dependent on suppressing the basic human rights of other people. As a 21-year-old born and raised in Fish Hoek said, the townships simply didn’t exist in our world.

After breakfast today, before the rest of us headed to Khayelitsha, Barbara asked me as she got out of the car at the clinic if my time here has been a life-changing experience. I’m not sure exactly what I said in response, but I know the end answer was, yes. And I am looking forward to soaking up every last minute, even if and especially when watching the whales play off our shoreline from my desk.