Every designer needs one

Meet Winston!

This little fella keeps me company during the late nights of working on my B.Tech project. He snores like an organ which makes it a tad easier to stay awake. 

'Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read' - Groucho Marx

Giving books a second chance

Keri Muller gives old books a second chance by recycling them into beautiful works of art. Keri says: 'Using pieces that have already been used, I feel like it almost absorbs people's history and their life'. Through her designs, she hopes to inspire people to recycle forgotten items. She has certainly provided me with inspiration for my B.Tech project! I especially love her artwork 'Africa Reinvented'. (Image below)

Paper by design, a video from Green Renaissance, gives insight into her design process and thoughts behind her intriguing creations. Also have a look at Keri's blog simple intrigue

Earth Day 2013

Today is Earth Day! :)

Billions of people around the world are taking action in their communities to lower their carbon footprint.

Did you know that large amounts of hazardous materials, such as lead and mercury, filter into our air and water because of electronic waste (e-waste)? Electronic waste is the result of disposing old electronics, such as computers and cellphones, in an irresponsible manner. This dangerous practice polutes communities world-wide.

I have pledged to recycle all my old electronics in a safe and responsible manner. You can do the same by following this link: http://act.earthday.org/

What are you doing for Earth Day?

Protect your lunch!

Ever heard of anti-theft lunch bags? These zipper bags have green splotches printed on both sides of the bag so that your perfectly good sandwich appears to be moldy. Not only are these bags reusable, they are also recyclable.

Clever design I'd say!

Recycled hope

Okay, my design process goes something like this...I devote myself to an idea, I struggle on it and then I make it happen. So, I devoted myself to the idea of container spaces and I'm currently on the struggling bit which calls for some inspiration!

Four Design and Architecture (4d+a) created an inspiring place that orphans and vulnerable children call home. The new Jerusalem Children's Home, in Midrand, have shown their commitment to green technologies and sustainability by using recycled materials for construction as well as solar energy for lighting and water heating.

 The orphanage is constructed from 28 recycled shipping containers in 12 meter and 6 meter lengths.These shipping containers are arranged in the shape of a cross in a variety of configurations, such as a cantilevered container on the Western facade. 

The container at the entrance has been turned on its side to create the appearance of a tower. Future plans include the placement of a rainwater tank on top of this container to gather water for domestic use. 

The container dwelling is surprisingly spacious and homely. 

The balustrades, with flower-designs, are by Martine Margolis and create an aesthetically exciting environment. This space is also carpeted with pre-used office carpets. 

  

One of the containers leads out to the patio and garden area giving the orphanage a true homely feel. 

The New Jerusalem Children's Home also have rooftop- and vertical gardens that provide thermal mass to the container dwelling which reduces the need for additional cooling and heating. 

This green orphanage encourages its residents to take care of their environment, to feel free to dream their own dreams and also make them feel valuable. These are qualities I most definitely want my B.Tech project to inherit!

The inside story

Here are a few photos of the Lilian Ngoyi Community Sport Centre, also known as the Kwazakhele Community Sport Centre, from the inside.

The area of the Sport Centre is greater than the advised area of 800m² - 1200m² and for this reason I'm only using the multi-purpose sport hall that is approximately between 1200m² - 1300m².

This double volume space has concrete floors 

and brick walls with exposed steel trusses. 

A tiled passage way next to the 

indoor sport field that is used 

as storage space.

Concrete steps with timber slats 

serve as seating for spectators.

The ramp and the stairs that lead up to the 

multi-purpose sport hall.

Artificial lighting is used during day-time as the 

natural light that enters the building is not sufficient.  

The open-plan nature and the double volume of this space provide endless design opportunities! :)

Fixing is a way of thinking

At the recent Design Indaba, I became more and more aware of the creative and social values of design.

The story of Daniel Charny, co-founder of Fixperts, left my design-heart full of inspiration. Fixperts is a social platform for designers and creatives to connect, share and learn. It also introduces them to people with day-to-day problems.

Up to now, many individuals, universities, organisations and corporate companies have participated in creating FixFilms and have uploaded these films to fixperts.org for others to watch and share.

This FixFilm is one of my favourites. It's the story of Edna, the FixPartner, who can't put her socks on in the morning.  Dan and Sophie, the FixPerts, set out to help her. Watch the video here...

Meet the new building

The new building that I will be using for my reuse proposal is the Lilian Ngoyi Community Sport Centre. This Sport Centre is situated in the Kwazakhele township of Port Elizabeth and provides facilities - indoor and outdoor - for soccer, netball, hockey, rugby, gym, squash, karate, judo and gymnastics. These facilities are used by the Kwazakhele township community.

                       The front facade of the Lillian Ngoyi Community Sport Centre.

 Boys from the Kwazakhele community supporting their friends at an indoor soccer match.

A turn of events

My B.Tech tale takes a sudden and unforeseen turn…a new building!

The previous building was too small to house the reuse function to support my design proposal and there was no opportunity for a mezzanine level. At the time I was working on my design development, together with space planning, I realized that I needed a building with double volume to give life to my design ideas…

May this new building open up new doors for my design!