iKhaya Trust nabs award

The iKhaya Trust, nestled in the “Long Street of Kayamandi” has recently been acknowledged with an Award of Merit from the Cape Institute for Architecture.

Architects Kr2 were commended for their building’s ability to “transform the daily experience and social development of many people”.

The iKhaya Trust is a school, after-care centre and base for of several other education programmes. After the original building suffered fire damage, the Greater Stellenbosch Development Trust purchased the property – originally a beer hall – and proposed that it be used to house the Trust and an accompanying restaurant.

“The challenge was to bring in a new quality standard in terms of building,” says architect Jan Klinger from Kr2 architects when asked to describe the process of setting up the new home for the iKhaya Trust. “But it couldn’t be too foreign because the people of Kayamandi had to relate to it.”

They certainlly achieved their goal, with the Cape Institute for Architecture further congratulating the final outcome. “The architecture is restrained yet sophisticated. The architects are commended for a job well done and are encouraged to continue to enrich the lives of South Africans in this way.

Kr2 developed the building quickly, using existing structures while adding a few more buildings to the site. Before they started building, “the place was a mess”, notes Jan. Toilets, rubble and general disarray was demolished to make place for the airy, bright and open-plan layout. Now the iKhaya Trust is reminiscent of an “inside street”; paved corridors and steel-framed windows lead to the hall, kitchen, classrooms, office, outside playground and vegetable garden.

Corcoleum, made from wood chips and resin, was used for the classroom floors. This material is a good conductor of heat, staying warm to the touch and thereby making it the perfect flooring solution to keep kiddies snug while playing on the floor.

The school itself also got a make-over, with each classroom being colour coded with painted furniture. Another highlight of the iKhaya Trust building is the set of bicycle-wheel gates that lead from the Trust to the eatery, and to the classrooms on the left wing. The gates were made by a local Khayamandi welder.

“We discussed the ideas with him and gave him the gate frames. Then he went off and sourced the bike parts, coming up with the final product,” Jan says.

Stop by the iKhaya Trust and the neighbouring AmaZink restaurant on your next trip to Stellies. You definitely won’t be disappointed.

For more information: www.kr2.co.za, www.amazink.co.za.