Uxolo is a new development by TwoFiveFive Architects that offers its residents the opportunity to enjoy brilliantly designed micro-living in the heart of the Cape Town CBD.

Uxolo’s beautiful tapestry-inspired exterior has been drawing admiring glances from design-savvy denizens of the Mother City for some months now. Its clever combination of materials and colours is meticulously executed, making this one of those new builds that feels a bit like a work of street art from the get-go. And inside, it only gets better.

We spent some time with architect Theo Kruger – who, together with André Krige, is TwoFiveFive Architects, the creators of the building – to find out more about the project’s ins and outs. This is the first local development we’ve seen to really make the most of the concept of living in a genuinely small apartment. To put it in perspective, the majority of the apartments in Uxolo are about 24m2 – which, to many South Africans, is an absolutely tiny space.

Theo has been living in the building himself for the last couple of months, and says he will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. It’s not often that architects live in buildings they’ve designed – but when they do, they leave room for even more consideration of detail. “The initial concept was more towards short stays, with some long-term tenants. With Covid-19, that shifted towards a long-term focus,” says Theo. “Personally, I like the mix of long-term and short-term tenants – it encourages people to take ownership of the building, and improves building maintenance.”

Uxolo means “peace” in isiXhosa, and the building is located on Vredenburg Lane – another nod to peace. Walk into any part of it, and your attention will immediately be grabbed by pops of wild colour against neutral flooring and wall finishes. This combination of bold and understated tones seems just right, reflecting the kind of contrast that occurs when you blend the dynamism of inner-city living with the need for domestic tranquillity. Uxolo embodies this duality.

Micro-living probably isn’t everyone’s first choice, but there’s no denying that TwoFiveFive Architects thought of everything here. Entering one of the studios, the impression is that it’s compact, but not cramped. There’s plenty of breathing room, and the flow makes it easy to imagine how this could be someone’s sanctuary. The bathrooms are beautiful and kitted with all the necessary fixtures, which have been perfectly placed for convenience and ease of use.

And then there’s the kitchen: each drawer contains custom-made, laser-cut steel dividers to simplify storage, for example. These burgundy details are by Kink – another of Theo and André’s projects – and were made in Joburg and fitted here by their team. “It’s all part of our range,” says Theo. “All of the kitchens, every single steel piece you’ll find in Uxolo, from the storage drawers to the Murphy bed – we designed and made ourselves.”

There’s also a desk tucked into the cupboard – all you have to do is slide it out and set up your workstation. It’s beyond nifty, and such a pleasant surprise – particularly during a time when work and home life are so intertwined, but domestic spaces haven’t had much of a chance to adapt yet. Finally, there’s the matter of rest, for which the neatly stowed Murphy bed reveals itself. Move into an Uxolo apartment, and the only things you’ll need to bring are a mattress, cooking and eating essentials, your clothes – and a love for considered details.

“I’ve been telling André that the joinery and the Murphy bed, and where your clothes, the kitchen and oven are situated – it all works perfectly,” says Theo. “I was quite surprised…” So were we: Uxolo demonstrates precisely how micro-living spaces should be created, enabling design and functionality to live in a union of peaceful harmony.

Looking for more architectural inspiration? Take a look at the colourful Corner Fox apartments.

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Servicing over 5 000 commuters on a daily basis, the Wallacedene taxi rank is officially South Africa’s first green transport facility.

Unveiled on Monday 25 August 2014, the building is almost entirely self-sufficient. It generates its own electricity via solar panel systems on the roof of the facility, which powers not only the lights, but also the electronic gates and kitchen appliances. With the taxi rank needing water on a constant basis for the washing of their vehicles, the building was also designed with this in mind. Rainwater is harvested and 70% of the water used on site is also recycled via underground filtering systems.

“One of the most exciting features of this facility is the manner in which we are using the rank’s considerable roof area for the harvesting of rainwater,” says City’s Mayoral Committee Member: Transport for Cape Town, Councillor Brett Herron. “The rainwater is stored in an underground tank system with a storage capacity of up to 20 000 litres and is equipped with the necessary infrastructure to pump this water to the washing bays.”

He adds, “The City of Cape Town is extremely proud to be at the forefront of combining intelligent architectural design and technology in our effort to improve service delivery to our residents. The Wallacedene taxi rank sets the benchmark for future public transport facilities in the country, showcasing the City’s commitment to conservation and innovation.”

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Housing in rapidly growing cities remains one of the battlegrounds of our time, not just in South Africa but also across the developing world. With the World Design Capital 2014, renewed focus has been placed on “design that gives a damn.” VISI investigates four innovative African solutions.

1. House of light
Can a decent and safe home be built with the same budget of R50 000 used to construct the minimal structures provided in temporary relocation areas? The Light House, funded by the City of Cape Town and designed by the owner Xoma Ayob, is proof that it is. The participatory process between the two was facilitated by Stephen Lamb and Andrew Lord, who have been long-time advocates for fire- and flood-proofing temporary houses in informal settlements, and creating food security through vertical gardening. Xoma designed the two-storey house according to his own needs, which was then put through a rigorous approval process that included the go-ahead from an architect, structural engineer and the city. This fully compliant design is now offered as an open-source solution for all.
ttel.co.za

2. House of plastic
The Eco Bricking Exchange turns mountains of non-recyclable waste into building material. Making an eco brick is simple: take a 2L soft-drink bottle and stuff it to the brim with compacted non-recyclable waste such as chips packets, fruit trays or wax paper, then screw the lid back on. The bricks are then laid using earth and finished with a lime wash. This system has been used to build houses from Guatemala to Uganda, and the local team, lead by Ian and Ilze Dommisse, plan to construct a pre-school in Walmer township in Port Elizabeth. They’re also inviting individuals and groups to get involved in making the eco bricks.
ecobrickexchange.wix.com/ecobrickexchange

3. House of corn
The results of Nigerian designer Charles Job’s research at the Bern University of Applied Arts and the University of Nigeria, this project sought to develop alternative, affordable materials for the construction of social housing from agricultural waste materials such as corn cobs, rice husks and groundnut shells. The waste is bound using tannin (a natural adhesive extracted from tree bark), with a result similar to reconstituted wood. This means not only a reduced dependency on raw materials such as timber, but also a reduction in the greenhouse gases that would normally be released by burning the waste materials. The project has won numerous international awards.
charlesjob.com

4. House of concrete
Moladi is a system that uses a reusable, recyclable and lightweight plastic formwork mould, which is filled with mortar (a special Moladi aerated concrete without stones), to construct the wall of a house in as little as a day. Each set of Moladi formwork panels can be reused 50 times, making the technology cost-effective due to its repetitive application, and reducing the time, labour and transportation cost of construction significantly. The Moladi system produces durable and permanent structures.
moladi.net

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Filling the public spaces in our cities with art and design is something close to VISI’s heart as it invites us to engage with our surroundings – just like this is a quirky range of sport-inspired sculptures in Green Point.

The works are by husband-and-wife team Teresa Jo and CP Wessels from Artvark, a Kalk Bay-based art gallery and steelwork design company. They were commissioned by the City of Cape Town to celebrate the recently upgraded Green Point Track situated alongside the Green Point stadium.

The work portrays the sport and recreation culture of the area over the years. Drawing their inspiration from past and current events, and guided by landscape architect Darryl Pryce-Lewis, the couple designed and manufactured all ten of the cutout figurative sculptures.

Darryl suggested that the positive and negative panels of the metal be visible on either side of each work and that they are all placed in a single file as he felt it would invite visitors to physically interact with the figures. This friendly approach was also an important facet of the project to Theresa Jo who says that she specifically wanted the cutout figures to be near-life size and not imposing.

Apart from the many symbolic and historic overtures apparent in some of the sculptures, the portrayal of sheer childlike abandon in others make for a body of work that tells the different stories of Green Point and its people. 

www.artvark.org

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Have you been down to City Hall lately? It’s getting spruced up for Open Design Cape Town, a festival from 21 to 31 August that hopes to ignite the enthusiasm for the World Design Capital 2014. We asked the brains and passion behind the festival, Y Tsai from Tsai Design Studio, a couple of questions about the event. He is an architect and product designer, and a committee member of the Cape Town Design Network.

What is Open Design Cape Town?

It is a citywide cross-disciplinary celebration and sharing of design and design-thinking. Cape Town will play host to this festival, an 11-day annual event where design practitioners, managers, media, students, educators and members of the public are encouraged to be open and collaborate to share their design with each other, highlighting the significance of design today.

Who are the people involved?

Open Design Cape Town is initiated by the Cape Town Design Network, sponsored and supported by the City of Cape Town, and in partnership with the Western Cape Furniture Initiative (WCFI) and Cape Craft and Design Institute (CCDI).

What inspired you to initiate Open Design Cape Town?

The team from Cape Town Design Network has been discussing the idea of a design festival for several years. Cape Town’s World Design Capital 2014 status was the catalyst that propelled the idea of Open Design forward as an inclusive platform that aims to galvanise Cape Town’s design community to talk about the value of design. 

What is the future of Open Design Cape Town?

Open Design Cape Town is set to become an annual design festival that raises design awareness and encourages cross-disciplinary collaborations between designers. 

How does it relate to World Design Capital 2014 (WDC2014)?

We are working with the WDC2014 team to create a platform in the City Hall, among other exciting events, to showcase some of the shortlisted WDC14 projects. For next year, we are already building partners to bring a bigger design festival that hopefully will include the other cities of South Africa.

The power of design lies in its ability to turn a negative problem into a positive situation. Open Design is an independent project that looks to create a long-term legacy for Cape Town around this positive potential of design.

How can readers, designers and kids respectively, get involved?

One of the cornerstones of the festival is that it is open to all and, therefore, most of it is free. The Open Design team has been working hard to create a comprehensive programme of events, talks, exhibitions and workshops that speak to different types of audiences.

• For the man off the street, the Design Is For All exhibition talks about the everyday use of design in health, education, mobility, sustainability and communication.
• The school learners and parents can drop by the One-Stop-Design-Shop Expo, where various design schools will showcase the best they can offer.
• Design students can attend Talk100, where they have an opportunity to hear professionals expand on their career insights and industry experiences.
• The professional designers, for example, are invited to join Design Storming, a two day co-design workshop in Khayelitsha, or the Designing Our Democracy seminar, where topics such as housing and service delivery will be discussed with some of the country’s leading thinkers.

Anyone can get involved with Open Design and submit an event, but it is important to have a design component to the offering. It will up to the person submitting the event to host, invite and organise his or her own event. The important thing is to take part and in doing so, creating a truly distinctive design festival for Cape Town.

For more information about Open Design Cape Town, visit opendesignct.com

VISI has gotten involved with Open Design as official media partner and we will be bringing you updates, live reporting and recommended events. So sign up to our daily newsletter, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, add us on Google+ and connect with us on Linkedin to stay in touch!

Did you see how Tsai turned the Moyo at the V&A Waterfront into an urban farm? Watch the video here.

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The striking Human Settlements Contact Centre in Manenberg, home to 80% of the Cape’s famous minstrel troupes, is proof that government buildings can be safe, beautiful, inviting, interactive and green without those typical hostile high fences. 

Driving up Lansdowne Road towards Manenberg one cannot help but notice the large fortress-like building on your left, its walls covered in beautiful murals and stylish graffiti. What makes it even more unconventional is that the vertical walls appear to lean over diagonally while the horizontal roofs slope elegantly upwards.

Imagine then the surprise when you learn that this playful structure actually belongs to the government, who use it as the Human Settlements Contact Centre!

“Unfortunately in the past state buildings were often designed as box-like shapes that sit just like objects on a site, always with high security fences around them,” explains Ashley Hemraj, senior architect at the City of Cape Town, who was the project architect for the building. These high fences create hostile edges that are uninviting to the community that live around them – no wonder these buildings are often the target of vandals who sometimes also burn them down. 

Breaking down the fences

The City of Cape Town followed a completely different approach when designing the Human Settlements Contact Centre. Instead of being enclosed by fences, the walls themselves would create the edges, Ashley explains.

“The Manenberg community face many challenges with drugs, gangsterism and family violence being rife, so the client’s biggest priority was to have a space that felt safe and protected. The challenge was to create this sense of safety while ensuring that the building also interacts with the outside spaces.

“The walls are not really very high – at the highest point it reaches 4 to 6m – but the sloping creates an illusion of them being higher than they actually are,” says Hemraj. However, safety is not only created by closing others out. Isolation also creates vulnerability.

When people on the outside are able to observe those on the inside and vice versa, there is a sense of connection that develops trust. In terms of design, Ashley says that “there is a constant play between open and closed with a blurring between the public and private realms”. For example, the outside walls of the building are “stepped” in order to allow sunlight into the interior spaces through the tall strip windows. This contrasts with the high walls that have no windows at all. In other parts of the building the public is able to see into the private spaces – “this breaks down the sense of one group being more important than the other”.

For the green good

The City also decided to set an example as to how a community building can be made energy and water efficient. The building achieved a four-star rating from the Green Building Council of South Africa as 70% of energy is “free energy” provided by solar panels and a wind turbine on the roof. There are also two internal courtyards that allow extra light into the large building. The first provides a space where staff can enjoy their lunch in the warm sun while feeling safe and protected. The second courtyard is accessible to the public and is situated next to the large green rainwater collection tanks. The idea was to allow the public to see what kind of water saving and treatment systems are used in the building, explains Ashley.

Perhaps the most interesting approach to sustainability was the choice to use sandbags to build the walls. This is a very economical technology and the sand to fill them is readily available in the area. The process of making, filling and packing the sandbags is also very labour intensive, which meant that extra labourers from the community could be employed on the project. These labourers were then trained from scratch and were able to take away a new skill that would help them to find future employment. Ashley stresses how sustainability is not just about saving energy but also about enabling people to sustain themselves through having a job. 

Ownership through art

The people of Manenberg have a rich and creative past: This area is home to 80% of the famous Cape Minstrels and therefore music and creativity form a large part of the culture.

It was decided to use the exterior of the building as a canvas to tell the story of this vibrant community. Artworks were carefully chosen to create murals and graffiti that adorn the walls. This helps to give the community a sense that the building belongs to them. To date there has been no vandalism of these walls, except for the gangs tagging each wall to imply proud ownership. The result is that the building is not only inspiring to the community but also to those who visit from afar. The large striking letters of the mural on the east facade tell us to “believe”. There is hope in a new and positive future.

It is clear that this project has faced many challenges, but these have been sensitively considered and the result is that both the landscape and the community feel connected to the building. “We wanted to show the community that a green building is not just for the commercial sectors but that they can have something special too. Everyone is equal,” says Ashley. 

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