A new range of baskets is being produced in Mqatsheni, a rural village in the Drakensberg.

Expertly handmade by Zulu crafters, and guided in design and development by product designer Josef Greeff, the Mountain Fever basketry project forms part of KwaZulu-Natal’s One Village One Product initiative.

Josef is an old hand at lending help to crafters and has, under the auspices of German enterprise GIZ, also assisted in neighbouring countries like Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia and Namibia. This, his latest project, involves 25 crafters – young and old, men and women, some disabled – who get to experience skills upgrading and design guidance from Josef in an effort to push basketry to the next level.

Made from ukhasi, a special fine grass harvested in the mountains, the baskets are coloured in traditional pots on open fires using dye specially imported from Germany. Some are also spray-painted with a food-safe paint. The clay disks in the centre of each basket, inspired by a Zulu earplug, are handmade by the Nala family of KwaZulu-Natal, world-renowned for their ceramics.

With all this crafty business going down in KZN, Mountain Fever is sure to spread quickly – a bit like wild fire.

From R800, available through Khulile Mavundla, 082 712 8702
greeffdesign@mweb.co.za

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For his solution, architect Friedrich Strey used shipping containers to create a cosy chalet fit for a ski resort. He has also eliminated problems caused by a container’s awkward dimensions by developing an alternative unit called Modul8.

Container concept

To create a comfortable living unit at a new ski resort in the northern Drakensberg, choosing three shipping containers was the logical choice as they are snow- and rainproof. Most modcons were fitted before the journey and the containers proved easy to transport up the mountain. However, the downside is that size restrictions don’t leave much room for creativity. The team therefore chose to view the interior layout in the light of a yacht’s design rather than that of a traditional home. As a result, four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a galley-style kitchen, a spacious lounge and dining area, and even an entrance hall with doors on both sides to keep the extreme cold at bay, were incorporated. A second storey was created by welding brackets to the outside of the containers and bolting on planks to which cladding could be fixed. This enhanced the visual appeal, creating the look of a cosy ski chalet. The horizontal hardwood cladding doubles up as burglar proofing over tilt-and-turn windows, allowing the chalet to convert into a lock-up-and-go unit.

To eliminate the downside and enhance the positive side of containers, Friedrich also invented a modular prefabricated unit called Modul8 that, although generously proportioned, can either be transported by truck or disassembled to fit inside a shipping container. It can then be stacked together on site (much like Lego blocks). Modul8 is versatile: you can start with one unit and add onto it when you need more space; it is mobile: when you tire of your location you can simply disassemble it and move to your next destination; it is flexible: units can be stacked on top of each other to form a multi-storey block, or positioned beside one another to form a school or community centre; every unit can be altered to suit individual tastes; it saves time: the entire process of assembling and moving in will take no longer than three months.

Company profile

Strey Architects, under the leadership of Friedrich Strey, is committed to ensuring that each new project is completely unique. This is achieved by listening to the client’s needs and desires, and by custom designing for each individual site and budget while continually incorporating innovative design principles.

Strey Architects, 0861 782 724, info@streyarchitects.co.za, streyarchitects.co.za

See more VISI articles about container architecture here.

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Lees in Afrikaans.

Lisa Johnston takes her camera and notepad and goes for a ramble down the artistic and scenic Midlands Meander.

KwaZulu-Natal’s Midlands Meander has come a long way since it’s inception in 1985. What started with seven artists wanting to showcase their work and a map printed on brown paper, has skyrocketed into one of the country’s most popular tourism destinations.

Running from Pietermaritzburg in the east and the uKhahlamba Drakensberg mountain range in the west, the once sleepy route still retains its pastoral charm but now boasts 210 official members from shops to artist’s studios, restaurants, accommodation and whole lot more in between. All of which makes a ramble through the farmlands a far more pleasing option on the path between Johanneburg and Durban than the regular slog along the N3.

For more information about the Midlands Meander visit www.midlandsmeander.co.za.

Contacts

Piggly Wiggly Country Village www.pigglywiggly.co.za, info@pigglywiggly.co.za, +27 33 234 2911

Café Bloom +27 33 266 6118

Country Courtyard +27 33 266 6359

Things We Love thingswelove@bundunet.com, +27 82 929 7667

La Lampara lampara@mweb.co.za, +27 33 234 4225

Zulu Lulu Ceramic Boutique www.zulululutrading.co.za, stuart@zlt.co.za, +27 83 627 3491

The Ugly Duckling www.theuglyduckling.co.za, +27 33 267 7263

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