Stitching and Making Amends

The project rethinks township school typologies and explores the potential of a self-sufficient and sustainable education typology that becomes a didactic reference for sustainable building developments in the township. The project alludes to a reparative system guided by regenerative design.

The redevelopment of Tshepisa Primary School operates at various scales in alignment with Sustainable Development Goals. The urban strategy prioritises the phenomenological experience of pedestrians with wider pavements, inhabitable walls with stormwater planters, and furniture that supports the ontological use of urban space in the township. The architecture of the individual buildings is defined by rectangular forms with fluid landscaping that expresses the softening of an existing harsh environment. Expansive windows and inhabitable walls visually connect the inhabitants with nature because research has shown that connecting children with nature has positive benefits for health and well-being as well as academic achievement. Structurally, the approach to developing an existing school that was built in 1959 means that there are technical considerations regarding the existing structural components of the building. The glulam timber structure becomes appropriate as a lightweight material that reflects warmth and optimism in contrast to a heavy past as well as the reconciliation of humans with nature. The roof sails over the classrooms, protecting the expansive windows from heat gains. It is an active participant in facilitating education and it supports rain harvesting process which becomes an aspect that users of the building are actively aware of as a means of imparting knowledge about the importance of water and ecology. Children get to experience the sensory aspect that is exhibited by the rain chain system. Skylights bring in light from the top and facilitate a connection with the sky because, in a context such as Tembisa, it is important to affirm that the sky is the limit despite the challenges and circumstances that the children find themselves subject to.