Design Indaba 10x10 Low Cost Housing Project

6 families in, 4 to come...

2009-07-10T10:00:00.011+02:00

The Pillay family - proud new owners of a home!

Everyone on the balcony of the Pillay's new house and yes, they have a sea view! From the balcony you can actually see Muizenberg's cove, all along to Fishhoek it seems...

A warm winter afternoon on site in Freedom Park

Mike and the architect are here to sign 2 more families into their homes - handing over keys etc.

Stunning colours. Vibrant and optimistic - just like this project initiative!

Finishing touches on the paint work. The yellow wall of joy... The red door of opportunity...

The row of 10 colourful houses are not only filling a big empty space in the Freedom Park neighbourhood, but also in the lives of the beneficiaries. All the families will have moved into their new homes by next week!

Progress at Freedom Park

2009-07-01T11:06:00.001+02:00

The final houses at Freedom Park will be ready for handover early next week! Very exciting...
Here's a view of the rear elevations of our street of houses:

Balconies, which had to be dropped from the original design due to cost considerations, have been donated by MMA architects - these really add great value!

Beneficiaries Mary Lackey (L) and Moerida Pillay watch as finishing touches are put on their new homes, which they helped to build with their own hands.

(Photos: Rosemary Lombard)

Insert aired on Cape Town TV - 18 May 2009

2009-05-25T12:43:00.000+02:00

The 10x10 housing project from Design Indaba on Vimeo.

The award-winning Design Indaba 10x10 Low-Cost Housing Project has gifted 10 homes to families in Freedom Park, a township near Cape Town, with the aim of exploring innovative low-cost housing solutions. Of the 10 architectural teams handpicked from South Africa and international alumni of previous Design Indaba conferences, the solution by Luyanda Mpahlwa of MMA Architects was implemented first in this pro bono challenge. The houses are constructed out of sandbags using the eco-beam timber frame system, utilising sustainable design, construction and operation principles in answer to the need for affordable and innovative housing for the urban poor.

10x10 Housing selected to participate in International Biennale Rotterdam 2009 - Squat City

2009-04-23T15:04:00.005+02:00

We were invited to enter the 2009 Rotterdam Architecture Biennale's Squat City competition, and we have now been selected to participate! The following are the competition's criteria as outlined in the call for contribution:

The projects submitted for the Squat City Competition should contribute the agenda of the 'Open City' by proposing inventive design strategies and techniques pertaining to informal urban development.

The call goes out to projects from the fields of architecture and urban design that are based on or that support bottom-up practices and that encourage the self-empowerment of local actors, and that help formalize and legalize such developments.

They qualify by being:
- economically sustainable, e.g. by creating jobs and supporting
social business.
- ecologically and energetically sustainable, e.g. by reducing
waste. or energy and material consumption.
- socially sustainable, e.g. by creating education facilities and
enabling communities to become self-reliant.

All these criteria are congruent with the aims of the Design Indaba 10x10 Low Cost Housing Project, so Squat City is an exciting opportunity to interact with other like-minded initiatives. Watch this space for notification of our online mini-documentary that will be going up at http://www.urbaninform.net.

10x10 House featured on treehugger.com's Best of Green: Design + Architecture list

2009-04-08T17:37:00.014+02:00

Luyanda Mpahlwa's 10x10 design is featured as Best Third-World Design on treehugger.com's annual Best of Green: Design + Architecture list. Check us out here.

The Design Indaba 10x10 Low Cost Housing project featured a year ago on Treehugger, too. You'll find the first post here.

Photo: Rosemary Lombard

Design Indaba 10x10 Housing included in Green Design book

2009-04-02T13:31:00.009+02:00

The Design Indaba 10x10 Low Cost Housing Project is included in Dezeen editor-in-chief Marcus Fairs' new book, Green Design! Buy a copy online at Dezeenbooks.

Here's the blurb from the publishers, Carlton Books:

From vast architectural projects to modest one-off pieces of salvaged furniture, "Green Design" shows how the design world is responding to the environmental challenges of the twenty-first century. Emerging trends in green design are covered, such as recycling and ethical sourcing. Also considered is the parallel issue of social sustainability, where the welfare of factory workers is given equal importance to environmental issues, and the idea of Cradle to Cradle enterprises, where a product can be reused over several product histories or unending 'loops'. By showcasing existing green innovations as well as visionary projects that will be built in the coming years, including the world's first zero-carbon city, "Green Design" paints a future where technology and ethics merge.

About the Author
Lecturer, entrepreneur, curator and award-winning journalist Marcus Fairs, formerly founding editor of icon magazine, is editor of online design magazine Dezeen. He has appeared on BBC TV, notably in his documentary about Philippe Starck (2003) and Home (2006). In autumn 2007 Marcus devised and curated the Trash Luxe exhibition of recycled design at Liberty's London. He lives in London, England.

Dezeen are giving away ten copies of Green Design. To stand a chance to win one, go HERE. The competition closes on 8 April 2009.

10x10 in Design Museum Exhibition

2009-03-18T11:14:00.020+02:00

The Brit Insurance Designs of the Year (BIDOY) exhibition is currently on at London's Design Museum. It features the 10x10 Low-Cost Housing project among an array of other shortlisted designs in a range of categories. Here's more about the exhibition from the catalogue, which I received in the mail today:

"The Design Museum and its sponsors are very pleased to present Brit Insurance Designs of the Year, an international exhibition and award that is now in its second year. The exhibition sets out to give an overview of the significant achievements in design and architecture over the last twelve months, where our audience will have the opportunity to experience these feats hands on as well as through this catalogue.

Last year, the winning projects were a testament to the inspiring diversity that design as a whole represents and the shortlist this year is no less impressive... Across the categories, there is this year a sense of climates in flux, be it cultural, political, economic or environmental, where the design output expresses this through both subtle and more explicit processes and applications. But despite the current financial down turn that is all too real, the design stories in this exhibition and award demonstrate that there is still a great sense of optimism as well as the power of using design processes as a tool to drive ideas forward - whether they are for commercial or more experimental purposes."

Here's 10x10 Housing's page in the exhibition catalogue (please click on the image to see a larger version):

If you're in London, be sure to get to the Design Museum, Shad Thames, London SE1 2YD before 14 June 2009 to catch this fascinatingly diverse exhibition.

Progress at Freedom Park

2009-03-12T13:54:00.009+02:00

Here's a snap I took today of the Jonkers kids with their friends in the backyard of their Design Indaba 10x10 house, designed purposefully to give them a safe space to play. They no longer have to hang out in the street! This is an example of how adding the element of design, generally missing from the context of social housing, makes a tangible difference in people's lives.

Today the game they were all playing was that they were in a band - you can see the "drumsticks" held by the little guy in the white vest. He had an empty plastic paint can clamped between his knees, and was beating out a skillful rhythm while others clapped and sang. Of course, as soon as my camera came out, they dropped what they were doing to strike a pose - then crowded round me to see themselves! I told them that people on the other side of the world would also be able to see them in this picture, but I'm not sure if they really knew what I meant, having never had access to the internet.

The house on the left that has been lagging behind due to non-delivery of materials from the supplier of the Ecobeams frames is slowly catching up with the others:

The row of single and semi-detached houses is starting to look like a real street!

More bags have been packed to build the columns for the pergolas:

Wonderful, vibrant colours - paint sponsored by Plascon:

Schalk van der Walt of Tech Homes and Chinedum Emeruem of MMA Architects discuss a detail on the plan:

(Photos: Rosemary Lombard)

The Jonkers family in their new home

2009-03-07T09:37:00.002+02:00

Hans and Olga Jonkers with four of their six children at home in their Design Indaba 10x10 house.
(Photo: Rosemary Lombard)

Guests of Design Indaba visit Freedom Park, 28 February 2009

2009-03-05T00:04:00.002+02:00

On the Saturday following this year's Design Indaba conference, we took interested speakers and other guests out to Freedom Park to have a look at how our 10x10 Housing Project was progressing. Some went out to site a year ago, when the frames for the first house were being packed with sandbags, and it was wonderful to be able to show them how the finished product looks. Many of the visitors took photographs, and some have promised to send them on to us, so watch this space for photos of 10x10 by some of the world's top designers!

Walkabout on site.

Design Indaba founder Ravi Naidoo and architect Luyanda Mpahlwa address the visitors.

Caroline Prisse photographing the Design Indaba 10x10 houses.

Kids pose for photos.

Nobumichi Tosa meets Olga Jonkers and her kids in their home.
(Photos: Rosemary Lombard)

Design Indaba 10x10 Housing design wins another award!

2009-03-04T13:56:00.006+02:00

At the 2009 South African Elle Decoration Design Award ceremony on Sunday evening, Luyanda Mpahlwa's design for a low-cost, environmentally sustainable home - commissioned by the Design Indaba 10x10 Low Cost Housing Project - won the Architecture category of the competition.

This is the latest in a string of accolades that the design has garnered. Last year in September, Luyanda's firm, MMA Architects, was honoured with the international Curry Stone Design Prize, which recognises the potential of this housing design to improve access to dignified living spaces for the less affluent.

The Design Indaba 10x10 Low Cost Housing Project was also shortlisted for the Brit Insurance Designs of the Year award, and is currently being exhibited at the Design Museum in London:

Design Museum exhibit (Photo: Luke Hayes)

A comment from the exhibition website:
"This is an outstandingly appropriate piece of design. It is changing lives not just in providing shelter, but building community and family pride for people who have had a rough time of it to date. Would that more designs were as thoughtful and well-executed. "

Comment made on March 3rd, 2009 at 9:59 am by lynda relph-knight.

A reaction to Luyanda Mpahlwa's presentation at Design Indaba 2009

2009-03-02T15:48:00.008+02:00

The following comment and sketch are reproduced here by kind permission of their author, Masha du Toit, and were originally published on her blog.

What I enjoy about The Design Indaba above all is its buzz, all that positive energy. Mostly this is caused simply by people speaking on subjects they are passionate about. And sometimes you hear about projects which really make a positive difference in the world. Architect Luyanda Mpahlwa spoke to us about his participation in the Design Indaba 10 x 10 low cost housing project. This is an attempt to alleviate our housing crisis by encouraging innovation in constructing low cost housing.

In 2008, Design Indaba invited architects to design ten low cost houses on ten sites in partnership with ten international architects, for ten families.

Luyanda Mpahlwa's firm, MMA architects, were asked to create a house for the Jonkers family in Freedom Park, Mitchell's Plain. Luyanda showed us some images of squatter camps in Caracas, Venezuela, which are shocking even by South African standards:

He reminded us of the fundamental problem facing us: that our cities must accommodate more people than they were designed for. And by "accommodate", Luyanda means more than people simply fitting in or surviving. Children need spaces to play in. People need gardens and
privacy. In designing this house, Luyanda Mpahlwa was striving to create more than a unit for living in. He was creating a dignified house.

To achieve this, Luyanda's team used an old method of building that has been in use all over the world - that of using sand bags in a timber frame. Sand is packed into bags, which are in turn stacked inside a timber frame. The frame is covered with wire mesh, and then plastered over. This technique has a number of advantages. It does not require skilled labour, and unemployed women from the surrounding community could help build the house. Sand is plentiful and easy to gather. The resulting structure is solid and well insulated against heat and cold.

Luyanda and his team succeeded not only in designing and building this house, but in having all their techniques officially approved by the relevant authorities. The house was slightly over budget, having cost R74 230 to build so far, funded by Design Indaba.

Here is an image of the first completed house:

What I appreciated was the architect's consideration for the needs of the house's occupants. A double story house like this meant that there was space for a private area for the children to play in, for a garden.

Luyanda Mpahlwa won the Curry Stone Design Prize for this project. This is an initiative of the University of Kentucky College of Design, to recognise design that improves the lives of people and the state of the world. In an ironic twist, Luyanda could not attend the prize giving ceremony as he was refused a visa to enter America. Why? Because he had spent 5 years on Robben Island under our previous regime.

Like many other speakers at the Indaba, Luyanda Mpahlwa reminded us of the potential and power of working collaboratively.

"Assemble good people," was his advice, as well as:
"If you believe, give it time, passion and curiosity."

500 trees for Freedom Park

2009-02-19T12:38:00.018+02:00

As part of the carbon offset for Design Indaba 2007, we purchased 500 trees for the whole community of Freedom Park from Food and Trees for Africa (FTFA). The trees are to be planted there over the next few days!

FTFA is an NGO that promotes greening and food security, espousing the view that “a house is not a home without a tree”, and aims to improve the quality of life of the poor by providing plant material, environmental awareness and education for those living in low-cost housing developments. Growing trees and other plants in the townships brightens the environment, prevents soil erosion, and provides wind breaks, as well as food, income and activities for many unemployed people. FTFA spreads awareness about the importance of greening, and trains volunteers to become community-based educators on greening the environment themselves. They share their knowledge with neighbours, and soon the entire community is involved in the business of gardening.

FTFA programme manager, Joanne Rolt, and community forester, Lucky Xaba, have been responsible for organising roll-out. Lucky has been holding workshops with 12 members of the Freedom Park community, training them in planting and caring for trees - knowledge that they in turn will pass on to their neighbours. The trees will be delivered from Tulbagh Nursery tomorrow, and planting will happen this weekend. We're very excited that the barren, sandy landscape is about to be transformed!

The following indigenous species, all suitable for the climate and soil conditions in the area, and notable for their hardiness and capacity to provide shade, will be planted at Freedom Park:

60 x Ilex mitis (African Holly/Without)

60 x Harpephyllum caffrum (Wild Plum)

15 x Podacarpus falcatus (Outeniqua Yellowwood)

60 x Sideroxylon inerme (White Milkwood)

60 x Ficus natalensis (Natal Fig)

20 x Rapanea melanphloeos (Cape Beech/Boekenhout)

80 x Trichilia dregeana (Cape Mahogany/Rooi Essenhout)

50 x Rhus pendulina/Searsia pendulina (White Karee)

60 x Combretum erythrophyllum (River Bushwillow)

15 x Ekebergia capensis (Cape Ash)

Progress at Freedom Park

2009-02-19T00:44:00.008+02:00

A view down the street today. Roofs are being put on the houses as well as the first primer coat of paint... Exciting stuff!

The house that is furthest from completion, due to frustrating issues with the supply of the necessary Ecobeams, is now almost at roof height.

Builder Schalk van der Walt of Tech Homes discusses progress with the team.

During our weekly project team meetings on site with (L-R) quantity surveyor Brian Mahachi (BTKM), structural engineer Grant Fredericks (AKI) and MMA's site supervisor, Westley van Wyk, we evaluate how construction is going and iron out any issues that may arise.

(Photos: Rosemary Lombard)

Progress at Freedom Park

2009-02-18T16:09:00.003+02:00

(Photos: MMA Architects)

Freedom Park Project Team

2009-02-16T14:56:00.021+02:00

(L-R) Chinedum Emeruem (MMA), Grant Fredericks (AKI), Westley van Wyk (MMA) and Schalk van der Walt (Tech Homes) during our weekly site meetings regarding progress.

The houses being built by Design Indaba at Freedom Park would not be possible without the generous pro bono involvement of the following suppliers:

MMA Architects:
Luyanda Mpahlwa, Westley van Wyk and Chinedum Emeruem

AKI Structural Engineers:
Henry Herring and Grant Fredericks

BTKM Quantity Surveyors:
Brian Mahachi and Earnest Zitha

Bowman Gilfillan Attorneys:
Nadisha Singh

Arup:
Mike Edmonds

Materials sponsored by PG Bison/Pennypinchers:
Johan Spies and Etienne du Preez

Interactive Africa Project management & funding of labour component:

Rosemary Lombard & Mike Purdham

The Design Indaba 10x10 Low-Cost Housing Project is grateful for their continued support.

Acknowledgment is also due to Schalk van der Walt, of construction company Tech Homes, who was awarded the contract to manage construction on site, and Ecobeam, the suppliers of the wooden frames and bags we have been using.

Progress at Freedom Park

2009-02-13T20:23:00.002+02:00

(Photos: Westley van Wyk)

The history of Freedom Park before 10x10

2009-02-11T14:03:00.010+02:00

Freedom Park is one of about 200 informal settlements in the Cape Metropolitan Area which house approximately half a million people in more than 100 000 dwellings. This accounts for 16.1% of Cape Town´s population or 60% of the households living without formal shelter.

The site is situated in the township Mitchell’s Plain on the outskirts of the City of Cape Town. Mitchell’s Plain is a typical example of an area that was created in the 1970s to relocate thousands of families from the inner city to racially segregated areas under the Apartheid Group Areas Act. Today Mitchell´s Plain accommodates more than 300 000 people, but it remains a desolate area with high levels of unemployment, poverty and crime. Download a more detailed overview of the area here.

Freedom Park came into existence on 27th April 1998, when a group of people organised an occupation of the land and built themselves shacks on the property. The move was motivated by the need for housing as the conditions in which people had resided were overcrowded, expensive and unsatisfactory for healthy living.

The City of Cape Town took legal action against the community to have them removed from the property. But as the community organized themselves in a democratic structure and arranged legal support, an agreement between the City of Cape Town and the Freedom Park community was reached to resolve the matter out of court. During the ensuing mediation process, the City of Cape Town was required to install emergency services which consisted of pubic standpipes, communal toilets and weekly refuse removal.

In 2003 the City of Cape Town at last included the Freedom Park community in a broader housing development through which 1800 houses were to be built on 4 sites in the Mitchell´s Plain area. 493 of these houses were to be built at the Freedom Park site to accommodate the 280 families residing in the Freedom Park informal settlement, as well as 213 families from the City´s waiting list.

Freedom Park in 2007

In 2007 Design Indaba 10x10 Low Cost Housing Project signed a Memorandum of Agreement to locate the houses to be designed by our participating architects at Freedom Park, after liaising with the Freedom Park Development Association (the civic organisation formed to look after the interests of residents in the area), together with Development Action Group (an NGO specialising in support and implementation of community-centred development) and the Niall Mellon Township Trust (an Irish-owned property development charity organisation working in the area). We were allocated 10 adjacent plots on which the Design Indaba 10x10 houses would be built.

Plots allocated to the Design Indaba 10x10 Low Cost Housing Project

The houses were to be given free by Design Indaba to ten Freedom Park families. it was important to identify who those families were to be in an equitable way. We explained the experimental nature of the project to the community and invited all residents willing and eligible in terms of the City's waiting list for housing to participate in a lucky draw, audited by KPMG. On a cold, wintry Cape morning in mid-June 2007, ten beneficiary names were drawn by members of our team, the Freedom Park community and partners.

The winners of the houses were:
George Jochems
Rebecca Monyatsi
Hans Jonkers
Elizabeth Krigga
Moerida Pillay
Joseph Willoughby
Gavin Arendse
Mary Lackay
Mushrah Anthony
Vida Poovan

Workshopping was done with the beneficiary families to introduce the project and its objectives, and to ascertain their personal wants and needs in terms of design. Reference videos of each family with these details were sent to the architectural teams as part of the brief. Watch the videos here.

Beneficiaries have been involved hands-on in every stage of the building process. The project has provided local people, mostly women, with employment as well as experience in working with a sustainable building system.

The following are some pictures of people from our beneficiary families outside the homes they were staying in before their involvement in the Design Indaba 10x10 Low Cost Housing project.

The Anthony family

The Arendse family

The Jochems family

The Jonkers family (beneficiaries of the first house)

The Krigga family

The Lackey family

The Monyatsi family

The Pillay family

The Poovan family

The Willoughby family

(Photos: Yasser Booley)

Progress at Freedom Park

2009-02-06T09:23:00.005+02:00

(Photos: Rosemary Lombard)

Luyanda Mpahlwa on MMA's design process for their Design Indaba 10x10 low-cost house

2009-01-22T09:59:00.001+02:00

This text was originally submitted by Luyanda Mpahlwa to the Mail & Guardian in March 2008.
Architect Luyanda Mpahlwa writes about the process of creating and realising new housing solutions for the Design Indaba 10x10 Low-Cost Housing Project in Mitchell’s Plain, a development launched at Design Indaba 2008 in Cape Town.
Luyanda Mpahlwa admires the first completed MMA 10x10 house; the second is under construction behind him.
(Photo: Wieland Gleich -Archigraphy)
The brief
Last year the Design Indaba invited architects to design ten low cost houses on ten sites in partnership with ten international architects, for ten families. Our firm, MMA Architects, were paired with British architect Will Alsop and after a process of consultation and selection we were allocated a family in Freedom Park on Mitchell’s Plain. The Jonkers family stands to benefit from our design and in preparation we were issued by Design Indaba with a DVD documentary of the family. In it their profiles and wishes were conveyed. Due to differing design approaches however, the collaboration with Will Alsop had to be terminated.

The initiative is part of the development of Freedom Park by Niall Mellon Developers with 490 Units to be built. The brief for each Architect has been to design a house within the limits of the Government subsidy which allows a R50 000 allocation per household for a 40m2 house.

At MMA we set ourselves the objective of attempting to find a design solution that could make a contribution to the broader national debate on housing delivery. In our view Architects and Urban Planners in South Africa have not been involved in the roll-out of housing delivery as independent professionals. As a matter of fact, housing delivery although driven by Government, is largely being delivered by Developers. It is therefore fair to say that the non-involvement of Architects and Urban planning professionals in the housing delivery process has been to the detriment of this process, and has led to the neglect of urban quality of life. We feel that the Professional bodies involved in the built environment need to find creative ways to unlock the lack of involvement in this critical field of delivery in South Africa.

It was therefore important for MMA, in responding to the 10x10 Housing Project, to find solutions which also seek to address some of the challenges facing the country in the housing sector. These involve providing designs which offer dignified housing and quality of life in Freedom Park. We wish to address the quality of the low-cost house in general, while exploring possibility of sustainable and appropriate design.

There is obviously a need to achieve solutions that could increase the speed of housing delivery in general that would include innovative and alternative building methods.

Obviously this approach has gone beyond 10x10, and so we have broadened the scope of the brief. It became very clear early in the design process that the collaboration with Will Alsop was not going to achieve the desired results. The broader social considerations, and the response to the aspirations of providing a house for a “real family” which had specific needs, were not shared by the British Architects. Unfortunately, then, MMA pursued the design on its own. In the exploration and research which followed, at our Cape Town office we put together a team of four including principal architect Luyanda Mpahlwa, Uli Mpahlwa, Sushma Patel and Kirsty Ronné to workshop the design parameters. Ronné, the young Architect and designer was then allocated to drive the design process forward.
The row of 10x10 houses in Freedom Park, an artist's impression.
(Image: MMA Architects)
The process
Our main challenge has been to reduce the costs of the 10x10 house. We recognise that conventional building methods and materials are not going to achieve results and so alternative, more affordable building methods have been required. This is something very difficult to achieve in south Africa, given the dominance of bricks and mortar as the “accepted” way of building.

And given the fact that the plot sizes (112m2) were predetermined, our team has considered it necessary to maximise the usable area by minimising the building footprint as much as possible. A double storey unit was therefore proposed as the most land-use efficient option for our design. This approach posed further challenges with respect to the 40m2 limitation of the brief.

So a compact design evolved, on a limited footprint but with architecturally pleasing aesthetics. We have intended to create a positive urban quality and street edge layout. The building has been consciously located close to the street edge in order to maximise garden space at the back, and hard-up on the lateral boundary to create an outside garden and play area for the family. This design resulted in the location of the living, kitchen/dining and wet areas in the ground floor area which had a positive interface with the external spaces and garden.

The sleeping quarters are accommodated in the upper floor, allowing for some privacy and separation of potentially conflicting functions and uses. The main bedroom is located on the street edge, and has an external terrace which will provide relief from the tight internal spaces.

The children’s sleeping area is located toward the garden, providing four sleeping opportunities on double bunk beds. This design has resulted in a 54m2 house, which exceeds the 40m2 limitation. It is however a great achievement that despite the extra 14m2 provided, the costs of the house remained within the accepted cost limits.

One of the key considerations for the design, was that this would be a starter home, which could be developed as the family is able to afford it. The external upper terrace is the first opportunity for the extension to be realised. And on the ground floor, the house is positioned to allow for growth towards the back garden and yet still allow adequate space, including play space for the children within the safety of a private garden.
Sandbags packed inside the frame
(Photo: Wieland Gleich - Archigraphy)
The materials
The main considerations for a cost effective solution was to reduce the cost of building materials; reduce the building time and consider involvement of the community in the building process. After MMA research, and consultations with a structural Engineer, Henry Herring (Axis/AKi Engineers) and a Quantity Surveyor, Brian Mahachi (BTKM) the Ecobeam system was found to be the appropriate response for the MMA objectives for the 10x10 house. This structural system, developed by Eco-Build Technologies in Cape Town, consists of a timber structural frame combined with a sand-bag construction as in-fill for the walls of the building. The timber beams have metal inlays to provide tensile strength and thus improving the structural integrity of the system.
The sand bags provide excellent thermal mass qualities for passive thermal control. One of the many qualities of this type of building technology is that the “Ecobeam System” exhibits tremendous thermal stability, tapping into the indigenous building techniques that made the traditional buildings thermally sound and comfortable to live in.
Anybody who has lived in a mud and wattle rondavel, or old stone houses will know this effect. The occupants will be kept cool in summer and warm in winter.
The system also has excellent sound absorbing properties which help to provide a measure of privacy in close quarter living. The “Ecobeam System” with sand bag infill is much heavier than brick construction and is therefore wind resistant. The “Ecobeam System” resists water penetration due to the fact that the sand in the bags is a filter medium – any water penetrating the plaster will simply “filter” down to the damp-course and exit the wall to the outside.
This unique system is suited to mass production and will provide excellent job opportunities and skills development for the local community of Freedom Park, it is locally produced, simple to construct and favours unskilled labour especially the women in the community. In terms of cost saving, no bricks lie around the site before, during or after completion, thus eliminating "site-clearing", which is a major cost factor on any building site. The loss of building materials through wastage and theft is also reduced drastically.
The construction is primarily manual, with little or no need for electricity in both the production of the EcoBeams and in the construction process. The sandbags are plastered over in the exterior, and therefore, the only "wet" trade required is the plasterer. The plaster adheres easily to the sandbags and chicken wire that covers the walls. The Ecobags are made wet before the plastering process. The wet bags behind the plaster enable the plasterwork to "cure" instead of merely drying, as it does in standard construction. The end result is a very hard and reinforced cement finish.
In order to reduce costs for the 10x10 house, the interior walls are finished with timber boarding over the sandbags and some segments of the exterior walls are finished with timber boarding and translucent polycarbonate sheeting to maximise natural light penetration. Timber window frames areas and doors are provided by a custom made frame system developed by EcoBeam Technology.
In a nutshell, MMA and the Team were able to produce a 54m2 10x10 house for a maximum cost of R65.000 – R70.000. Although this cost exceeded the R50.000 budget, Design Indaba accepts that there is a factor of economies of scale. This factor was agreed to be approximately 15% since the costing of a 10x10 house was for a single unit. Therefore, when compared with the production of 1000 subsidy houses by developers the economies of scale come into consideration and as such these values should be compared on that basis.

Another benefit for the Jonker family is that the R65.000 house includes EcoBeam frames which are provided for future extensions, and which can be part of the landscaping meanwhile, for plants or creepers to grow up the lattice as shown in the diagrams. It is our view that this kind of thinking needs to factored into the subsidized housing delivery process, thus promoting the concept of starter houses into which the families could grow. MMA is proud to be associated with the 10x10 initiative, and the principal Luyanda Mpahlwa would like to see this as a worthwhile contribution to the national debate on sustainable and dignified housing delivery in South Africa.

**Please Note: Some of the design intentions could not materialise, and we had to cut costs further during construction and some of the initial design intentions had to be excluded, e.g. the future extension frame and the transitional entrance stoep. So some of what I wrote here that time has now changed a bit.**

Luyanda Mpahlwa MMA

DJ Spooky visits 10x10

2008-12-15T17:25:00.006+02:00

"I went and visited a couple of interesting architecture projects outside of Capetown to see how development is going on in post Apartheid South Africa. Design Indaba is hosting a project called 10x10, where 10 architect teams are asked to come up with some interesting visions for the future of sustainable, low environmental impact, low income housing. It's a really interesting project."

- Paul D Miller aka DJ Spooky That Subliminal Kid

Paul D Miller on site with Design Indaba 10x10 Housing project manager Rosemary Lombard.
(Photo: Nadine Botha)

Design Indaba 10x10 Housing shortlisted for Design Museum's Brit Insurance Design Awards 2009

2008-12-12T14:14:00.010+02:00

Brit Insurance Design Awards is the Design Museum's annual exploration of the most innovative, interesting and forward looking designs produced over the last twelve months from around the world and celebrated in seven categories: Architecture, Transport, Graphics, Interactive, Product, Furniture and Fashion.

The 10x10 Housing project initiated and run by Design Indaba has been nominated by Patrick Burgoyne of Creative Review in the architecture category. The Design Museum will feature the project in the Brit Insurance Designs of the Year Exhibition running from 12 February - 14 June 2009 in London.

Download the Design Museum's press release here.

See Patrick Burgoyne's in-depth article for the CR Blog earlier this year here.

Community Leaders at Freedom Park

2008-12-10T14:30:00.004+02:00

Without the tireless assistance of Wayba (communications), Ardiela (administration) and Lee (construction supervisor) of the Freedom Park Development Association, the 10x10 Housing project would not be possible. Their diligent and no-nonsense approach ensures that relationships between the Freedom Park community and Design Indaba remain positive, and that everything runs smoothly on the ground - communicating concerns and needs, keeping the beneficiaries' files in order and brokering consensus.
Wayba, our community liaison officer - she is the chairperson of the Freedom Park Development Association committee.

Wayba and Ardiela of the Freedom Park Housing Support Centre chat to Mike (Design Indaba project manager), December 2008.

Photos: Rosemary Lombard

Construction in Progress - November 2008

2008-11-28T12:59:00.002+02:00

Digging foundations.

Preparing foundations, with a wet course and sandbags with dry cement added.

Foundations laid, ready for frames to be erected.

Mike Purdham (Design Indaba) with Westley van Wyk (MMA).

Schalk van der Walt (TecHomes) with Mike Purdham (Design Indaba).
(Photos: Rosemary Lombard)

Construction in Progress - November 2008

2008-11-28T11:58:00.000+02:00

Construction in Progress - November 2008

2008-11-28T10:11:00.003+02:00

Kids love packing sand bags!

Photos: Rosemary Lombard

The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Housing visits 10x10

2008-11-18T14:14:00.004+02:00

Luyanda Mpahlwa (MMA Architects) welcomes the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Housing to Freedom Park.

Leshni Shah (Interactive Africa/Design Indaba) (left) and Luyanda Mpahlwa (MMA Architects) (2nd from left) discuss the rationale behind the Design Indaba 10x10 Housing Project with the PPC.

Luyanda explains the principles behind MMA's 10x10 design.

The PPC communicates its support for the Design Indaba 10x10 initiative.

The PPC meets the building contractor, Schalk van der Walt of TecHomes (2nd from right).

Photos: Rosemary Lombard

Press Release: Design Indaba 10x10 solution wins $100 000 humanitarian design prize

2008-09-25T14:36:00.002+02:00

MMA Architects’ principals, Luyanda Mpahlwa and Mphethi Morojele, have won the inaugural Curry Stone Design Prize of $100 000 for their ingenious solution to the Design Indaba 10x10 low-cost housing challenge. The annual international prize recognises breakthrough design solutions with the power and potential to improve our lives and the world we live in.

Design Indaba’s 10x10 Housing Project challenged 10 architectural teams, composed of handpicked South Africans paired with international alumni of previous Design Indaba conferences, to provide dynamic design solutions for the low-cost housing sector on a completely pro-bono basis.

The objective was to come up with affordable, attractive, innovative responses to the urgent need for housing the urban poor. Sustainable design, construction and operation principles were to be incorporated.

The first solution to the Design Indaba 10x10 challenge, MMA’s design for a single-family home leveraged a modest budget by borrowing elements from indigenous mud-and-wattle building techniques. The design forgoes traditional brick-and-mortar foundations in favour of a two-storey frame of timber and sandbag infill construction, which is both energy-efficient and requires little to no electricity or skilled labour to construct.

Design Indaba will oversee the completion of 10 such houses in Freedom Park, a township in Greater Cape Town, with volunteer help from local women in the community.

The 10x10 Housing Project, in a nutshell

2008-08-11T16:43:00.005+02:00

Mr & Mrs Jonkers and one of their six children outside their new home.
(Photo: Rosemary Lombard)

Low-cost housing is an issue of huge social relevance globally: over 50% of the world's population now resides in urban areas. The impact of this is particularly visible in the urban sprawl of informal settlements around South Africa's cities. A number of national housing initiatives have been given a high profile by South Africa's Minister of Housing, Lindiwe Sisulu. The Minister has also communicated the government's encouragement to developers, financial institutions and the construction industry to deliver on the visions and goals of the National Housing Policy. However, the non-involvement of architects and urban planning professionals in the housing delivery process has led to the neglect of urban quality of life.

Initiated by Design Indaba, the 10x10 Housing Project’s aim falls in line with the organisation’s fundamental mission to “create a better future, by design”. The overarching aim of this project is to stimulate wider debate and creative engagement around the delivery of sustainable low-cost housing, while simultaneously benefiting some of Cape Town's most impoverished families directly.

Design Indaba challenged 10 architectural teams, composed of handpicked South Africans paired with international alumni of previous Design Indaba conferences, to provide dynamic design solutions for the low cost housing sector on a completely pro bono basis. The objective was to come up with affordable, attractive, innovative responses to the urgent need for housing for the urban poor. Sustainable design, construction and operation principles were to be incorporated.

The first qualifying solution to the Design Indaba 10x10 challenge came from MMA Architects, and 10 of this design are currently being built for families in Freedom Park, a township in Greater Cape Town, with partial sponsorship by PG Bison/Pennypinchers and help from local women in the community. The first Design Indaba 10x10 house nearing completion.
(Photo: Rosemary Lombard)

Experiences and outputs are to be compiled and ultimately presented as open source material, disseminated online and handed to the South African Ministry of Housing. In this way, the 10x10 Project seeks to contribute to the global pool of knowledge available to anybody interested in the design or construction of low-cost housing.

Check out this blog for photos and regular updates on progress.

Olga Jonkers, recipient of the first 10x10 House, discussing the finishing touches to her house with Nadya Glawe, outgoing Design Indaba 10x10 project manager, June 2008.
(Photos: Rosemary Lombard)

Design Indaba 10x10: Ten houses for Freedom Park

2008-02-20T10:04:00.000+02:00

Design Indaba’s 10x10 Housing Project is pleased to announce that building has started on the designated plots in Freedom Park.
Launched at last year’s Design Indaba, the 10x10 Housing Project challenged 10 architectural teams to provide innovative and dynamic design solutions for the low-cost housing sector. Ten of the first solution will be built in this first phase of the project, thanks to sponsorship from PG Bison and Pennypinchers. Future constructions involving the other nine designs are envisioned.

Said Justin Berry, group marketing manager of PG Bison: “As a leader in the South Africa’s building industry, PG Bison is proud to be part of a project that proposes a meaningful solution to the housing problem in South Africa.”

The solution to be implemented is the entry from architect Luyanda Mpahlwa, assisted by Kirsty Ronné. Using an innovative new building system, Ecobeams, which complies with all the rules and regulations of the Cape City Council, fits within budget and fulfils all the requirements with regards to testing and certification of an alternative building system.

"To be part of this project meant a lot in terms of making a significant contribution towards innovative, dignified solutions to the housing situation. I'm looking forward to seeing the final construction," said Mpahlwa.

The design also offers a number of improvements on the standard RDP house. Ecobeams are equal, if not superior, to brick-and-mortar, but cheaper and more eco-friendly. Taking this into account Mpahlwa has increased the size of the house and created a fluid interplay between public and private spaces in and around the house. The house is also built on a framework, making it easy to expand, and involves the whole community in its construction.

The design, and those of the other architects from around the world will be distributed as architectural open source. “All of these designs will bring new materials and concepts to low-cost housing, and will be an absolute boon to poor families across Africa,” said Ravi Naidoo, founder of Design Indaba and director of Interactive Africa.

The participating architectural teams are: Jo Noero (Cape Town) and Cameron Sinclair (San Francisco); Vanessa September (Cape Town) and Lindy Roy (New York); Luyanda Mpahlwa (Cape Town) and Will Alsop (London); Andrew Makin and Janina Masojada (Durban), and Christoph Egret (London); Lesley Carstens and Silvio Rech (Johannesburg), and Thomas Heatherwick (London); Stefan Antoni (Cape Town) and Eva Jiricna (London); Ruben Reddy (Durban) and Mark Dytham (Tokyo); Martin Kruger (Cape Town) and David Adjaye (London); Henning Rasmus (Johannesburg) and Shigeru Ban (Tokyo); and Don Albert (Cape Town) and Tom Dixon (London).