The architects behind Silindokuhle Preschool in Joe Slovo are among the winners of this year’s AfriSam-SAIA Awards for Sustainable Architecture+Innovation.
French architecture team Collectif Saga designed the early childhood development centre mostly of recycled material.
Simon Galland said winning the award was a wonderful achievement. The team was already conducting similar projects elsewhere in the city.
“It’s great to get a bit of recognition for your work.”
Galland said the project’s primary goals were to stimulate community involvement and to showcase the great potential of reusable materials.
Collectif Saga said the idea was to use easily available waste – pallets, corrugated metal, scrap metal and cardboard – and use them as the basis of the creche’s design.
“The main idea of our practice as architects is to consider the skills of the community we work for.
“First, we think that the future users of the building know how it has to be designed more than anyone else – the staff, children and their parents.” Collectif Saga said.
But Galland said the real winner was principal Patricia Piyani, who started Silindokuhle in 2010 after seeing a need to care for local children.
The team received the award in the Sustainable Social Programmes category in Cape Town on Friday.