Hahaha! This is definately going to be me for the next 3 weeks till portfolio.

Alexandra Heritage Centre

The Interpretation Centre celebrates Nelson Mandela in the township that was his first home in Johannesburg, when he moved to the city from the Eastern Cape in the 1940s. In the heart of Alexandra, settlement established as early as 1912 and currently one of the poorest urban areas in the country, the one room house and yard are diagonally across the street from Peter Rich’s new design on Hofmeyer Street and 7th Avenue.

The new Interpretation Centre is a mixed utilized 3 floor structure, conceived as bridge spanning over the animated and loud streets of Alexandra. The program contains an exhibition space to tell the story of the place, a jazz archive for the rich musical history born here, a library, training facilities, shops and restaurants. Through the design the building also generates two urban squares, places to be surmounted to the resident's liking, envisioned for both organized events like movie projections and the informality of street life. On a sunny day you might find someone acquiring a haircut or having a birthday party, or both, in the same place.

A major part in the construction of this project was played by the relationship predicated on respect with the immediate surrounding and people of Alexandra. The centre is taking over elements from the context through the collage like qualities of the facade, the juxtapositions of spaces and playful, labyrinth-like circulation. In parallel, an immensely colossal component of the budget is fixated on the impact on residents through training and skills development initiatives, building up a heritage team and overall retail opportunities. The Alexandra Interpretation Centre is a platform for Alexandra's people to take on new opportunities while cherishing its culture.

This design is extraordinary!! It is one of my inspirations for our current design project.

It looks like we have about 6 weeks until portfolio!! On the other hand, the quicker it comes, the better fo me because i get to home :-) I'm lookin forward to he drive through the transkei, through kzn and into swaziland, it's a tiring but beautiful drive. I sure miss my sister!! I cant wait to get home, but i can wait a little longer for portfolio, so torn!

I miss my cat Mya! She's very naughty but very lovable, i cant wait to see her.

The Red Location Museum Part 3

This is the square at the Red Location Museum, where one would meet the children from the location playing around. This can also be viewed as an elegant entrance portico and the lowered timber pergolas create an inviting space where the children can play, and the adults can come together. This project received an award of excellence from the South African Institute Of Architects.

Red Location Museum Part 2

This is one of the faces i captured at the Red Location Museum, unforgettable, puts a smile on my face. On the outside of the museum, Jo Noero designed a 'square', the museum has no boundarys as well. This invites the children from the location to play around the area, its a wonderful sight.