Day 6: Build Day 1

Today was the first Build Day, held every Saturday during construction where anyone is invited to come join in and help complete the project. Fellow architecture students joined the Slovo Park Community today in preparing the site for the construction that is to happen during the week. The shortage of cement and the need to allow the strip foundations to cure meant that, the landscape was to be the focus of the day

Part of the team helped clear the site of debris, which will hopefully be ready for the grading and rolling of the site.

Second year students, were able to use their first year knowlege of surveying in practice, by helping to set out levels for paving.

Discussions about the most practical way of laying out the paving, made us realize how important drawings are in this process, and how they should communicate practical implementation. we learnt alot, and with the knowledge , skill and experience of the community members, drawings and details were readjusted, to produce a better outcome.

The day ended off with the delivery of the steel sections, from Maristeel and other steel components, with which, Shaiks, the official welder of the project will make the shading devices for the community centre.

It was a short productive day that layed the groundwork, for the following week,where alot has to happen in a short period of time. Next weeks Build Day will be a busy one, needing many hands,and creative minds.

Day 2: On site.

The most amazing day!
I arrived on site expecting to see the same weary faces we always meet but I was met by a hive of activity with a large group of mostly Mozambican woman raking, digging and cleaning site. In there beautifully coloured skirts and wrap dresses they were solidly working the ground, while a group of mean stood in the shade and debated a good many things with regards to how things are built...

The men then sprung to work and began to dig the foundation trenches to the west and north of the existing structure which they had marked out using string and red dust on the earth. Shakes our resident welder organised a generator and welded the flat bar supports onto the existing frame.


I left with the committee member to obtain sponsorship which is easier when you have documentation and a car. (people just opened gates for me where the day before the community had been stopped)

We managed some help from the bread factory who were willing to give bread for the people working on site as well as financial aid from other businesses.



We returned to site to see the first trench complete and a beautifully cleared area for paving.
We then went to try and obtain some juice sponsorship but ended up with grass instead.



By the time I left it had been an eye opening day of understanding misunderstanding and relating to the process.

Day 1:Construction Begins

I arrived early in the morning to meet with the man from Afrimix, Tony would will be donating readymix concrete for our slab and to check on the progress of the removal of toilets and clearing of excrement using a honey-sucker organised by the community.

Tony seemed happy with the direction in which we are going and our plans for the casting of the slab .The toilets were not "destroyed completely" but I nevertheless dropped off letters and a rough construction programme with the community.

I then drove to meet Graham who has been kind enough to donate his time is welding together the steel panels for shading around the edges of the community centre. we discussed the details, gussets and time frames for delivery and agreed on a delivery date of Friday morning for the first panels.

I then returned to site to find no one and the toilets still not cleared. At this post I felt the most despondent with regards to community participation but waited for the community to discuss a day to day program. After which I was introduced to members of the community business forum who have offered us the use of three trucks, there staff and have a site where we can collect bricks.

Day 4:Site Works and Sponsorship

The morning was spent acquiring materials from Kliptown from a benevolent hardware store owner who was kind enough to give us 5 cubes of pre-mix as well as all his broken bags of cement to cast a foundation.





Using a truck from the community we transported the cement and stored it in Mapara's tavern.

For the rest of the day we continued to clean the rubbish from the site and try to level a platform beneath the postboxes well as flattening the soil above the toilets.




We had detailed discussions about how to cast the foundations and whether or not we needed brick piers in the northern wall. We came to the conclusion that we needed an engineer legally.

After a long day we went to see a flushing toilet and paving detail in one of the houses while we waited for some bricks to be delivered by a friendly helpful class mate.

We sat and watched the sunset with our backs to the southern post box and experienced the dusk activities around the postboxes. The atmosphere was definitely 'chilled', with one lady sells boerewors from a cooler box in the street while small children play in the dirt and the young guys survey the streets for pretty girls.

The view to Nancefield is bustling with people returning home from work.

Day 3:Destruction of Toilets

We arrived on site early to deliver drawings hoping to dispel any miscommunication. After showing a clearer image of the future plan we had more interest and what seems like more understanding.


After we left the community organised themselves in breaking down the surrounding structure of two pit latrines as well as transporting gravel to site.




They organised for a 'honey-sucker' to empty the pit latrine and then proceeded to fill the holes with soil and gravel. We had thought about using the contents of the pit latrine to fertilize the new trees to be planted but were concerned about the "relaxer" content of the waste, as there is a hairdresser across from the toilets.

Community Presentation

This last Sunday was the first official presentation of the the intended design scheme. We met the community early on a windy morning.

 This proved to be quite difficult to set up our presentation, but we managed to arrange a sheet to protect the presentation area. This actually helped concrete our ideas for the need of a weather barrier to the North edge.

 At the first the presentation wasn't received as well as we expected, but then the community leader stepped in, translated and we started to see the reaction we were hoping for. 

In all the community gathered there were very enthusiastic, with several loud voices that offered services from carpentry to cooking meals for volunteers. In summary a very successful day, that brought much hope for the success of the project.

Community members signing up their skills for the project.

Strategic Meeting

 
Today we met with the community leaders and community forums, to discuss what needs to be done and organized within the community and with University, so that the first phase of site work can take place on Monday.

Details about what to present to the community at the public meeting were finalised. Plans of the proposed intervention were discussed, and sourcing of necessary skilled labour,power tools and outstanding material was delegated.

Sunday's meeting will be the first active start to the construction process, where everyone can get involved!

Slovo Site Works

During a meeting with the community members involved in the future build we began discussing the issue around moving the post boxes on site.

We started to talk about how some sort of tractor or truck could move the boxes as they were designed to moved with the with the inclusion of a tow hitch and sleds underneath.

We pointed out that maybe it would be a digger loader like the one working across the road...

Participation of the University Of Pretoria

Approached by the community a long term research group involving honours and masters students in the Department of Architecture, at the University is hoped to establish and develop a a two to three year interaction process, where ideas and design proposals, may be researched and suggested to the community as possible ways forward.