January 27, 2021
The housing complex, which was designed by Noero Wolff Architects and built with the support of the Swedish International Development Agency, stays close in expression to where the inhabitants come from; the concrete blocks, plaster walls and corrugated steel of township construction are used to connect to the world of the former shack dwellers. As social housing, it not only provides adequate ‘shelter’, it also is ‘time-based’: the houses can be extended or changed. And this fact is as important as the provision of public space with the housing. This allows for social life and small trade. The integration of living and interfaces for economic opportunity is crucial for the development of the poor in the townships.