The Ikhaya Le Langa Design-Build project partnered eleven masters students from Carleton University with the not-for-profit organization Ikhaya Le Langa, located in Cape Town’s first black township, Langa. The team began with a week of design charrettes based on a substantial material donation including four pre-assembled shipping containers, prefabricated wooden sales booths, and untreated lumber, received from the Young President’s Organization. The process developed a scheme consisting of bleacher seating, a shipping container education complex, and a pergola. 

The pergola was selected for construction by the students, due to the comparative ease of assembly and opportunity for immediate community impact. I was appointed as the head of the operation, responsible for finalizing and supervising the design and construction of the pergola. In order to maximize the wood donation and minimize labour, the pergola bays are defined by the 2.5m and 1.25m lengths of donated lumber. Upon finalizing the design, the team spent three days cutting and sealing the wood, assembling the bays, and erecting the 30m long pergola. The efficient design of the pergola enables it to be used as a framework which can accommodate a multitude of programs, including market stalls and a covered seating area for the existing café at Ikhaya Le Langa.

Location: Cape Town, South Africa

Client: Ikhaya Le Langa

Program: Pergola

Date: 2019

Credits: Nahla Aldhobaib, Gabrielle Argent, Nic Coetzer, Joey Doherty, Andrea Forero, Kevin Leung, Justin Lewis, Laurence Massicotte, Kareem Mitchell, Shannon Kitley, Dana Rathwell, David Woodruff