I was the project manager for the construction of the Langbos Children’s Centre in Langbos, Eastern Cape. This included creating and strategizing content to crowdfund over $170,000, as well as recruiting and managing a team of architects, engineers, specialists, and our local team of builders in the informal settlement of Langbos in the Eastern Cape of South Africa.
Superadobe is a simple building method that uses local soil mixed with a small amount of cement to build dome structures based on simple geometry and engineering principles. Superadobe integrates traditional earth architecture with contemporary global safety requirements and has been endorsed by the United Nations as well as awarded the prestigious Aga Khan Award for Architecture.
Using Superadobe allowed us to recruit and train an all-local team in Langbos to carry out this construction project. As a result, we were able to create jobs and skills training, provide daily nutritious meals to everyone involved, and connect with community members while giving them ownership of the project. Together, 30 Langbos residents came together for over 35,000 paid hours of collaborative work to build this unique structure.
This team of “community builders” included men and women of all ages working together to learn new skills and overcome challenges throughout the project. Aside from a competitive wage and the fulfillment of uplifting their community, they were also provided with health support and professional development, including free trips to the local clinic and workshops on CV writing. Some team members saved up their earnings during the project to purchase their own truck, which allowed them to take on and complete another paid Superadobe project to build an outdoor classroom for a nearby school. Others have also continued to stay involved with Intsikelelo projects— helping us conduct our community research, partaking in our education sponsorships, and continuing to work in various community-focused roles at the Langbos Crèche and Care Centre.
The Langbos Children’s Centre was awarded the South African Institute of Architects (SAIA) Regional Award for Architecture and is currently being considered for the national award. It was also featured as the cover story of Earthworks Magazine, and covered by ArchDaily, Design Indaba, the Daily Beast, Mawazo Africa, the Port Elizabeth Herald, and SOLE DXB.
In 2018, the Langbos Children’s Centre was the subject of the exhibition Art Beyond the Canvas at The Container Yard in downtown Los Angeles.
The Langbos Children’s Centre is a nominee for the ArchDaily 2021 Building of the Year Awards.
Learn more at intsikelelo.org/domes and https://gopro.com/en/za/news/gopro-for-a-cause-and-intsikelelo
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"A remarkable construction project has created a safe house for the community’s children and filled its adults with a renewed sense of purpose and accomplishment" - Earthworks Magazine
"Innovative shelter for Addo kids" - HeraldLIVE Port Elizabeth
"U.S. brothers build African orphanages and change the status quo for aid organizations in the process." - Daily Beast
"Helping vulnerable children through community empowerment" - Mawazo
"Unlike many foreign-founded aid organizations, Intsikelelo provides a platform that empowers local, community-driven initiatives... Everything the organization does begins and ends with the community." - GoPro for a Cause