On Wednesday December 5th the AIT ArchitekturSalon Cologne open an exhibition devoted to the Guga Children`s Theatre construction project in Langa, South Africa.
Established in the late 1990s the Guga S’Thebe cultural centre in the Langa township by Cape Town provides facilities and courses for adults and children alike and in addition to meeting rooms and a theatre/concert venue also houses rehearsal rooms and craft workshops.
While over the years the work and scope of the centre has grown, the space available hasn't, for all the space for the growing number of local children using the centre. To this end the AIT Architektursalon together with the Cape Town architect Carin Smuts and students from the RWTH Aachen, PBSA Düsseldorf, Georgia Tech Atlanta and UCT Kapstadt initiated a construction project to extend and update the facility.
Funded by donations from the STO-Stiftung, numerous commercial partners and the proceeds of a 2012 sale of 120 chairs "re-configured" by international architects including Hadi Teherani, Jan Kleihues and Matteo Thun, the Guga Children's Theatre extension has been conceived as "self-build" project, not least with the aim of ensuring that the construction realised is one that the end-users actually want and can identify with.
The first construction phase was undertaken in the summer of 2013 and in addition to locals a group of students from the participating colleges spent three months in South Africa assisting with the construction and leading workshops to help the local workers develop and expand their skills, for all in context of using local, sustainable materials in construction projects. A second construction phase is planned to begin in February 2014 and the project is included in the reference list for Cape Town's 2014 tenure as World Design Capital.
From December 6th until December 12th 2013 the AIT Architektursalon Cologne will present an exhibition detailing the background to and current state of the project.
For the vernissage on Wednesday December 5th students who participated in the first construction phase will present their accounts of and thoughts on the project. South African food and music will provide the necessary atmosphere.
Full details can be found at: http://koeln.ait-architektursalon.de
