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PROJECT

The central concept of the design is having the youth centre feel like a village. View on arrival at the centre, where the Harpephyllum caffrum is a sturdy landmark
Celtis africana defines the edge of the amphitheatre.

HOPE – THE NEX

HOPE Cape Town is a registered non-profit organisation that aims to raise the quality
of life of people and communities. Emphasis is placed on children, adolescents and

their families in situations of poverty, HIV/AIDS and related illnesses. The proposal
for the project was to establish a multi-purpose facility (The Nex), which would
provide the Delft community—particularly women and children—a safe space for
gathering, support and social cohesion in an area with otherwise high rates of

negative social behaviour.

Brief and design objective community, while the series of outdoor
The Nex is an educational hub that teaches PROJECT TEAM rooms provide spaces for gathering and
and nurtures, while simultaneously Client: VPPU (Violence Protection lingering in the centre of the site. The
offering access to services, resources and through Urban Upgrade) meandering, central spine/street was
assistance, giving community members Architects: Charlotte Chamberlain created to protect the hub from prevailing
the opportunity to have their needs met & Nicola Irving Architects (CCNIA) winds and to enhance the feeling of a
without travelling far distances. Landscape Architect: Tarna Klitzner cluster of buildings, as in a village.
Landscape Architect (TKLA)
TKLA’s approach to this project was to Landscape Contractor: Enviromend Site vegetation and planting
reinforce the sense of safe space that The site, a remnant dune which has become
The Nex provides by creating outdoor disconnected from the larger landscape
hubs of gathering and refuge that feel system, has had its ecological function
both protected and celebrated within Site issues and role of landscape greatly disturbed. Similarly, the area has been
the configuration of the buildings. These architect pervaded by alien grasses and vegetation
landscape “rooms” are structured around a Given the role of The Nex as a safe space threatening what is left of the endemic Cape
central movement spine, a predominantly for children, it was important to design Flats dune strandveld on the site.
hard landscaped area, with consideration it so that it offered protection from the
given to the site’s level changes to enable street, without entirely turning its back on Given the endangered listing of this
opportunities for sitting and gathering in a the public. It was recognised early in the vegetation type, TKLA was careful to select a
variety of spaces, for both individuals and project’s concept phase that this would plant palette which made use of indigenous
larger groups. need to be resolved through a collaborative and endemic species to improve the site’s
process with the client, architect and biodiversity and ensure the success of
Greening and softening of The Nex with landscape architect. the landscape’s growth in what is a very
indigenous and endemic vegetation were difficult planting environment. TKLA says
an important part of the brief, providing the This process ensured that the landscape that the firm developed an applicable plant
Delft community with a green oasis in what architectural vision developed with as knowledge through a variety of Cape Flats
is an otherwise dry and dusty environment much priority as the internal spaces, and projects, and they were confident that the
on the Cape Flats. the result adds much greenery to the Delft species chosen were well suited to the area.

8 Landscape SA • Issue 119 2022