+IMPACT MAGAZINE ISSUE 23

PROJECT
A defining feature of the campus are the
steel and timber shade pergolas, the louvres
of which are angled to provide relief
from direct sunlight.
Sean Gibson
Structural
Innovation
Sustainable, economical
and innovative services:
• Light steel frame buildings
• Smart buildings
• Green building consultancy
• Green energy solutions
• Pre-engineered buildings
All the dorms are north-south facing, and in
the dorms where the entrance door may face
south, skylights scoop in the northern sunlight.
The school hosts environmental programmes
for about 3 000 children annually, most of
them from the Waterberg region.
it thitelo. When we talk to the kids and the parents, and
explain to them how we built the walls, it underscores the
importance of indigenous knowledge. We don’t believe that
kids come here as empty vessels – we believe they have
a vast prior knowledge that we can build on.”
TOWARDS A BRIGHT, INCLUSIVE
AND SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
With education at the core of the Lapalala Wilderness
School, it comes as no surprise that the school’s endusers
were involved throughout the project’s inception
and implementation.
Even the choice of furniture was made with this in
mind. Intentional steps were taken to ensure that the local
community members and staff were upskilled, and will stay
involved in maintaining even something as small as the
chairs or tables. “All the furniture pieces are very simple:
hardwood and steel,” says Wessels. “The furniture was
chosen and discussed for a reason – it is something that the
workshop staff can fix on site, and in so doing, ensuring the
school’s self-sustainability.”
In the end, no one was left untouched by this unique
bushveld project. “It just blows my mind how we managed
to pull it together, and work together with the professionals
to get it to where it is,” Makhokha says. “When I received
the keys on the first day, I was overjoyed, knowing that this
is the building we dreamt of – where we constantly put our
minds, hearts and everything that we have into creating
the best environmental education centre in the world.”
Sean Gibson
Biography
Hashim Amra, Founder
Discover Our
New Interactive eBook
Hashim Amra has completed over 500
buildings in the residential, commercial, industrial,
institutional & social housing sectors
in South Africa utilizing traditional & alternative
building methods. Hashim is an
accredited green building professional
with the green building council of South
Africa, light steel frame builder and holds a
bachelor of commerce with specialization
in law from the University of South Africa.
Rammed earth is traditional to cultures in the
Limpopo region, on a smaller scale. It’s known
as thidelo in tshi-Venda, and thitelo in si Pedi.
For more info visit www.big5projects.co.za
self ebook. Download at www.big5projects.co.za/ebook
38 POSITIVE IMPACT ISSUE 23
Office: 010 035 2761
Cell: 064 514 2076
hashim@big5projects.co.za
Johannesburg, 90 Rivonia Road, Sandton
Cape Town, 3 Dock Road, V&A Waterfront