With the smell of freshly ground coffee flooding in from the cafe next door and the light bustle of people haggling for discounts on second-hand clothing, The Slow Fashion Collective is situated in...
Spaces
99 Design is a new spot to shop local in the heart of Braamfontein
There’s a new kid on the block in the heart of Braamfontein – a curated, multi-label Johannesburg design store at 99 Juta Street. After a two-year journey 99 Design opened at the beginning of...
This eco-laundromat and urban farm have become a caring inner city hub
Tucked away in the Cape Town inner city, between a barren parking lot and a bustling Food Lover’s Market, lies the Streetscapes Urban Farm and the home of LaundReCycle, South Africa’s first...
7 Indigenous nurseries to know for spring planting
Spring is nearly upon us which means…gardening season! And plenty of planning whether you’re adding to, rejuvenating an established garden, or starting from scratch. But what to plant and where to...
Creating inclusive and sustainable cities begins with who designs them
If you search “famous architects” on Google you will find a long list of old, mostly white, men (with the exception of Zaha Hadid). This doesn’t mean that other women architects do not exist. On the...
6 Retail Spaces Selling Local Fashion Brands
The 18th to the 24th of April marks Fashion Revolution Week. In the lead up, we thought it would be a good idea to share a few brick-and-mortar retail spaces that provide a unique shopping...
How top architect Diébédo Francis Kéré reinvigorates indigenous knowledge
Burkina Faso’s Diébédo Francis Kéré has become the first African and the first Black person to win the Pritzker prize, architecture’s equivalent of the Nobel. Kéré’s work has consistently...
Never demolish: Doing nothing to a building is an act of resistance
Starting out as an architect in the 1990s, I was so eager for work, and excited about the creative possibilities, that turning down a project seemed inconceivable. It was thrilling, then, at a...
Artist Seth Pimentel creates pollution-eating mural in downtown Joburg
A new “urban tree” in Maboneng, Johannesburg has joined the Converse City Forests. From Bangkok to Belgrade, the century-old shoe giant, Converse is collaborating with creative communities in cities...
Q&A: Ceramicist Sikho Mququ puts his soul into pots
Sikho Mququ of Ckho Ceramique was born and raised in Umtata surrounded by the textured grassland and thicket of the Eastern Cape. After studying fine art in East London, Sikho moved to Cape Town and...
There is a new space in Woodstock where good things are happening
Woodstock, a bustling Cape Town suburb known for its narrow streets, urban art and tucked-away treasures, is the home of GOODWoodstock, a new community-focused, mixed-use space. Its emphasis is on...
Architect of Change 6: Jeremy Steere’s gateway is a bold and environmentally-sensitive statement
Jeremy Steere was tasked to build the entrance to an industrial zone in Richard's Bay. The brief was to build a landmark gateway into the industrial estate that was both environmentally sensitive...
Architect of Change 5: Lewis Levin on the Johannesburg Holocaust and Genocide Centre
Using donated and recycled materials, architect Lewis Levin has created a memorial centre on a busy road in Johannesburg. The design of the centre was informed by discussions with survivors of the...
Architect of Change 4: Malcolm Campbell on the greening of a government building
Aimed at increasing resource efficiency and making a positive contribution to the central business district in Khayelitsha, this office building has a five start green star rating from the Green...
Architect of change 3: Dirk Coetser touched the earth lightly
Using recycled containers, lightweight steel, borehole water, solar power architects at A4AC created this off-the-grid home in Northcliff. Architect Dirk Coetser tells us more about how the...