Ithuba. Ein Kindergarten in Südafrika

Architecture students from the Zurich University of Applied Sciences ZHAW planned a kindergarten in South Africa in 2012 and built it themselves in just a few weeks together with local people. Ithuba means "possibility" in Zulu. The Ithuba Community College is located on the edge of a township near Johannesburg. Founded by a non-profit association, it helps children to get a good education and links European universities so that they can plan and build buildings such as kindergartens or schools in South Africa. In Ithuba, young Europeans meet with Africans to build together and exchange know-how. The kindergarten is designed as a house-in-house. The classroom is surrounded by a second layer of space that functions as a climate buffer: While the sliding doors are open in summer, creating a shaded veranda, they are closed in winter. Then the translucent cover catches the sunlight and pleasantly heats up the intermediate zone. The solar energy gains improve the indoor climate, because there is no heating for cost reasons. The book documents the planning and construction process and describes the challenges of building with the simplest of means in a foreign context. Texts by, among others, the participating lecturers, research assistants and students report on their unique experiences. Atmospheric pictures by South African photographer Leon Krige show the building in use.