All good things must come to an end

by | Dec 7, 2014 | Adobe, Alternative building, Amanda de Gouveia, Dance like an elephant, Earth testing, Earth theory, Events, Heritage, Hermie Delport, Indigenous Architectural Knowledge, Laurie Simpson, Lebone Village Arts and Culture Centre, Lesley Freedman, Local materials, Malcolm Worby, Natural building, Natural building course, Natural building methods, Natural mortar mixes, Peter McIntosh, Qala Phelang Tala, Shack replacement, Start Living Green, Sustainable building

… and 2014 is no different. It is with pride and joy that we look back on the successes and new connections made during 2014. We launched our blog in March and have had over 5000 visits from people in 98 countries! The blog contributions included knowledge...

The reflections and observations of a sustainable practitioner on the recent International Union of Architects World Congress (UIA) in Durban

by | Aug 12, 2014 | Architectural educational practice, Community, Events, Hermie Delport, Natural building, Sustainable building

As a senior lecturer in the Architectural Technology department at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology I get the opportunity to write and present papers at conferences, congresses and symposiums, with the benefit to see what is happening in the field and to...

Reflections and observations on a recent visit to the former Transkei

by | Jun 29, 2014 | Adobe, Clay, Earthen Schools, Heritage, Hermie Delport, Indigenous Architectural Knowledge, Indigenous Building Systems, Insulation, Lesley Freedman, Local materials, Mud brick, Natural building, Natural building methods, Sustainable building, Thermal performance, Wattle and Daub

I had the pleasure of recently visiting a really magical place, Mdumbi in the former Transkei. Mdumbi is about 30km north of Coffee Bay in the typical rolling green landscape. Travelling with fellow architects Carl Morkel and Wim Els at a slowish pace, either walking...