South Africa Archives < Natural Building Collective https://www.naturalbuildingcollective.com/tag/south-africa/ Sustainable building principles to connect, create, empower and educate. Thu, 30 Apr 2026 15:22:33 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0 https://www.naturalbuildingcollective.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/cropped-Square-logo-32x32.png South Africa Archives < Natural Building Collective https://www.naturalbuildingcollective.com/tag/south-africa/ 32 32 Sustainable building at Ulwazi Educare https://www.naturalbuildingcollective.com/ulwazi-educare/ https://www.naturalbuildingcollective.com/ulwazi-educare/#respond Tue, 01 Feb 2022 16:10:03 +0000 https://www.naturalbuildingcollective.com/?p=70968 Just like it takes a village to raise a child, it took a team of dedicated, talented & passionate humans to pull off a project like Ulwazi Educare.

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]]> https://www.naturalbuildingcollective.com/ulwazi-educare/feed/ 0 The story of the Delft ECD Training Centre https://www.naturalbuildingcollective.com/the-story-of-the-delft-ecd-training-centre/ https://www.naturalbuildingcollective.com/the-story-of-the-delft-ecd-training-centre/#respond Sun, 08 Jul 2018 14:08:42 +0000 https://www.naturalbuildingcollective.com/?p=70829 The Training Centre is a passive solar, earth sheltered building out of tyres, cob, compressed earth bricks, ecobricks and glass bottles at the Delft Early Childhood Development (ECD) centre. The goal of the Training centre is to provide a space in which ECD practitioners and caregivers are trained to fulfil the developmental needs of the child.

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]]> https://www.naturalbuildingcollective.com/the-story-of-the-delft-ecd-training-centre/feed/ 0 Q&A with Jill Hogan, a pioneer of natural building in South Africa https://www.naturalbuildingcollective.com/qa-with-jill-hogan-a-pioneer-of-natural-building-in-south-africa/ https://www.naturalbuildingcollective.com/qa-with-jill-hogan-a-pioneer-of-natural-building-in-south-africa/#comments Tue, 09 Aug 2016 10:20:21 +0000 https://naturalbuildingcollective.wordpress.com/?p=69444 The post Q&A with Jill Hogan, a pioneer of natural building in South Africa appeared first on Natural Building Collective.

]]> https://www.naturalbuildingcollective.com/qa-with-jill-hogan-a-pioneer-of-natural-building-in-south-africa/feed/ 2 Transition Ethics: The Art of Compromise https://www.naturalbuildingcollective.com/transition-ethics-the-art-of-compromise/ https://www.naturalbuildingcollective.com/transition-ethics-the-art-of-compromise/#comments Mon, 29 Feb 2016 14:29:21 +0000 https://naturalbuildingcollective.wordpress.com/?p=69296 The post Transition Ethics: The Art of Compromise appeared first on Natural Building Collective.

]]> https://www.naturalbuildingcollective.com/transition-ethics-the-art-of-compromise/feed/ 2 How to Design an Off-Grid Solar System: The Technical Essentials – Part 2 https://www.naturalbuildingcollective.com/off-grid-solar-system-design-part-2-technical-essentials/ https://www.naturalbuildingcollective.com/off-grid-solar-system-design-part-2-technical-essentials/#comments Sun, 19 Apr 2015 14:25:27 +0000 https://naturalbuildingcollective.wordpress.com/?p=69115 Before you invest in solar panels or batteries, it’s essential to calculate your daily energy use in watt-hours. By understanding your energy needs and usage, you can make informed decisions about what you truly need, and what you can do without.

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]]> https://www.naturalbuildingcollective.com/off-grid-solar-system-design-part-2-technical-essentials/feed/ 1 Owner-builder journey | A home that would grow a forest https://www.naturalbuildingcollective.com/owner-builder-mud-brick-extension-scarborough/ https://www.naturalbuildingcollective.com/owner-builder-mud-brick-extension-scarborough/#comments Sun, 05 Apr 2015 13:06:00 +0000 https://naturalbuildingcollective.wordpress.com/?p=66456 Five years ago, Peter McIntosh gave me +- 900 sun-baked mud bricks, for an extension to my house. With little start up money, a trickle of income, some plans on google sketch up, a pickaxe and, most importantly, plenty of time, I finally started the process a year ago...

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]]> https://www.naturalbuildingcollective.com/owner-builder-mud-brick-extension-scarborough/feed/ 1 New directions in informal settlement upgrading and community-led sustainable building practices – The Freedom Square shack replacement project – Day 18 (Thursday 2 Oct’14) https://www.naturalbuildingcollective.com/new-directions-in-informal-settlement-upgrading-and-community-led-sustainable-building-practices-the-freedom-square-shack-replacement-project-day-18-thursday-2-oct14/ https://www.naturalbuildingcollective.com/new-directions-in-informal-settlement-upgrading-and-community-led-sustainable-building-practices-the-freedom-square-shack-replacement-project-day-18-thursday-2-oct14/#comments Sun, 26 Oct 2014 09:32:06 +0000 http://naturalbuildingcollective.wordpress.com/?p=11816 I came to learn how to build a cob wall; instead I learned the story of my life before I even stepped onto the building site. It was day 18 at the Freedom Square shack replacement building site in Bloemfontein, but my first day on the premises. The walls of Lientjie’s new house were already […]

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]]> https://www.naturalbuildingcollective.com/new-directions-in-informal-settlement-upgrading-and-community-led-sustainable-building-practices-the-freedom-square-shack-replacement-project-day-18-thursday-2-oct14/feed/ 2 Lebone Village launch https://www.naturalbuildingcollective.com/lebone-village-launch/ https://www.naturalbuildingcollective.com/lebone-village-launch/#respond Tue, 30 Sep 2014 10:20:26 +0000 http://naturalbuildingcollective.wordpress.com/?p=4161 Imagine being outside on a chilly Free State winter morning with the sun just coming out and starting to gently warm your body. Now imagine being told to take off your shoes in order to trudge in icy cold mud. I glanced at my fellow volunteers and I saw a collective dissent quietly dawn on […]

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]]> https://www.naturalbuildingcollective.com/lebone-village-launch/feed/ 0 Using Indigenous Earthen Architectural Knowledge https://www.naturalbuildingcollective.com/using-indigenous-earthen-architectural-knowledge/ https://www.naturalbuildingcollective.com/using-indigenous-earthen-architectural-knowledge/#comments Sun, 23 Mar 2014 14:30:07 +0000 http://naturalbuildingcollective.wordpress.com/?p=109 By Lesley Freedman In South Africa’s rural areas, indigenous earthen architecture can be seen everywhere. Indigenous Building Systems form the core of most of South Africans’ architectural knowledge, passed down through generations, solving the challenges of waterproofing in the most inspired, resourceful ways. Some of this knowledge continues to be used, but increasing homogenisation, control […]

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