Indalo + Collectif saga

Lim’uhphile Co-op

Lim’uhphile Co-op
Courtesy Of Saga

LIM'UHPHILE CO-OP

Collectif saga

ARCHITECT IN CHARGE
Collectif saga

LOCATION
Port Elizabeth, South Africa

SPONSOR
Département Loire Atlantique, Ville de Nantes, Tavcor Motor Group, Food and Trees for Africa, Rotary Club PE West, Werk_, Masifunde NGO, Cicognigni Properties, Clearwater Plumbers, Dynaform, Concord Cranes

CATEGORY
Mixed Use Architecture, Greenhouse, Community

ARCHITECTS
Collectif saga

YEAR
2020

MANUFACTURERS
Acht Farming, Chep, Chris Howes Construction, Coca Cola Sabco, Howeden Donkin Fans

PHOTOGRAPHS
Johan Badenhorst

AREA
274 m²

PROJECT MANAGERS
Simon Galland, Camille Sablé, Marion Chapey

Since its inception in 2014, saga is involved in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. After completing two projects in Joe Slovo township, we initiated a new project in 2018 in Walmer township.

Lim’uhphile Co-op
Courtesy Of Saga
Lim’uhphile Co-op
Courtesy Of Saga

Unlike most of the city’s townships, Walmer is located relatively close to the city center and is very well integrated into the rest of Port Elizabeth.

Walmer’s ideal location within the existing urban fabric makes it a great place to experiment with different forms of integrated development, by working on developing the network and connections between the area’s residents and its surroundings.

Lim’uhphile Co-op
Courtesy Of Saga
Lim’uhphile Co-op
Courtesy Of Saga

In order to start our process in this new territory, we began with conducting an urban study in the area.

Through a collection of surveys and residents’ portraits, we focused our attention on the different forms of housing as well as the variety of local initiatives that contribute to the economy of the place.

Lim’uhphile Co-op
Courtesy Of Saga
Lim’uhphile Co-op
Courtesy Of Saga

During this initial study, we met with Xolani Siwa and the Lim’uphile Agricultural Organisation. This non-profit has been growing vegetables for more than 10 years on an abandoned plot on the edge of Walmer township.

By growing vegetables, training local youth and organizing events, the organization contributes largely to the social dynamics of the area as well as improving its integration in the rest of the city.

Once the land acquired by the non-profit, we started to elaborate a mixed-use program focused around the existing garden.

Lim’uhphile Co-op
Courtesy Of Saga
Lim’uhphile Co-op
© Johan Badenhorst
Lim’uhphile Co-op
Courtesy Of Saga

The new facilities include an open hall for the training sessions and other events, a shop and kitchen to store, transform and sell the vegetables, a nursery to grow seedlings and an ablution block.

As per our previous projects, the process starts with collecting materials around the city. This stock of available resources (mostly coming from industrial waste) forms the raw material of our intervention.

Once transformed and assembled, this raw material forms an architecture and creates a shell for the various uses of the program.

Lim’uhphile Co-op
Courtesy Of Saga
Lim’uhphile Co-op
Courtesy Of Saga
Lim’uhphile Co-op
Courtesy Of Saga

A reclaimed 27 meters long greenhouse structure sits on a gabion wall made from construction rubble and becomes the nursery and mixed-use hall.

An existing container is cladded with a skin of carpet squares and extended with a timber structure to accommodate the shop and kitchen.

Lim’uhphile Co-op
Courtesy Of Saga
Lim’uhphile Co-op
© Johan Badenhorst

The construction site is open to all, it gathers members of the non-profit and many local and international volunteers.

Thanks to a partnership with a local NGO, the construction process becomes part of a training program, involving 5 local and unemployed youth on site.

Lim’uhphile Co-op
Courtesy Of Saga
Lim’uhphile Co-op
Courtesy Of Saga

The result reflects the great energy on site, 3 generous and functional buildings which will largely contribute to the development of this urban agriculture cooperative.

To allow for new opportunities to grow on site, the intervention enables extra uses to take place.

Lim’uhphile Co-op
Courtesy Of Saga
Lim’uhphile Co-op
Courtesy Of Saga

The project aims to maximize the openness of the site, for the initiative to spread in its surroundings, in the rest of Walmer and in the city while keeping its original function: to produce affordable organic vegetable for the growing local community that wishes to eat better.


Lim’uhphile Co-op
Courtesy Of Saga
Lim’uhphile Co-op
Courtesy Of Saga
Lim’uhphile Co-op
Courtesy Of Saga
Lim’uhphile Co-op
Courtesy Of Saga
Lim’uhphile Co-op
Courtesy Of Saga
Lim’uhphile Co-op
Courtesy Of Saga
Lim’uhphile Co-op
Courtesy Of Saga
Lim’uhphile Co-op
Courtesy Of Saga
Lim’uhphile Co-op
Courtesy Of Saga
Lim’uhphile Co-op
Courtesy Of Saga
Lim’uhphile Co-op
Courtesy Of Saga
Lim’uhphile Co-op
Courtesy Of Saga


Lim’uhphile Co-op
Toilet Axonometric View
Lim’uhphile Co-op
Hall Axonometric View
Lim’uhphile Co-op
Shop Axonometric View


Lim’uhphile Co-op
Plan
Lim’uhphile Co-op
Hall Plan
Lim’uhphile Co-op
Site Plan

Indalo + Collectif saga
T +33 2 55543215
Indalo + Collectif saga
2 Pl. de la Concorde, 44200 Nantes, France