YETTA NATHAN YOUTH DEVELOPMENT CENTRE , SOWETO
The Johannesburg Development Agency ( JDA ), the City of Johannesburg ’ s implementing agency , has begun the construction of the Yetta Nathan Early Childhood Development ( ECD ) and Community Centre on behalf of the city ’ s Social Development Department .
The construction of the Yetta Nathan ECD Centre , a resourceefficient green building , will build stronger local communities , support children ’ s education and development , and serve as a multifunctional , sustainable , and safe environment to provide children with enhanced playing and learning experience .
The ECD centre will be an extension of the existing multipurpose community facility at Yetta Nathan , Soweto , and will encapsulate modern childhood development facilities . Including classrooms , play spaces , indoor and outdoor ancillary spaces like kitchens , libraries , and toy stores .
The existing building was intended to be a facility suitable for training of Early Childhood staff . The existing building lacked multipurpose training rooms , appropriate bathroom amenities , and adequate space for a suitable teaching / learning environment .
The main objective of project architects , The Creative Axis Architects , was to create an inclusive space for the children to experiment with interactive leaning spaces and different mediums that could enhance the learning experience .
The restrictions of the irregular shaped site provided a framework for the building to be placed in a strategic way that would enable the the area for development on the site to be
maximised . The organic form of the roofscape meant that more area could be efficiently utilised for the agricultural aspects while still providing privacy for Social Developments Offices on the top floor . The proposed building needed to connect to the existing in a manner that would be easy to navigate . The proposed response was to wrap the new structure around the existing building with the upper ground floor offices placed on the existing structure . The roof forms a crucial part of the design for both agricultural use but also for energy efficient power solutions that were incorporated into the building .
The hard-wearing nature of simple textures and the material palette contrasts with the undulating form . The use of different degrees of transparent glazing and opaque glass with different and irregular aluminium mullion configurations further create an illusion of a smaller and human-scaled building . This reinforces the welcoming , inclusive atmosphere of the building which the architects wanted to evoke for both community and children . The planted screen provides a soft setting for the building and allows for the new Youth development Centre to merge into the existing context . The pop-ups of green spaces at roof level and within the building further enhance the life of the building by mimicking the playful and inquisitive nature of children .
With the correct response to the design brief and taking advantage of the multifunctional characteristics of the building , the new Youth Development Centre can , through tangible means , provide a space that is environmentally friendly , healthy and productive for the end user . It will provide the community with the required training and education to uplift and empower the community and place the Youth Development Centre on the map as a precedent for similar institutions to follow .
18 Project Watch