Boidus Focus - Vol 1, Issue 1 [Jul 2011]

07.07.2011

OIDUS FOCUS

Registered at GPO as a Newspaper

NEWS > 02 The Renovation of the National Stadium and Corruption Saga 03 Pritzker Architecture Prize Winner for 2011 Announced

Botswana’s Architecture Design and Urban Landscape Newspaper

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EDITORIALS > 04 ‘Redevelopment’ of Extension 2 by Gaborone City Council 05 Gaborone, a City Without a Square

BUILDINGS > 06 Masa Centre, Central Business District, Gaborone, Botswana 06 First National Bank Regional Office, Francistown, Botswana

COMMENTS > 07 Commentry from the Industry on ‘Redevelopment’ of Extension 2 09 An Architecture School Experience; student commentry

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Botswana Innovation Hub by SHoP Architects

by Boidus Admin / Images and text ©SHoP Architects

‘Three Dikgosi Monument’ at the CBD

Gaborone, a City without a Public Square

by H. Killion Mokwete, ARB Chartered Architect This week has been an incredible week in the sport fabric of Botswana. The Zebras have finally done us proud by qualifying for our first ever Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). This is a historic achievement and throughout the week, the city of Gaborone

and indeed the country, has been awash with excitement, with even the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Culture (MYSC) in its most generous mood too. Twenty grand for each player! Not bad. >>> CONTINUED PAGE 05 Botswana Innovation Hub, Aerial view

SHoP was selected in an international design competition to design the Botswana Innovation Hub, a new building in Gaborone which will provide office and laboratory space for technology-driven and knowledge-intensive foreign and local businesses, as well as research and advanced training institutes. The building will be an iconic symbol of Botswana’s support for research and development and the promotion of innovation and entrepreneurship, acting as a nexus for knowledge creation and innovation.

Revised Gaborone City Development Plan (1997-2021)

‘Redevelopment’ of Extension 2 - Gaborone City Council

by H. Killion Mokwete, ARB Chartered Architect A while back the Gaborone City Council (GCC) embarked on a public consultation exercise for the ‘…redevelopment of extension two area. This area extends from main mall to Kaunda Road, covering African Mall commercial centre…’

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Recently they have been at University of Botswana’s Department of Architecture and Planning consulting academics on ideas and proposals for this so called ‘redevelopment’. Though I missed this >>> CONTINUED PAGE 04

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The client’s brief was for an iconic yet timeless building which employed the most cutting-edge green technology available. With this in mind SHoP’s design uses a variety of sustainable techniques, including a concept SHoP deems the “Energy Blanket” roofscape, which combines passive and active sustainable energy techniques. The roof design of the Botswana Innovation Hub incorporates large overhangs to passively shade the building’s interior volumes, mechanisms to collect and re-use water, and photovoltaic systems to harness solar energy. An exterior louver and rainscreen system will provide shading and thermal mass to the facade in order to mitigate detrimental heat gain

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and the wide diurnal swings common in Gaborone. The combination of these technologies demonstrates a potential energy savings of 50% from a baseline building with minimum performance values as defined by ASHRAE. Where the roof slope prevents optimal solar collection, a low-maintenance xeriscape roof garden planted with indigenous species

AND REACH YOUR CUSTOMERS

>>> CONTINUED PAGE 10

Botswana Innovation Hub, Interior view

Botswana Innovation Hub, Roofscape

Botswana Innovation Hub, View of Entry

Physical Address Ko-i-nor House, Office 11 Main Mall, Gaborone

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collects and filters rainwater, adds thermal mass to the building envelope to mitigate heat island effect, and provides a large surface area to capture and direct rainwater for storage and reuse. This harvested water supports both the roof garden and the bioswales downstream in the courtyards.

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Local / Regional News Page 2

BOIDUS FOCUS Thursday 7-13 July, 2011

Botswana’s Architects registration body is long overdue

by H. Killion Mokwete, ARB Registered Architect, RIBA Chartered Architect

Johnny Swartz; Minister of Infrastructure & Technology

The last week’s court ruling regarding the case of one Professor Bhagat has great lessons for the Architecture profession and the Building environment in general. Botswana Health Professionals Council successfully prosecuted and got Professor Bhagat’s claim of registration to practise as a cardiologist in Botswana nullified (he has since appealed the ruling).

to offer services are qualified and registered for.

It is however a victory for the protection of the unsuspecting consumer. According to Botswana Health Professionals Council (BHPC), the body responsible for registering medical practitioners; ‘it was tricked by Bhagat’s own web of fraud and trickery...’ to practice as a cardiologist in Botswana for the past 10 years. A great example of why professions need a registration act and a regulating body empowered by law to first and foremost police a profession, protect consumers and uphold the integrity of the profession. The registration also ensures that an up-to-date record of all qualified professionals who are eligible

This takes place in a week which has been laced with multiple media stories of corruption allegations, mostly related to the built environment. The Minister of Infrastructure and Technology, Johnny Swartz, while presenting his ministries budget to Parliament last week, decried ‘rampant corruption that exists in the construction industry’. Mr Swartz noted that there was collusion between some consultants and employees in Government parameters to defraud government of millions of pula.

To tackle this problem, his ministry has formed a quality audit team to inspect all projects and will in future blacklist

The architecture profession in Botswana as it is now is a free for all. There is currently no register of architects practicing in Botswana as yet and there is no watchdog to protect the consumer from unscrupulous individuals who might defraud in the name of an ‘Architect’.

consulting firms who are found in the wrong.

While I personally have grave reservations against this so called ‘blacklisting’ targeted only at contractors while there is no word as to what the plan is to root out corruption once and for all from government ministries, the ‘blacklisting’ solution does not address the fundamental key question of protecting consumers from fraudulent consultants. Blacklisting contractors will only stop them from tendering for Government work, but what about the general public? Who is protecting them?

In architecture the role of the registration body should be to provide an association where consumers can take their complaints to and get recourse.

The registration body should be the one prosecuting fraudulent allegations as in the case of the Botswana Health Professionals Council (BHPC) vs. Professor Kiran Bhagat. The architect’s registration body will have to; •

•

•

lay down the standards of professional conduct and practice expected of persons registered as Architects under the 2008 Act. take disciplinary actions against any of its members found to be constituting unacceptable professional conduct or serious professional incompetence ensure consumer protection, both in government and private work, and also make certain that registered professionals will promote integrity of the architecture profession.

Property Investment & Construction Expo (2011)

by Esther Amogelang

Gaborone’s Central Business District under construction

A lively spirit is thriving in Gaborone City with an Investment & Construction Expo from the 16 to 17 June 2011 at Ditshupo Hall.

property and construction industry will present their latest projects, explain their assessments of the market and also invite discussion from delegates.

Organized for Real Estates investment decision makers from all relevant property construction sectors the expo offered an interactive experience where property players not only showcased their own work, but also has the right to make contacts, and get noticed by buyers and investors on their daily matters which has to do with construction industry.

Some of the High value exhibitors include quantity survivoyors, project developers, plumbers, security services, architects, construction contractors, interior supplies, estate agents, electrical engineers among others. There will be 236 exhibition stalls during that time, the smallest being nine metres square, followed by 18 and the largest being 27.

Furthermore the Expo is where one can see current and upcoming property developments, quality building materials, latest interior designs, furniture and fixtures, negotiate deals as well as finance sources.

Industry Players and experts from the

The Renovation of the National Stadium and Corruption Saga

by Esther Amogelang

Gaborone’s National Stadium; closed for rennovation

The Ministry of Infrastructure, Science and Technology, Jonnie Swartz in his 2011/12 budget proposal the building contactors, government employees and consultants of colluding which he blamed for lack of progress on most of government buildings projects. The minister told of how government is being sucked dry of billions of Pula whilst buildings are left uncompleted. He mentioned that uncompleted projects were as a result of lack of skilled manpower, use of poor designs and poor workmanship and over reliance on foreign construction companies. Some of the said troubled projects he noted are the national stadium, senior schools and police stations across the country which have developed serious damage barely after being completed.

The minister’s speech has this time blamed directly the involvement consultants and the lack of proper supervision and incomplete or substandard designs.

This raises questions on who is to really

blame on this ‘corruption’ issue in the industry. Is it Contractors or consultants or is government just isn’t taking the necessary steps to engage the best teams?

If so then all these projects in question must have landed in the wrong hands.

One of the projects singled out by the minister is The Renovation of the National Stadium. The stadium project was conceived with the aim to have it ready for the 2010 World Cup and expected to finish in June but there was a delay. The teams responsible for the project development included: Tectura International (architects), KUN Associates, Engiconsult, Davis Langdon (CCIM) Botswana, M&K Associates and Hitecon.

A reliable source from one of the consultants’ team told Boidus in an interview that due to insufficient design details, lack of proper coordination and poor management during the design stage made it difficult to execute the project leading to some problems. This lead to

To spice the day there will be a Media Lounge for journalists, PR people, exhibitors and all media representatives to chat and relax as they cover the events.

The lounge is meant for interviews, meet new contacts, and experience VIPs, debate on themes exclusively on the media stage as well as exchanging ideas.

multiple problems such as the poorly designed soccer pitches which is currently at the centre of major controversy.

The Stadium is rumored to have gone way beyond budget with the reason being consultancy fees miraculously kept going up even though there was no progress on site. The original renovation designs for the National Stadium were conceived with the client budget of P66m, and this is currently at P75m plus the untold national sporting activities inconvenienced due to this saga.

Further to the delay and budget overrun, the project became problematic on site resulting in over a 100 construction variations issued by the supervising team.

This came as a result of incomplete designs and often unresolved designs which were allowed to continue right through to the project starting on site.

All these problems of coordinating the consultants on site could also have been clearly well managed by the project manager who was DEBS (Department of Engineering and Building Services).

Some of the directors of the defaulting consultancy in the Stadium job are rumored to have resigned their posts and relocated abroad. The firm is rumored to be slowly relocating to neighboring countries while most of its employees who worked tirelessly on the many jobs they won are wondering whether this will be their last working days if not months. One wonders what who the government will be suing in this case.

This should be a learning curve for the government and drastic measures should be made to avoid similar mistakes. It reinforces the Ministers calls for creating registrative bodies for consultants and establishing regulating bodies.

BOIDUS FOCUS Thursday 7-13 July, 2011

International News Page 3

2011 Japan Earthquake & Tsunami Pritzker Architecture Prize Winner for 2011 Announced

by Boidus Admin

The 2011 Sendai earthquake and tsunami was a 9.0 earthquake off the coast of Japan that occurred at 2:46pm on 11 March 2011. The epicenter was eighty miles off the coast of the Oshika Peninsula, creating a tsunami that devastated the coast. Government officials estimate more than 10,000 have died, 50,000 are without water and 1.5M without power.

by Boidus Admin

Eduardo Souto de Moura

ent, vision and commitment, which has produced consistent and significant contributions to humanity and the built environment through the art of architecture. The laureates receive a $100,000 grant and a bronze medallion.

Architecture for Humanity and its’ teams in Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto are partnering with other organizations to mobilize around the long term reconstruction effort. We are asking you to give now, so we can build later.

House in Serra da Arrabida, Portugal (1994-2002) Devastation of Earthquake & Tsunami

w w w. a r c h i t e c t u r e f o r h u m a n i t y. o r g

RIBA President takes action against unacceptable low pay

by Boidus Admin

The President of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Ruth Reed today announced an important change in the RIBA’s Chartered Practice criteria, which will commit every RIBA Chartered Practice to paying the statutory minimum wage to those students undertaking work that is eligible to count towards their PEDR requirement.

The decision was taken following recommendations from the RIBA’s Pay and Conditions working group, which was established by Ruth Reed in November 2010 to address significant concerns over pay and conditions for architecture students completing fee-earning work in practices, and unanimously endorsed by the RIBA’s Professional Services Board. The Institute currently publishes guidelines outlining recommended rates of pay for architecture students completing their PEDR experience, established in collaboration with architecture student body ARCHAOS, however this is the first time that RIBA Chartered Practices will be required to adhere to minimum rates of pay.

The change to criteria will be made with immediate effect, and will be applicable to all RIBA Chartered Practices from 1 July 2011.

Eduardo Souto de Moura, a 58 year old architect from Portugal, is the jury’s choice for the 2011 Pritzker Architecture Prize, it was announced today by Thomas J. Pritzker, chairman of The Hyatt Foundation which sponsors the prize. The formal ceremony for what has come to be known throughout the world as architecture’s highest honor will be in one of Washington, D.C.’s finest classical buildings, the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium on June 2.

In announcing the jury’s choice, Pritzker elaborated, “This marks the second time in the history of the prize that a Portuguese architect has been chosen.

The first was in 1992 when Alvaro Siza was so honored.”

The purpose of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, which was founded in 1979 by the late Jay A. Pritzker and his wife, Cindy, is to honor annually a living architect whose built work demonstrates a combination of those qualities of tal-

Pritzker Prize jury chairman, The Lord Palumbo, spoke from his home in the United Kingdom, quoting from the jury citation that focuses on the reasons for this year’s choice: “During the past three decades, Eduardo Souto de Moura has produced a body of work that is of our time but also carries echoes of architectural traditions.” And further, “His buildings have a unique ability to convey seemingly conflicting characteristics — power and modesty, bravado and subtlety, bold public authority and a sense of intimacy —at the same time.”

In addition, a series of in-depth consultations will take place throughout 2011 with students of architecture, RIBA Chartered Practices and other key stakeholders to consider appropriate rates of pay for students and graduates that are higher than the statutory minimum wage, whilst taking into consideration factors such as regional variances.

RIBA Council Student member Alex Scott-Whitby said: ‘This move is fantastic news for students and has been a long time coming; it is great to see the RIBA taking the first step towards better remuneration for both students of architecture and qualified architects. The practices adhering to the RIBA’s kitemark scheme recognise the important contribution that students make, and are supporting the profession in a vitally important way at this time.’

Paula Rego Museum, Cascais, Portugal (Interior)

Paula Rego Museum, Cascais, Portugal (2005-2009)

The City of Cape Town’s Bid to be WORLD DESIGN CAPITAL 2014

by Boidus Admin

What is World Design Capital?

The World Design Capital title is awarded bi-annually by the International Council for Societies of Industrial Design (ICSID) to give global prominence to cities that use design for their social, economic and cultural development. Founded in 1957 and active in 50 countries, ICSID has awarded the World Design Capital designation three times – to Torino, Italy (2008); Seoul, South Korea (2010) and Helsinki, Finland (designated for 2012).

The World Design Capital title is awarded in advance, allowing winning cities sufficient time to plan, develop and promote a year-long programme of World Design Capital-themed events for their

Iconic Cape Town view showing stadium

designated year.

World Design Capital for 2014 will be announced in October 2011.

Who is coordinating Cape Town’s bid?

Cape Town’s bid to be World Design Capital 2014 forms part of a broader vision to position Cape Town as a leading global city – a hub of creativity, knowl-

edge, innovation and excellence (for further information go to the Creative Cape Town Annual 2010 below) – and to build on the City’s World Cup success.

The City of Cape Town has mandated the Cape Town Partnership, under the auspices of theCreative Cape Town programme, to coordinate Cape Town’s bid on its behalf, both in terms of producing the official bid book, and to ensure widespread support for the bid. Already, a vital network of partners from local

and provincial government, creative industry organisations and institutions, academia and the media, as well as local design leaders and citizens from all walks of life, have pledged their support, as demonstrated at Design Indaba 2011.

Why Cape Town for World Design Capital 2014?

Cape Town’s World Design Capital 2014 bid concept, “Live Design, Transform Life”, focuses strongly on socially responsive design.

The My Citi Bus service, Cape Town

Editorials Page 4

BOIDUS FOCUS Thursday 7-13 July, 2011

‘Redevelopment’ of Extension 2- Gaborone City Council: Part 1

by H. Killion Mokwete, ARB Registered Architect, RIBA Chartered Architect >>> FROM PAGE 01

GCC’s workshop, I present below some critical reservations about the ‘exercise’ and will argue that this might actually turn out to be the worst thing the GCC could do to this area if not addressed properly.

Firstly, the Revised Gaborone City Development Plan (1997-2021) has labelled the whole area at the centre of Gaborone from which the city grew, MARCO ZONE 1: CAPITAL CORE AREA (Urban Compaction Zone), and has recommended specific spatial development strategies and guidelines for the development of this area. Some of these key strategies include: • • •

Shift towards mixed use and multiple use of land Intensification and densification of land developments Application of urban design principles and concepts in the planning of the city

This area is not only the centre of the Gaborone City, but it is also the birth place of the nation as we know it, and

therefore should warrant a heritage status. It is here that the first Parliament of the free nation Botswana, from the then British’s Bechuanaland, was born.

This is where the so called ‘brandy glass base’ of the Garden City Plan radiated from. Here we find the Civic Centre, The Houses of Parliament, the Main Mall, the Government Enclave, the UN place (formerly SADC House)…the list goes on.

To start off by isolating a confined specific area ‘…between main mall to Kaunda Road…’ as if it is separable from the rest of this heritage area is to start with the wrong scope, let alone creating a dangerous situation of ruining the area by this envisaged redevelopment. Therefore the scope of these exercises cannot pigeonhole specific areas in a larger context that needs a holistic regeneration strategy. The problems of Gaborone City centre cannot be confined to this ‘chosen’ area alone. The lack of basic infrastructure including sewer, parking facilities, development restrictions and many more are better addressed as recommended in the Revised Development Plan, holistically. As opposed to a ‘redevelopment exercise,’ the minimum this exercise should be is a regeneration pro-

Zoning map, Central Gaborone

gramme which encompasses aspects of the history and importantly the heritage of the area, providing clear strategies of how to revitalize it to attract business and life to the city centre.

Secondly, how is it that the recommendations made to the DTRP, who were part of the revision of the Revised Plan, have now been passed on to the GCC, who have now gone back to the process of consultations? Surely a lot of consultations were carried out during the revision of the plan. That is why recommendations were made. The reasoning might be that they need to develop implementation guidelines, but still this does not explain how is it that the GCC would have the capacity to develop these guidelines. Not to belittle the people involved in this process, but they are attempting to do something beyond them. If the DRTP didn’t have the capacity to revise the plan, how is it expected that the GCC will have the capacity to develop guidelines and implement them?

Surely the most challenging and difficult part of any redevelopment process is its implementation. The DTRP must and should have continued and finished the job of creating a holistic implementation strategy of the revised master plan and developed its guidelines.

The need for an implementation strategy: What is needed is not what the committee is currently asking through its consultation process, which is ‘what to do with the Extension 2 area?’ but rather ‘…how to do it’ and ‘who should do it..?’

This is for the simple reason that the ‘what to do..’ question has been answered and stated in the Revised Development Plan, and a lot of it, such as urban design principles, is text book solutions which need not take us another year to figure out. Problems of this area are plain for all to see. However the key is how to do the thing that will regenerate the main mall area. This calls for an implementation strategy for regeneration.

An implementation strategy will outline who will do the implementing and will, most importantly, state the timelines and monitoring strategies of the implementation process. Those implementing these strategies will be people with the capability to do so and crucially who have direct interest in making this historic City Centre a success. As it currently stands, there is nothing in it for the people at the GCC to benefit from in making this process a success. For them this is no different a job than approving plans and managing city parks.

They have nothing to lose even if this process creates more chaos than solutions. Next we will explore key items of a typical implementation strategy of city

Gaborone City Main Mall

Gaborone City Main Mall

centre regeneration. In doing so we will most importantly look to examples of successful models applied elsewhere in the world.

BOIDUS FOCUS Thursday 7-13 July, 2011

Editorials Page 5

Gaborone, a City without a Public Square

by H. Killion Mokwete, ARB Registered Architect, RIBA Chartered Architect

Palace Square, St. Petersburg (http://en.wikipedia.org)

>>> FROM PAGE 01

In relation to this historic event, I would like to draw attention to the total lack of Civic Celebration spaces in Gaborone. The City has a chronic lack of public places where such a momentous occasion can be celebrated by the entire community.

These public gathering spaces could have provided opportunities for people to gather to both watch the game on big screens and also lay the red carpet to welcome the boys on their return. The city urgently needs a PUBLIC SQUARE. It is something of an anomaly that the city has not, in all this years, seen fit to purposely develop a fully public gathering square.

The SQUARE or Plaza is one of the most important elements of design in any city layout. It is the heartbeat of urban life and vibrancy of a city. It accommodates activities across the municipal fabric of a city. Celebrations and ceremonies, protests, New Year activities, promotional events, outreach activities, markets, public art shows and any civic functions are what a square is made for. We have recently seen how public squares in the Middle East and West Africa, especially at Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt, played host to a revolution and change. In Venice, St Mark’s Square is a top tourist destination and the heart of the city and across other parts of the world; cities are synonymous with their public squares. For example, Beijing has Tiananmen Square, London has Trafalgar Square, and Johannesburg has Mary Fitzgerald Square. A square is the PLACE in the city and Gaborone desperately needs one.

The original framework of the Gaborone City plan was actually laid out with a series of squares as key to the core of the City Centre. The three squares in the main mall, at the Standard Bank Head Office, in front of President Hotel and in front of the Blood Transfusion (formerly Dikgang publishing) all formed a sequence of commercial squares leading to what was conceived as a public square in front of the National Assembly. This bigger square in front of the Parliament building was to be designed big enough to accommodate public gatherings and have good linkage with the Main Mall and the Civic Square at the top of the network. This square is what was once referred as ‘the base of the brandy glass’ by Sir Geoffrey Cornish back in 1966, when he enthusiastically discussed the then new Gaberones City designed from scratch on virgin land.

Concepts lost in translation The development of Parliament Square was however muddled up in our trans-

lation of the original plan layout. Some misplaced landscape designs were implemented on the whole area, creating gardens which have since been fenced off from the public with metal railings. This obsession with railings has also been applied to the crossing of the Khama Crescent road, making it impossible to reach the square let alone cross the road safely.

In front of the Sir Seretse Khama’s Statue, which was originally facing east towards the mall boulevard to the Civic Centre, a mountain of rubble was created with trees completely blocking the statue’s gaze, the parliament and the view from the main mall. This mountain feature should never have been created in front of the Parliament buildings. The parliament was meant to be a ‘beacon of a free the Nation’, visible to all peoples and standing proud above the city’s commercial hub. The rotation of the Sir Seretse Khama Statue to face parliament rather than the centre and civic quarters has also compounded the misinterpretation of what this area represented or should represent.

The failed CBD new initiatives When ‘The Three Chiefs’ Statue was commissioned, it presented a golden opportunity to renew this parliament square or create a new, better one. However, the current location of ‘The Three Chiefs’ at the CBD is both bizarre and inexplicable. Besides its obvious un-usability as a public place inherent in its design, its

realization presents yet another wasted opportunity. The Commercial Business District (CBD), as it suggests in the name, is a commercial centre which will always struggle to comfortably host public events. The squares created on the CBD masterplan are better suited for commercial plazas rather than public gatherings, more in tune with what the Rockefeller Plaza is for New York’s Manhattan.

As it now exists, ‘the three chiefs square’ created there is neither a square nor a public place. It fails to even attract tourists, if that is indeed what it was designed for. It is a boarded compound, surrounded by what will be very busy roads in the future and flanked by buildings which completely ignore it. Squares by nature and design are flanked by buildings that complement and activate it. The activities of these buildings opening to the square should be of careful consideration in relation to their ability to generate sustained vibrancy. Otherwise it cannot be a square.

Gaborone’s Ecological Corridor should be made a reality.

by Boidus Admin / Images and Diagram by Ofentse Moatshe

Gaborone Ecological Corridor

The revised Gaborone Development Plan (1997-2021) advocates for an ecological corridor spanning the entire length of the Segoditshane River as it cuts across the city. The Plan among other thing calls for: •

•

• As it currently exists, the SADC house is too far off the edge of the square, the New High Court, whose placement at the CBD, while there is still empty spaces in the government enclave, beats logic and is on the other side of a road and does not really frame the square. The Square Mall is an introverted development that completely ignores the square’s existence, and is also separated by a four lane high speed road. The centre of the ‘Three Chiefs Square’ in itself is demarcated and fenced off (for no apparent reason) and presents a very anti-public and unwelcoming front. Therefore it is safe to conclude that this is not a public square and probably has little chance of becoming one in future.

For the past two weeks I have discussed here why it is critical to develop a strategic renewal programme for Gaborone. A development of a vibrant public quarter with public squares should be a core part of this redevelopment. Just imagine the embarrassment if the Zebras brought the gold home from Gabon and Equatorial Guinea, and we have no other location to celebrate but our disappointing pink stadium. It has somehow become the norm to take an enclosed stadium to be the location where our public celebrations should happen. We have easily settled for this practice which resulted out of lack of a real public space for communal celebration.

That should not be acceptable in a City.

•

No significant physical development should be permitted in the area except for passive and creative recreational uses Development of picnic sites at selected points along the course of the valley system.

The valley should be managed by the GCC No individual land allocations should be made along the course of the valley system

this is important in Gaborone especially for young people. Gaborone Game Reserve’s weeked’s picnic overbookings demonstrates the demand for recreation spaces for young people. > Economic opportunities suach as market-gradening, urban horticulture, city farms and other forestery related activities. Managed well, our eclological corridor can provide a well managed system that can self sustain and provide employment. > Place making and connectivity > Positive effects on physical and psychological well being of inhabitants: Gaborone City’s infamous traffic problems means people are subjected to noise, air pollution which soothed by good green areas.

The original Gaborone city concept of the ‘garden city’ was in fact intended to be built around public open spaces and green belts. In the subsequent development of the city, this fundamental aspect of the concept was lost; The emphasis on preserving our ecological spaces was sidelined.

Therefore preservation of our open spaces is a long overdue intervention which the City authorities need to take on immediately to maximize the value of our urban scapes. The current state of our open spaces, right down to our kids play grounds, is nothing to be proud of. Our river banks are completely abandoned and hence have easily become a haven for sinister activities if not just downright dirty and abandoned.

The protection of of plant life, biodiversity and regeneration of river banks all involve social and cultural issues. An environmental management strategy document (Gaborone City Green Plan) of our urban green spaces needs to develop as an implementation strategy of the development plan’s ambitions.

Creative cooperation between all involved stakeholders; architects, urban planners, engineers, local communities and local authority needs to be established.

The value of green spaces has long been established and has also been linked with providing solutions for common urban problems such as pollution, noise, safe neighbourhoods, accessibility and others.

Green spaces can improve urban environment in several others ways including: > Provision of social and leisure space,

Silos undergoing a modern facelift

Potentials for an urban park system

Other advantages of a flourishing ecological corridor will be: • Trees through transpiration, increase air water content in the often dry city environment • Mass vegetation can bring down temperature, by as much as 1-4 deg.

During hot periods.

• Foliage traps dust and helps fix toxic gases, reducing air pollution (one hectare of woodland absorbs 50 tonnes of dust per year.

• Vegetation helps regulate and regenerate water balance, especially along river banks.

The positive advantages of such corridor will also obviously go beyond the technical or scientific value, but could also be a much needed generator for creating places and connected neighbourhoods.

Where green spaces are integrated with the urban grain, there will be no leftover spaces. Neighbourhood communites would be developed around these amenity spaces, creating unique palces and identities which people can take ownership of.

Buildings Page 6

BOIDUS FOCUS Thursday 7-13 July, 2011

Masa Centre, CBD, Gaborone, Botswana

by Boidus Admin / Images and Text © Masa Centre Property Developers: Three Partners Resorts (Pty) Ltd. (RDCProperties, Shakawe, Lavica & Keboife Holdings) Project Managers: Property and Asset Management Pty Ltd CONSULTANTS: Architects: Arctez Architects Quantity Surveyors: GAAM Associates (Pty) Ltd Structural & Civil Engineers: A.D.A. Consulting Engineers MEP Engineers: AR Edwards Interior Design: Blacksmith Interiors Landscape Architects: VMO – Mrs Vicoria Morner O’Connell

Construction work on the Masa Centre, representing a total investment of P350 million, commenced during the first quarter of 2008. The Masa Centre will officially open its doors to the public in 2010 and introduces many firsts to Botswana. Masa Centre will face out onto the public walkway of the New Central Business District. The Masa Centre will offer the business community seven floors of world class office space. Negotiations are ongoing with several blue chip multinationals to secure space. A 3D movie house will be brought to local audiences by our very own Capital Entertainment Centre (Pty) Ltd., the first of its kind in Africa (outside of South Africa).

DESIGN STRATEGIES: Arctez Architects: The design allows for the independent functioning of each component of the building while maintaining a single overall design feel. This was achieved by layering retail ground floor while hotel and office space are staked on two towers. This clever zoning of activities ensures no disruptive cross mixing of activities.

KEY SPACES: • Total Built Area: 42 205 sqm • Holiday Inn Gaborone Hotel • Restaurants & Boutiques • Casino operated by Gold Reef Resorts • 7 Floors of World Class Offices • Cinema: 5 Theater 3D Movie House • Post Boxes • Fully Managed Parking Facility (Interpark)

Masa Centre, Front view

Masa Centre, Interior view of corridors

Masa Centre, Interior view of bathrooms

‘The Interior spaces of Masa Centre are intended to create a ‘cohesive interior’

Masa Centre, Interior view of lift lobby

First National Bank Regional Office, Francistown

by Boidus Admin / Images © Time Projects

FNB Regional Office, Front view

First National Bank will be occupying the entire three stories of the building which has 4500m2 of A- grade offices, .

The building also provides 66 basement parking bays and 77 open parking bays.

The building has been given a fairly modern feel with the use of aluminium Hulabond cladding, steel power-coated arch louvers and Gamma Zenneth Hagar spray all of which also give it a very low maintenance finish.

The main feature of the building is the large glass curtain walls at the entrance to the banking hall and the office area, which also gives it a very clean open, inviting feeling, which for a bank is paramount. Internally the finishes are slick and uncluttered with the use of polished porcelain tiles, wallpaper and mirrors in the lobbies.

Development & Project Managers: Time Projects Architect: Nuttall-Smith Architects

FNB Regional Office, Rendered image of entrance

Quantity Surveyor: The Fitzwilliam Partnership / McIntosh Latilla Electrical & Mechanical Engineers: Systems & Services Civil & Structural Engineers: TTCS Consulting Engineers Main Contractor: Murray & Roberts Botswana Electrical Contractor: ERS Mechanical Contractor: Air Care Curtain walling: HHP Interiors Gross Floor Area: 6,300m2 Duration: 12 months Completion Date: January, 2010 Type Contract: Joint Building Contracts Committee (JBCC), 2000 Series

FNB Regional Office, Interior view

BOIDUS FOCUS Thursday 7-13 July, 2011

Buildings Page 7

Revitalising Urban Centres in Africa 2011: August 2011

by Boidus Admin

WHEN: 2-3 August 2011 WHERE: Southern Sun Grayston Hotel, Sandton, Johannesburg, South Africa Urban areas in Africa are faced with crucial challenges of an increasing population as more and more people choose to make a living in towns and cities. The major problems facing urban centres are the decaying and ageing infrastructure which make it less attractive to investment. In most centres there is the overcrowding and failure to effectively use urban space to promote a healthy environment to conduct business.

For a city to be vibrant and investor friendly there is a critical need to engage all the stakeholders who can come up with workable plans.

iTowers to give Gaborone City a new look

by Boidus Admin / Image © iTowers

iTowers, snapshot of You Tube flythrough video

BDC’s ‘Iconic’ Tower

by Boidus Admin / Images © BDC

Comprising three buildings, the tallest of which will scale an impressive 21 storeys, the building named ‘iTowers’ will stand opposite the High Court in the new Central Business District. A representative of the iTowers developers, Manhar Mooney said the complex will consist primarily of two office towers with accompanying retail area, restaurant and a business centre. He said the first tower would comprise of 21 storeys consisting of a double basement parking area, 15 storeys of office accomodation while the balance would be residential units with a roof-top terrace. “iTowers incorporates building methods that conform to the most stringent international ‘green’ standards with passive energy design and control, and smart village technology and a fibre optic backbone,” he said.

Located in Fairgrounds in the city of Gaborone, the new property development

by Botswana Development Corporation will cover 33 000 square metres. It will include a 4 star hotel, shopping arenas and a 15 storey tower, which will be the tallest building in Botswana.

The project will be built in two phases.

The first phase, in which the tower, three buildings and hotel (costing together P460 million), will be built, is expected to begin as soon as approval from city authorities. This first phase is estimated to take three years to complete. The project will be financed through BDC equity and funds from other financial institutions.

BDC Tower, Aerial view

Bridgetown Resort: The Gateway to an Adventurer’s Paradise

by Boidus Admin / Images © Bridgetown Resort

Type E Cabana_Single Bed Apartments

few kilometers from the planned Historic, Country Linking Bridge over the mighty Zambezi River, Bridgetown will be a unique place in Africa, not only a place where you can bridge FOUR COUNTRIES, but a place where the gateway to an adventurer’s paradise opens.

The Birds eye view of the resort complex

Bridgetown (Pty) Ltd is a wholly owned, citizen company formed and incorporated for the specific purpose of developing the BRIDGETOWN project in Kazungula, Botswana. The shareholders are two Batswana who have joined forces, pooled their resources and have em-

barked on this journey to bring their vision to the benefit of ordinary Batswana.

The Resort, set to be constructed just off the banks of the Chobe River will offer its users a reviving and astounding view of the river. Set to be built only a

The Complex will boast: 92 luxurious and SPACIOUS, self catering apartments, all fully furnished, equipped and set out in the best that modern architecture, furniture, appliances and technology can provide. The final touches to the resort will be the construction of a luxury Hotel and Conference facility.

Urban renewal is designed to benefit all people within the urban renewal area, in surrounding neighborhoods and throughout the city and metropolitan area. The urban renewal plan, which guides all public spending in the area, is conceived by public officials and citizens who are best able

to make decisions about how to improve their neighborhood. And everyone benefits from the results of urban renewal, which often includes better planning, more open space, more efficient traffic patterns, better transportation options, diversified housing choices and more enjoyable amenities.

Advertising Page 8

BOIDUS FOCUS Thursday 7-13 July, 2011

RDC Properties has various properties that include Tholo Office Park, Standard House, MASA Centre and ISALO Rock Lodge in Madagascar.

RDC Properties are managed by Property and Asset Management Limited managers; therefore for more information about office spaces available please call any of the property managers at +267 3914548.

Tholo Office Park at Fairgrounds - A Grade office block in ditioned, mature & well landscaped garden with ample floor and 2nd floor each measuring 162sqm @ P13 770, 1

BOIDUS FOCUS Thursday 7-13 July, 2011

a prestigious & well maintained office park. Fully air-con& secure parking. Three office suites available on the 1st 164sqm@ P13940, and 235sqm@19 975. All VAT exclusive.

Advertising Page 9

MASA Centre is currently our most exciting project thus so far. It will have the first 3D cinema in Botswana, up class restaurants, Holiday Inn Hotel, all types of shops and offices all in one complex.

We have available office spaces at MASA Centre as follows: 1st Floor Offices: A - 314sqm B - 344sqm C - 331.42sqm

2nd Floor Offices: B&G - 344.37sqm C&F - 331.42sqm H - 341.18sqm

3rd Floor Offices:

A&D- 229.10sqm + a terrace on the 4th floor measuring approximately 100sqm at P40/sqm

Feature Project Page 10

BOIDUS FOCUS Thursday 7-13 July, 2011

Botswana Innovation Hub by Shop Architects: A 300 Million Pula Ambitious Gamble

by H. Killion Mokwete, ARB Registered Architect, RIBA Chartered Architect / Images ©SHoP Architects

Botswana Innovation Hub, View from drive

Botswana’s 50million USD (P3000 million) is set to soon don the Gaborone skyline, with its floating roofs on the northern skyline of the city.

The project which is Botswana’s attempt to launch itself into the high technology industry is spearheaded by the Government’s property developer Botswana Development Corporation (BDC) through the Botswana Innovation Hub. BIH is being developed as a science and technology park, which will be a nexus for knowledge creation and innovation.

Speaking at the ground breaking ceremony of the development, Minister of Infrastructure, Science and Technology, Johnie Swartz notef that: “…BIH seeks to encourage greater collaboration among universities, research laboratories, large and small companies in order to facilitate the conversion of new ideas into innovative technologies ready for the market. We see it as an effective means to generate employment and make existing companies more competitive through cooperative research and development, shared facilities, and benefits derived from common locations,” he continued to explain.

Designed by US’s celebrated stararchitects, SHoP, the BIH is set to be a amalgamation of Morden sustainable technologies (to be first LEED building in Botswana) and to act as the main key driver towards attracting foreign research companies to set up in Botswana.

The design as recently described by Sharples, on of SHoP’s director: SHoP’s design does two important things (besides being a showcase).

First: It’s adamant about fostering a science and tech community — not just a sprawling business park. Bridges link the four central volumes and between them, you’ve got gardens — what Sharples calls “breakout spaces where people from various companies could come and meet and have an opportunity for collaboration.” It sounds negligible, but it’s actually an important selling point.

For one, it’ll help overseas employees feel less isolated in a foreign country.

But also: Imagine how tickled a startup would be by bumping into Google folks on a break. Likewise, Google could doubtless benefit from the creative energy of fresh blood. (This is purely hypothetical; we have no idea if Google will open an office here.)

Secondly, the building introduces green architecture to a part of the world where it doesn’t exist. SHoP’s design exploits both active and passive energy-

saving techniques to slash the building’s carbon footprint by 50 percent compared with the American national standard (called ASHRAE). The roof, for instance, draws on both photovoltaics and large overhangs to passively shade the building’s interior from intense solar heat. “They’ve never done a sustainable building in Botswana. It’s going to be very new,” Sharples says. “We’re bringing in new technology, and we’re showing how we use digital technology to design and manage the design process.”

In short, SHoP sees the Innovation Hub itself as a model of innovation.

Beyond the obvious good design principles and intentions of the project idea itself, questions are beginning to be asked about its sustainability beyond energy use. Asked if he thinks this scheme will find users and how it will not become a white elephant, Sharples, noted: We don’t know who the end-users will be. We have very guarded optimism about the project. Though there does seem to be an interest. And they [the government] have already spent a significant chunk of money on the infrastructure, so they’re going to move forward on this. I believe they’re going to

get the investment they need.

This is a revealing statement which highlights one of the key potential weaknesses of this ambitious project: Just because it is a good looking building does not automatically translate into success. There needs to be a clear implementation strategy as to how this technological leap is going to actually happen? In a country where a planned Botswana International University of Science Technology (BIUST) is already doomed to failure, it is hard to see how this new hub will attract investors where skilled manpower in technology is non existent.

There currently is no apparent ground swell of mobilization within the country to prepare or turn the nation into a technological aware nation. The basic technology infrastructure is still in dire conditions. Power shortage for example will not be resolved way after the hub has been completed. The country’s research industry is none existent, and there are no concerted efforts to build it. Therefore the success of this billion Pula scheme is wholly based on the arrival of foreign investors and still the questions of why investors would want

to leave Brazil, Japan, Europe, USA and come here have not yet been answered with any clarity.

The Hub’s benefit’s to the people of this country could only be identified in employment and tax revenues from these international companies by the Minister recently answering a question in parliament about….‘how the functions of the Innovation Hub and how it will benefit rural areas‘. These are worrying indications of the fragility of this projects long term sustainability.

PROJECT FACTS & CREDITS: Location of Project: Gaborone, Botswana, Africa Phase: In Design Type of Project: Master Plan / Commercial / Research Client/Owner/Developer: Botswana

Botswana Innovation Hub, Courtyard view (Summer)

Botswana Innovation Hub, View into courtyards

Development Corporation Total Square Footage: 270,000 SF building area / 57 hectare site Project Cost: $50m Name of Firm: SHoP Architects, PC Location of Firm: New York, NY CONSULTANTS: Local Architect: Nuttall Smith Architects Structural Engineer: Pula Engineers with WSP Structures Mechanical, Plumbing, Fire Protection Engineer: North Atlantic Consulting Engineers Sustainability Consulting: TBD Civil / Geotechnical Engineer: Pula Engineers with WSP Structures Landscape Architect: Green Inc. Lighting Consultant: Tillotson Design Associates Master Plan done in collaboration with Arup

BOIDUS FOCUS Thursday 7-13 July, 2011

Education Page 11

Architecture School Experience: Part 1 / Undergraduate Degree

Your questions answered...

HOW MANY YEARS DOES IT TAKE TO STUDY ARCHITECTURE? A typical Professional Degree is 5 years; normally the final year is an opportunity for students to do a design thesis, where they can develop their own project briefs based on their knowledge, understanding, and opinions on architecture.

by Bridget T. MacKean, Master of Arts, Bachelor of Architecture

RPI School of Architecture, Main Entrance

Nothing can really prepare you for architecture school. It’s a time of pain, confusion, tiredness, and frustration, and yet many architects would say it was some of the best few years of their life – I would be one of those people. You are put through 5 years of grueling tutorials, pin-ups, presentations, and reviews which can at times be so demoralizing that you start to question your own intelligence. Looking back, part of the problem could have been that at times of presentation, you are lucky to have slept more than 3 hours total in the previous 36 hours, which may not account for very legible speech.

It is not uncommon that after the first year of architecture school, the class size is halved. You enter your second year wondering what happened to those students, and if this is normal.

I remember one of my lecturers at a school BBQ told us, “You guys just don’t understand, not everyone can handle the all-nighters, the studio environment, and the uncertainness of what

they are doing. Architecture is not for anyone, it’s for the rare few.” I wondered at the time whether this was actually “University”, or some bizarre Architecture boot-camp which I had mistakenly signed up for. If you ever tried to complain to your teacher that you had pulled an all-nighter, there was absolutely no sympathy thrown in your direction – that was expected, and they would ask what you produced during that time. At times it felt like some sort of competition among your classmates; who could pull the most all-nighters in a row. When you finally graduate, I think ¼ of students survived the whole way through, and it is only then, you actually feel proud of what you have accomplished.

School in general is a challenge in time management, research, comprehension, and questioning of the world around you; Architecture is no different in this sense. What would be the point of going to an Architecture degree program if you came out of it designing exact copies of what you have seen your whole life? That wouldn’t really be designing, would it? You have to become a critic in your own right. In order to comprehend architecture you have to strip yourself of all that you know, go back to basics of enclosure; floors, walls, and ceilings. My first exercise I did during first year was to start by building a grid of walls. These walls were 8 feet high, and arranged in a grid pattern of 8 walls x 8 walls, intersecting in such a manner that every “cell” was 8ft by 8ft. The task was to create a sequence of spaces that people could walk through from this given set of walls by only cutting out, bending, or folding of the walls. I couldn’t understand what on earth I was supposed to learn from

Greene Building, School of Architecture, RPI, NY, USA

this assignment, and I struggled. What was even more confusing was that during the presentations, some students seemed to have ‘excelled’ in the assignment, and yet, I couldn’t understand for the life of my why. We all cut, folded, bent, and removed walls in apparently the same manner, but some were better than others? The teachers would measure this excellence by holding the models up and looking at it from different angles, as if they themselves were trying to imagine walking through the spaces. I was convinced for quite a long time after that it was just dumb luck for those students.

What I very much liked about Architecture school was the studio environment – I think it’s probably the most unique part of it. Every semester you are assigned a studio for your class, and everyone is given a large drafting table, cutting table, and storage unit. With everything you need right there in front of you, you end up living in the space – quite clever in a way on the part of the school. I even used to have a blanket and small fridge in my storage space – just in case. The building is open 24 hours, and you never once saw all the lights go out in the Architecture Building; there is always some student there all hours of the night. I found that those nights spent in the studio before a deadline, or perhaps just out of shear

motivation, were my favorite and most productive times. Design requires a sort of obsession, or passion, which can take an insane about of drawing and exploration, and it sometimes takes quite a lot of hours of sitting at your desk with a roll of trace paper and pens to get it where you want it. Even then, you’ll find at times that you try to make a model of what you are thinking of out of cardboard, and find different, more exciting solutions. We used to get so tired during the early hours of the morning that we came up with games to amuse ourselves. Our favorite was “box” where one would stick a large cardboard box over their head (which was always available in a studio) and the rest of us would spin them until they were dizzy enough. Then the aim was to make their way around the studio in the shortest time possible.

Looking back, it does not sound very amusing, but at the time, we couldn’t have wanted anything more than a cardboard box.

End of Year Exhibition, AA School of Architecture, 2006

Architecture school teaches you some good habits of versatility; if something is not working with one method, try another. It’s a type of “sense” that you have to learn – when to stop and try from another angle – almost like trying to solve a puzzle in your own unique style. You have to become a master at model making, drawing, sketching, CAD, 3d modeling, and presentation. In this way, you often find that Architecture school can prepare you for even more than just becoming an Architect.

I know many who have gone to graphic design, computer animation, product design, and other fields. At times like these, with the economy so unstable and the building industry at a halt in most countries, these versatile skills can come in handy, and is a clear benefit of architecture school.

Student Work 2010, Limkokwing University der to enrich their technical skills in the field, and in practice.

This student project was for a Retreat House for a client of their choice on a proposed rural site on the banks of a small river. The work is by Neo Ellah Letsholo, who is a graduate candidate for the 2011 Architecture Technology class.

WHICH ARE THE BEST SCHOOLS TO STUDY ARCHITECTURE? There is only one school in Botswana that offers a professional degree program in Architecture, University of Botswana. Abroad, there are several well-established prestigious schools in South Africa, USA, UK, Australia, Canada, Scandanavia, and others. The choices are plenty, it just takes research to find the best fit for you. The best place to start is: www.archos.org

Student Experiences...

STUDENT: Tshepiso SCHOOL: Port Elizabeth University (PE), South Africa YEAR: 3rd Studying Architecture in the Post Democratic South Africa, with its diverse culture and social influences, coupled with the demands of Architectural academia has been a challenging yet rewarding tapestry of experiences. Through that i have witnessed tremendous growth. Honestly; given a chance I would do it again.

STUDENT: Omar SCHOOL: University of Botswana YEAR: 5th The life of an architecture student is similar to that of a farmer, in the sense that you reap what you sow. I encountered sleepless nights, long hours and in the process found a brotherhood. I grew to become dedicated and self motivated. At the end of my teachings I emerged a leader.

by Boidus Admin / Work by Neo Ellah Letsholo Architecture Technology students at Limkokwing Unversity receive an Associate Degree after successfully completing 5 semesters of classroom-oriented education, and one semester on internship in a professional practice. During this time, they take a series of design & theory courses intented to aid them with the basic concepts of design in or-

WHAT DO I NEED TO HAVE DONE TO BE ABLE TO STUDY ARCHITECTURE? Generally various schools require different backgrounds, but common to most are: art (of some sort), mathematics, physics. Nowadays many schools require the submission of a portfolio in addition to the application.

Retreat House design proposal, Aerial view of model

Housing Page 12

BOIDUS FOCUS Thursday 7-13 July, 2011

Botswana Faces a Huge Housing Problem

by H. Killion Mokwete, ARB Registered Architect, RIBA Chartered Architect The minister of Lands and Housing, Nonofo Molefhi, has gone on record on several occasions admitting that the Botswana Housing Corporation (BHC) houses are too expensive. Lately he was quoted in the Gazette, 16 February 2011: “As a shareholder we are not happy with some of their prices; we believe they are too expensive hence most Batswana would not be in a position to afford them,” said Molefhi.

He has previously been quoted having said: “Bagaetsho, I am aware of the concerns by some people that BHC houses are unaffordable in relation to their potential tenants and purchasers’ incomes.

This could be true to a certain extent but we must, however, note that the corporation faces several challenges in its endeavours to meet its mandates, which include high cost of construction inputs as well as the cost of development, particularly where there are no infrastructural services,” argued Molefhi.

[Sunday Standard 23-09-2010]

This extraordinarily honest assessment of BHC and its difficulties needs however to be pressed for specifics and go beyond just occasional sound bites in news statements and interviews. The Minister needs to be challenged to say exactly what he intends to do about this situation. In fact, this frank assessment needs to be extended to all of his other ministry’s housing agencies to review what they are doing about this which he calls ‘…a huge housing problem that Botswana face’.

The BHC Problem Botswana Housing Corporation (BHC) was founded in the 70’s and at some point received funding in donations for building its offices by the British Council. To date the BHC is a Botswana Stock Exchange listed (BSE) multi million Pula Corporation, with assets worth over 1.2 Billion Pula in 2002. A startling fit of wealth compared to the housing predicament of most Batswana over the same period.

Guiding its transformation since its formation, the BHC has had a long standing mandate from the Act of Parliament (Act No: 75 of 1970) which states in part that BHC is: To provide for the housing, office and other building needs of the Government and Local Authorities.

For one to understand the root of the BHC’s housing problems one can trace them back here. In no way does this mention Batswana let alone affordability of shelter or shelter provision as a ‘human right’. In fact it is here that the BHC always responds to criticism of the organization by pointing out that as far as they are concerned they are carrying out their mandate perfectly. In its current form, the BHC’s mandate is not adequate for the enormity of Botswana’s housing problems which makes BHC a party rather than solution to this problem.

Housing Affordability BHC’s lowest house/flat prices in the current market are in excess of P330 000 (BHC website). Clearly this shows just how out of reach the BHC houses are for many ordinary Batswana. The low income or no income citizens of this country are not in the BHC’s strategic market aim.

It’s perfectly safe to assume that BHC’s purposeful drive is to make profit, but one needs to ask at what cost? To what point does BHC tout itself as the ‘biggest housing cooperation in the country’ and has yet to develop any affordable housing model?

BHC’s limited house purchasing schemes such as; The Tenant Purchase Scheme (TPS) currently suspended, Step Ownership Scheme (SOS) currently suspended and the latest Sectional Title Scheme are too little and too inaccessible, making the situation worse.

Why are BHC houses expensive?

So often, answers to why BHC houses are so expensive always range from issues of land cost to construction prices, but these are technical issues that come with the business of being in property development: Shortage of Land Land scarcity is not the result of innate land shortages in Botswana, but rather of the limits created by land-use regulation. In Botswana there is available developable land on which one could build up, not just horizontally. But regulation prevents its development; therefore this scarcity is artificial in the sense that policy created it.

The land yield needs to be maximized through a close cooperation of building control policies and property developers. In Botswana, land shortage is closely attributed to our out-of-date planning regulations that still insist on minimal building footprint, minimal habitation density, restricted building heights and single tenure developments. BHC is in part government and over the years they have conformed without question to these bizarre planning laws. Our cities are still being developed as if they were suburban settlements where everyone has to have a backyard garden.

Acquiring more land and failing to maximise its yield will not solve the issue of land costs. BHC needs to partake in reforming these outdated and inappropriate land use planning laws. The Minister also happens to be responsible for both the land, building and planning laws and is best placed to have a holistic review of the root cause of this problem.

Building Materials The cry of building material costs and our industries reliance on South Africa can be likened to our food prices and its tied relationship to oil prices. Until we develop and embrace our locally available materials, the only option is to apply creativity on how these expensive materials are used sparingly and sustainably on buildings. BHC’s housing model typologies are often all uniform and simple by design, presumably to reduce cost that variety brings, but even then these standard templates always lack creative use of alternative materials and technologies. BHC, with its manpower and finance muscle, should be spearheading a

fully fledged Research and Design (R+D) arm which sets the pace for appropriate use of materials and sustainable, cost effective ways of building in our country’s climatic condition. Research and Design is a fully fledged knowledge based industry which can also bring huge financial benefits.

Housing Prices and Construction Costs High prices everywhere reflect the intersection of strong demand and limited supply. If demand for a product is weak, then prices cannot be high, no matter how tight supply may be. If supply is unrestricted, then prices can’t increase much above production costs, no matter how strong the demand may be.

These basic principles of microeconomics apply to housing, just as they do to all goods. Therefore concerted efforts in building homes strategically for affordability will reduce the current chronic demands for accommodation. Of course this could have effects to the housing market itself in terms of profitability, but then affordability of housing should be pursued with a core aim of sheltering the majority of people who cannot afford any decent accommodation as it is.

Housing Market Prices and Rental Prices The BHC CEO, R. Motswaiso once argued that rental stagnation and freeze, further pushes the corporation’s margins lower, worsening spiralling costs.

This he said was because rental increases have to be approved by government. Rental price controls have long proven not to solve any housing affordability issues. Assar Lindbeck (1977, 39) famously said, “next to bombing, rent control seems to be the most efficient technique so far for destroying cities.”

Economists have long emphasized social loss from rent control which counteracts any benefits enjoyed by those who occupy low rent controlled units.

Most significantly, lower prices mean less supply. If rent control lowers rents, it will also ensure less building of rental properties. (Olsen, 1972).

Therefore rental control, which the government seems to be banking on as some kind of measure to affordability, is a big problem in itself.

Housing Beyond BHC: Review of Other Government Housing Schemes There needs to be a holistic review of all other government housing schemes initiated. Many schemes under the MLH such as SHHA need to be thoroughly reviewed and overhauled. SHHA has existed for over 30 years now and the problem of housing has since escalated, there couldn’t be a better reason to review its performance. What has it achieved and what have been its shortfalls? This and other schemes cannot afford to pretend that they exist while in actual fact they have made negligible difference to the critical housing problems. Ultimately a comprehensible Housing Policy is long over due.

BOIDUS FOCUS Thursday 7-13 July, 2011

Comments Page 13

A Letter from the Editor: Boidus Newspaper’s First Edition

by H. Killion Mokwete

BOIDUS FOCUS EDITORIAL I would like to welcome our readers to a new publication called Boidus Focus.

Boidus Focus is a Built Environment focused publication that will be printed fortnightly. As an industry specific publication we will strive to create a platform onto which the built environment in Botswana can be nurtured through critical discussions, expert essays, information and networking.

Our focus is to create a hub or meeting point [a-boidus] of all creative minds no only in Botswana but also place provides a vital link of our local industry to the international world.

This diverse community will also provides a place for debate and discussions, free speech, the sharing of ideas, and social networking.

BOIDUS IS • individuals working together towards a common goal.

• a social network dedicated to creativity.

• interaction between the arts, architecture and design across the creative media.

• lifestyle, career, theory, fashion…diversity of subject.

WHY BOIDUS For every profession there needs to be a vessel for communicating. This communication can be between professionals, the industry, and the consumer.

The consumer needs to be in a position to access information regarding what the architectural industry is up to. A platform for discussion and discourse needs to be created where open, earnest discussion on important issues besieging the industry and Boidus Focus will offer this.

OUR CORE READERS Boidus will be mostly used by industry specialists from architecture, Quantity surveying, engineers, contractors, researchers, education, parastatal bodies, government and most importantly the building consumer.

Boidus Focus is a platform for showcasing fresh new talent and the latest news across the design industry.

VISIT OUR WEBSITE For more information on Boidus, or to see where it all began, visit us at www.boidus.co.bw BOIDUS IS ON FACEBOOK, TWITTER, AND FLICKR Follow us on these social websites to keep up to date; FACEBOOK: “BoidusBW” TWITTER: twitter.com/BoidusBW FLICKR: “Boidus Botswana”

Botswana’s Architecture Design & Urban Landscape Newspaper

A biweekly design newspaper distributed on Mondays.

Subscribe Now Get your copy delivered your door: send your details to:

SEND YOUR COMMENTS AND LETTERS: EMAIL: mail@boidus.co.bw OR VISIT: www.boidus.co.bw

> Jan Wareus on “‘Redevelopment’ of Ext. 2: Gaborone City Council”

I’m amazed!

After more than 30 yrs of planning here in Botswana and a major part being the Gaborone development, we have known that a crucial part of this planning is the “transition” of the initial “garden city” concept.

Finally, the GCC planners have reaized the same! A bit late, maybe even too late…

We are part of a “global” economy. Within a few yrs time there will be no funds for “upgrading” infrastructure to cope with fancy ideas of anything like expensive “transitional” developments. This is a fact as Ms Ramotswe’s secretary use to say!

Bubbles (dollars and oil) will burst and this is very soon – are you only reding Financial Times? Not the best information about future. Try some sites NOT payed

by Murdoch et cons! Countercurrents, Common Dreams for instance. There you find the facts we have to live with soon!

In developed countries, the dancing around the Golden Calf (made of overvalued dollars and cheap oil) is now “slow time” but, here, just starting as a frenzy. Meaning that what will happen will hit harder than necessary! And will be regarded as a “catastrophy” – but is is not – it’s wellknown! Will we ever learn?

Roads people are turning the city into some kind of a Los Angeles suburb.

Using borrowed money! When all informed people knows that “get rid of loans”! And GCC is hoping to reshape extension 2 to something it can never become – also on loans, we assume.

Private enterprises has gone somewhere else and will fight the coming bad era from there. GCC is hoping that “planning consultants” as badly informed as most people, will save the future for Ext 2. Gosh – it’s just wishful thinking with no justification of “planning”. Where are professional ethics and morals? Most decision maker are hoping that planners know more than

BOIDUS F O C U S

naive extrapolations of the past!

Now I see a more than 60 yrs old map of Ext 2 with slightly changed colours.

This is not planning, my friends – this is waste of colours, only. Your map – the plan – is indicating a horisontal segregation (or zoning) of land uses. Understand that an area under transition is doomed to have its plot boundaries changed! The so called mixed development will be more “vertical” than “horisontal” – that’s a wellknown fact for experienced planners from cities and towns in transition.

It’s not clever to paint existing plots in different colours – red, blue and yellow. Put a so far unknown colour on the whole area and call it “area under transition – land use to be negotiated”.

Leave it to risk taking land owners to negotiate with you of the future land use! And make them pay for necessary infrastructure upgrading! This is called “advocacy planning”! The party’s over for free tickets to next dance…

What I have said so far was the conclusion of the Ralph Erskine Seminar in 1992 about the Gaborone development. Ext 2 was studied (in parts). A copy of the findings was given to GCC. If you can not find it, ask prof Mosha at UB for a new copy!

To your detailed questions: 1. Circulation – As I have indicated, things now (and in the future) must be based on existing infrastructural conditions – there won’t be funds for citywide constructions! Necessary “local” contributions must be negotiated with the proposal. Much of convenient circulation will be achieved by cutting off some land from the existing shool (mainly at north and west). If not possible for vehicular movements, a few meters for pedestrians will be appreciated; 2. Parking and Loading – Seeabove – simple, cost effective (ie. mostly payed

by proposal) acceptable; 3. Siting on Plots – As per negotiations with proposal and in line with exising conditions;

4. Plot Coverage – As acceptable by exist. conditions and poss. upgrading by econ. negotiations; 5. Number of Storeys – See above; 6. Type of Mixed Land Use – As acceptable to GCC and and the developers costs; 7. Infrastructure Upgrading – In principle – nil! Negotiate what the proposal can take; 8. Development Implementation Strategy – Base it on “short term” – long term will be out of “planning proper”; 9. Fences and Walls – negotiate and keep neighbours happy!

10. Fire Prevention and General Safety – You have your byelaws!

11. Land Scaping and Street Scaping – Have a look (in web) how this issue is handled in Netherlands, for instance.

Quite different from here and back to basics (as it was before the car and let the car be on equal with the pedestrian!

12. Concept and Urban Form – Don’t make us laugh! When did you got interested in this issue?

From your quests it is obvious that you are only interested in rather insignificant bureaucrazy issues.

Wake up guys and make us proud as planners! Stop eliminating perfecly good roundabouts (better with small improvements – see S.A.V E – roudabouts on the web! Do not accept that fine feeder roads in Gabs are “upgraded” to HIGHWAYS! Do your job and we will talk in the future! (www.boidus.co.bw)

> Matshelo Chimbombi on “Creating Homes for People Should Not Be a ‘Pet Project’”

We need affordable housing because not everyone at every stage in their life is able to afford the full cost of owning a house outright.

I agree fully with the points mentioned in the article. The planning system and the housing agency(s) should be looked into as to how they can deliver on this mandate.

There are many factors that come together to create sustainable places. Transport

infrastructure , Leisure facilities, retail outlets, schools are a few of those that need to be considered. Community involvement is a must. It ensures that the needs of the residents are delivered on, and not what politicians think is necessary in order to win votes. Intensification should also be rolled out by BHC. The current housing plan of building single storey, detached housing in monotonous rows and columns should be discontinued. The current BHC housing layout does not address the pressing issues of shortage of

land, affordable housing and mixed use development in the creation of place.

We should also detract from the stereotype that affordable housing is aimed at society’s lower class. In the UK various development agencies have managed to integrate high cost housing with affordable housing without any loss in value to the high class units. These include the Greenwich Millennium Village and Upton- urban extension Northampton. (www.boidus.co.bw)

> Michael Richards on “Lobatse – A Town of Oddities and Contrasts”

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Fascinating to read all this. I arrived in Lobatsi by train in May 1955 from Cape Town, stayed in the Lobatsi Hotel owned by Sid & Doris Milner. My father Taliesin Richards came to take over from a Mrs Gunter as headmaster of the the Lobatsi Government European School. He did a wonderful job and was loved and respected by Europeans and Bechuanas. He served with Bechuanas during the war and was very fond of them and their country.

He became Secretary of the Teaching Service in 1965 in Gaberones. Some of his teachers: Miss Chepe and Quet Masire went on to hold high office. I knew Russell and Sheila England very well and the Germonds and most of the other characters in the Lobatsi of the 50′s and 60′s, Dusty Rhodes, Izzy Hill,Gavin Lamont(Geological Survey) Dennis Sturgeon (Director of CDC), Doctors Van Rooien, Gemmell and Oliver & Vin Malan BP Police. My mother

taught in both the European and Indian Schools. I played my first round of golf on the golf course/runway behind the school hostel which I think is now the Mental Hospital. Tonsuls taken out in the Athlone Hospital in 1956.(some of the spelling may be incorrect) I have very much enjoyed McCall Smith’s books as they evoke many wonderful memories of the people of Bechuanaland/Botswana. (www.boidus.co.bw)

Professional Practice Page 14

BOIDUS FOCUS Thursday 7-13 July, 2011

Procuring Building Services & Instructing your Architect

by Boidus Admin

Contracting Systems for your Project...

TRADITIONAL PROCUREMENT METHOD: ARCHITECT AS THE KEY CONSULTANT In broad terms this is where the client commissions the Architect to take a brief (or develop one), produce design and construction information, invite tenders, administer the project during the construction process, and settle the project’s final account. This process is probably the most used in Botswana by independent developers. The Architect is the core driver and offers advice to the client on other related aspects of the project such as required consultants for the project, project statutory requirements, planning and local authority requirements, and project funding and fundraising procedure options. Here the contractor is non design related and is only responsible for executing the building work in accordance with the drawings and specifications produced by the Architect and other professionals. This highlights the critical importance of what an Architect could bring to a project. It is therefore a role that a client should acknowledge as very important, doing everything in their power to get the right architect for the job, and making sure to cultivate a good relationship with the Architect.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT: PROJECT MANAGER AS THE KEY CONSULTANT Under Project Management, a dedicated project manger is engaged to advise and sometimes supervise the whole building project process on behalf of the client. Under this route the project manager would conduct the procurement process from inception to completion depending on the agreement. Project management emphasizes on timely delivery and cost control. Also, the project risks are apportioned to second parties guaranteeing the client endures reduced potential projects risks.

DESIGN AND BUILD: THE CONTRACTOR AS THE KEY AGENT Under Design and Build (sometimes referred to as turnkey) the client relies on the Contractor to carry out the procurement of the project, who hands in the keys to a client with a completed project. This method of procurement goes through stages, and primarily clients who prefer it are more concerned about timely delivery and cost control. Cost overruns and other risks are reduced as the Contractor assumes full responsibility of the project delivery.

DESIGN AND MANAGE: HYBRID OF PROJECT MANAGER AND DESIGN CONSULTANTS AS CLIENT AGENTS / CONSTRUCTING MANAGEMENT: HYBRID OF CONTRACTOR AND PROJECT MANAGERS AND KEY CLIENT AGENTS Other methods such as Design and Manage and Construction Management are usually employed in complex schemes where corporate clients are involved. Projects undertaken through these systems often are phased projects with many ‘clients’ and funding arrangements. In Botswana projects such as Public Private Partnerships (PPP) schemes where government and private sector are procuring a project in partnership would be using these methods or a hybrid variation of them.

Building procurement is a complex process costing a lot of money, and it is a component which, when done correctly, enables the building construction itself to proceed smoothly. The complexity of the procuring process is compounded by the many professions involved, all of whom are separate of each other but need to work together to realize a building project. This is unlike in many other fields, for example in medicine, a doctor often would refer to all the other specialists’ fields found in medicine. One goes to a doctor as a first point of health consulting and trusts that from then on, all the advice would then lead to where they need assistance.

In architecture and the building industry however, things are very different.

There is not necessarily a one point of contact where one can get all the assistance and advice. For the corporate client with resources, the process could easily be outsourced to contracting managers and project management specialists who would offer advice, and in some cases undertake the whole procuring process on behalf of the client.

For an independent client who just wants to procure a one off building project with limited funds, the process is a complex matrix with an array of specialists and consultants all needing to be coordinated at the same time.

These consultants, ranging from architects, engineers, surveyors, planning officers, environmentalists, real estate managers, bankers and others all cost money. If not properly instructed and understood it could be the difference between a successful building project and a white elephant.

In fact the poor choice of procuring systems and/or poor management of the systems might lead to litigation disputes, unfinished or poorly finished works, project delays and cost overruns.

A building project usually has many intentions behind its conception and many of these are personally driven and unique to each project. These could range from the project being conceived as a business ambition, a shelter provision or as a profit driven development, but all of these different scenarios have implications on the criteria of the procurement process.

Botswana Building Planning Application Process

by Boidus Admin

Points considered when applying for Planning Application...

BUILDING SITTING ON THE PLOT AND PLOT COVERAGE Set backs from the boundary or fence walls are a compulsory requirement for any type of development. The size of set backs differs depending on the proposed development use. The rule of thumb to use is that for every given height the proposed building, you need at least half the height from the three sides.

NUMBER OF STOREYS AND OPEN SPACE PROVISION The height of the building is controlled by the development control code. It is critical to consult with local authorities to establish the limit in you area. Any developments more than one storey will have to be approved with consent of the neighbours. Therefore, ensure that a neighbourhood consultation form is completed and submitted with youR application.

VEHICLE PARKING AND ACCESS Minimum parking requirements are also a compulsory requirement, which differs depending on the proposed building use. For residential developments, a minimum of 1 parking space is a requirement for single family residential and 1.5 spaces per dwelling unit for multi family development. The provision of parking also has guidelines on access roadways and turning circles.

The process of building in Botswana especially in urban or semi urban areas is regulated by the Town and Country Planning Act and the Building Control Act, administered by the Department of Town and Regional Planning (DTRP), while Local Authority Planning considers standard applications. Often, building developers and home builders are faced with having to learn the dynamics of some of the stat-

utory compliance terms such as; change of use, planning application, building control etc for the first time when they first approach an architect or design consultant. It can be a daunting process to try and understand these while also trying to understand other aspects of building procurement such as what it is that you really should expect from your architect, developer or design consultant.

For a building structure to be legally built, it has to have acquired planning application normally processed by your local planning authorities. A planning committee or board will assess the submitted plans/drawings for compliance with the planning regulations.

These regulations are guided by a guideline document found here where you can also download Planning Application Forms: www.mlh.gov.bw

Criteria for procurement paths...

TIME FACTOR Time factor is a critical aspect tied to the procurement process to ensure certainty and fixed economy of the project. Some projects have to be delivered on a specific time for the whole development to be viable.

COST RELATED CRITERION Similarly, project costs could properly be annexed to the procurement process ensuring controlled economy of the project. Where project costs are the driving element, appropriate procurement processes are needed to ensure the success of the project.

CONTROL CRITERION In some cases the project risks are annexed into the procurement process so they can be apportioned accordingly to the contracting parties in the project.

The benefits and risks of the project being procured are shared amongst parties as a core part of the procuring process.

SIZE/VALUE AND OR COMPLEXITY The project scope in size and complexity could also be a key factor in determining the procuring criterion or system. In this case procuring a simple family house and, say, a specialist research laboratory, are distinguished by their level of complex special skills needed to undertake the project.

Instructing your Architect...

Under usual procedures, a client would have a brief with which they would use to instruct an Architect. However, most independent clients do not know how to develop a comprehensive project brief, and therefore the Architect needs to be a part of that process, developing the project brief with the client at the earliest conception of the project. Often a client would have land on which they want to undertake a development without really knowing what the value of the proposed project could be or other development potential.

In this case you need an Architect, and it is critically important to know how to instruct your Architect. We have discussed here before how one could know who is and who is not an Architect, which is equally important. Visit www.boidus.co.bw to see the discussion.

An Architect is trained to advise clients on the feasibility and viability of a potential project and options. After a feasibility study, an Architect should be able to advise whether the client’s land would be better in developing a hotel, housing, shopping complex or any other development. This feasibility study should be undertaken even before the architect does any scheme drawings. Depending on the feasibility option chosen, they should then be able to work with the client to develop a project brief which will outline the scope and size, development phasing, and appropriate procurement methods for the project. Plans and drawings are in themselves a late process which should only be fully engaged in when the scheme has been tested for its viability. Usually independent clients jump all these critical stages and ‘BUY A PLAN’. It is highly discouraged to buy a plan off the shelf when undertaking any development, because no building plans ‘fits all’ scenarios. Building plans are developed with their feasibility and viability having been tested and cannot just be substituted for one another.

Once the project has been found viable and funding secured, the Architect would advise the client on different consultant professionals required for the project. Often an Architect should also be able to recommend reputable professionals and negotiate fees on behalf of the client with the project’s feasibility in mind. Alone an inexperienced client would face challenges in determining which professional the project would need and how much they would cost.

Beyond these array of consultants to deal with, the risks of the project where appropriate advice has not be sought all fall on the client. Buying a plan does not come with time delivery schedules, and its cost control and implications are left to the client. The project procurement risks are universally known and that is why all building consultants are required to carry Indemnity Insurance as cover. The Architect would advise on the PI insurance for the other project’s consultants; hence, a client properly taking the Architects advice would have some cover to project risks related to the building process. Therefore under traditional method of procurement, the Architect is central to the client’s ambition of undertaking a successful project beyond just drawing plans and supervising the building.

BOIDUS FOCUS Thursday 7-13 July, 2011

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BOIDUS FOCUS Thursday 7-13 July, 2011