Better Living Challenge

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A word of thanks from the BLC team

Jul 03, 2019

The BLC team wishes to express a word of thanks to everyone who supported the Design + Build Incubator, which was a major deliverable for the project – it would not have been possible without the active involvement of our funders, partners, and enthusiastic supporters who generously gave of their time and expertise.

The Western Cape Provincial Government through its Departments of Human Settlements and Economic Development were the key funders of the project and without their support, the BLC would not have continued into a second phase that focused on addressing the informal housing challenge.

The private sector in the form of companies and entrepreneurs, academic institutions, as well as non-profit organisations have also been instrumental:

  • The Building Centre was one of the key supporters of the BLC Design + Build Incubator. The Building Centre, based in Ysterplaat, Cape Town, hosted the three-week incubation programme by providing training space and an external site where the participants could build temporary structures. 
  • Vida e caffé, located at the Building Centre, which supported the Incubator with refreshments and catered our BLC Incubator Showcase event.
  • Fix Forward – a non-profit social enterprise that is creating opportunities for contractors in low-income communities to develop and thrive.
  • Development Action Group (DAG) – a non-profit organisation working throughout South Africa to address underlying causes of poverty and inequality in urban areas.
  • UBU – provides innovation around the housing challenges that face the people of Cape Town.
  • IKhayalami – Ikhayalami is a non-profit organisation whose primary aim is to develop and implement affordable technical solutions for informal settlement upgrading.
  • Youngman – A leading supplier of roof sheeting and associated products in various materials and profiles.
  • PEP – is an NGO that focuses on the creation of economically, socially and environmentally sustainable human settlements through community centered, incremental housing and upgrading programme rooted in pragmatic, on the ground implementation and delivery.
  • UCT (Architecture)
  • CPUT (Architecture)
  • Aurecon – An engineering, design and advisory company.
  • GreenCape – is an organisation that helps businesses and investors in the green economy to remove barriers to establishment and growth.
  • Arup – a firm of designers, engineers, architects and planners who are doing interesting exploratory work with BLC on access to materials.
  • Community Organisation Resource Centre: CORC – a non-profit organisation working in informal settlements supporting communities to improve their built environment.
  • Design Space Africa – An architecture, interiors and urban design company founded and directed by Dr Luyanda Mpahlwa.
  • Jonsson Workwear – A leading supplier of workwear solutions to South African businesses and individuals.
  • Jakupa Architects – Architecture and urban design company.
  • Builders Warehouse – a leading supplier of building materials.