OH 15 Iain Low Lesotho Work

OH ARCHITECTURE presents OH15 – Iain Low Lesotho Work. Over a period of 5 years, from 1982-1987, Professor Iain Low, architect and academic, implemented an integrated program to upgrade education and schools: the Training for Self Reliance Project [TSRP], that he designed and co-ordinated. Funded with an IDA loan from the World Bank for least developed countries, he worked on the 3rd and 4th phases of a project to design interventions at about 200 - 300 schools throughout Lesotho, thereby contributing enormously to the shortfall of education facilities in the country.  A system was evolved that would not only meet the demands of this massive service delivery project, but would also ensure local economic development and the continued growth and implementation of the project long after the designers of the system have moved on.

On a visit to the projects with Iain Low in early January of 2013, we found that the system has indeed endured and continues to be successfully implemented throughout the country through the Ministry of Education in Lesotho as well as being locally ‘interpreted’ by others around the Kingdom.

View a short video clip of our visit with Iain Low here 

For more information please email tours@oharchitecture.com.

Electronic bookings will open soon. 

OH7 Climate Skin

In response to the issue of ‘sustainability’ in architecture – an issue which is often exploited by the sale of gimmicks and tricks to ‘lower the carbon footprint of the building’ – I wanted to see what aspect of the building has the most influence in the saving of energy consumption. According to Paul Carew and Michelle Ludwig of  PJC Consulting, the temperature control of the building has a huge role to play and, in turn, the design of the façade becomes vital. How one designs the façade of the building in terms of heat gain, solar control and daylight penetration can save major costs not to mention renewable energy. So we spent the day walking through the city and looking at building facades while Paul and Michelle pointed out the various features which make the facades energy efficient or not. Photo credits: Ches Besada