From a distance, it is its shiny exterior that first catches the
eye. As you step closer, a rooftop solar panel, an outdoor
security light and a roof overhang make Nosango Plaatjie's shack
stand out amid the sprawling cluster of makeshift wooden
structures and rusty corrugated iron dwellings where her
neighbors live. Welcome to the iShack, or improved shack, an
innovative approach to housing that's being tested in the
windswept slum of Enkanini, just outside Stellenbosch, South
Africa. The dwelling, developed by researchers at the University
of Stellenbosch, is intended to raise the living standards of
slum residents while improving their access to electricity and
protecting them from extreme temperatures in an environmentally
friendly way. The iShack prototype is occupied by Plaatje and
her three young children. It is fully equipped with a
photovoltaic panel capable of producing enough electricity to
power three lights, a mobile phone charger and an outdoor motion
detector spotlight. Its windows are strategi