[null, null, null, null, {"document_url": "http://architectafrica.com/intranet/archive/201806", "unformatted_src": "https://www.uclg.org/sites/default/files/2018_public_service.png", "src": "https://www.uclg.org/sites/default/files/2018_public_service.png", "formatted_filename": "public service", "alt_text": "2018 United Nations Public Services Forum: Local and Regional Governments at the heart of the debate", "rendered_width": 567, "rendered_height": 356}, null, null]


The Spa / M1K3 PROJECT

Submitted by AA News Network on 30 June, 2018 - 07:00

Text description provided by the architects. The project presents a complete interior refurbishment of the spa centre of hotel Kempinski Grand Arena Bansko, Bulgaria.

Hero Street Children Rescued Scores From the Burning Flats of Gikomba

Submitted by AA on 29 June, 2018 - 21:48

By Brian Okinda and James Kahongeh

On an ordinary day, Tyson Maina, a street boy, wakes up at five o'clock in the morning to embark on his daily hustle of hauling goods for those running businesses at Gikomba market in Nairobi.

However, Thursday morning, Maina was one of tens of other street children and volunteers who, without training or equipment, put their lives on the line to rescue people trapped in buildings after a fire broke out in the Nairobi suburb. By the latest count last evening, the fire had killed 15 and injured over 70.

"I was woken up by a blast that was followed by a series of sparking on power cables near the market," Maina told the Nation at the horrifying ruins of what had, just hours earlier, been the lifeline of tens, perhaps hundreds, of families.

READ MORE: https://www.nation.co.ke/news/street-boys-rescued-scores-Gikomba-fire/10...

Another Night Fire Rips Through Korogocho Market in Nairobi

Submitted by AA on 29 June, 2018 - 21:47

By James Kahongeh

Traders at Korogocho in Nairobi are counting losses after yet another fierce fire ripped through the open air market on Thursday night.

The flames reduced stalls and goods of unknown value to ashes.

According to the Kenya Red Cross, the fire, whose cause was not immediately established, started at 11pm.

Witnesses said the inferno spread quickly, flattening the tin stalls and destroying stock.

READ MORE: https://www.nation.co.ke/counties/nairobi/Another-night-fire-rips-throug...

ALSO: https://nairobinews.nation.co.ke/news/sonkos-silence-gikomba-fire/

AND : https://www.capitalfm.co.ke/news/2018/06/15-people-dead-gikomba-market-f...

Grahamstown to be Renamed Makhanda After Xhosa Warrior

Submitted by AA on 29 June, 2018 - 21:45

By Andre van Wyk

Cape Town — Minister of Arts and Culture Nathi Mthethwa has published a government gazette stating that Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape will be renamed Makhanda.

The name pays homage to the Xhosa warrior and philosopher, who was also known as Nxele. One of Makhanda's noted battles in his fight against colonialism was one where he led an attack against the British garrison at Grahamstown in 1819, Minister Mthethwa said.

"It is the Truth and Reconciliation Commission that recommended that the renaming of geographic features be a form of 'symbolic reparation' to address an unjust past," Mthethwa said.

READ MORE: http://allafrica.com/stories/201806290669.html

Meeting Ever-Growing Housing Needs

Submitted by AA on 29 June, 2018 - 21:43

By Godlove Bainkong

Difficult access to land and real estate loans at the origin of housing deficit estimated at over a million in Cameroon; a daunting challenge government strives to surmount.

Being lodged decently or capable of affording one gives almost all citizens cherished peace of mind, the possibility of ascertaining good health and by extension giving man the right frame of mind to stand up for himself and the nation.

As good as this sounds, it may not be true for many who battle under the weight of mounting hurdles to lodge themselves and families. In fact, it is estimated that the housing deficit in the country; at least decent ones, run into millions.

READ MORE: https://www.cameroon-tribune.cm/articles/20314/fr/

Ngoma District to Get Rwf8 Billion Stadium

Submitted by AA on 29 June, 2018 - 21:42

By Eddie Nsabimana

Residents, especially the youth in Ngoma District and its environs, can finally realize their long-held dream of a fully-fledged sports complex, following the finalization of plans for the construction of Ngoma Stadium.

The facility will be built in Kibungo sector, within Ngoma town, and is expected to cost $9 million (around Rwf8 billion) and it is expected to have capacity to host at least 15,000 people.

The construction activities of the stadium are set to begin next week, according to officials from China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), a Chinese construction company that will fund and build the stadium on a loan that will be repaid by the district for a period of five years.

READ MORE: http://www.newtimes.co.rw/news/ngoma-district-get-rwf8bn-stadium

Tatu City Signs Sh4 Billion Deal to Build 1,200 Affordable Homes in Kiambu

Submitted by AA on 29 June, 2018 - 21:40

By Kennedy Kangethe

Nairobi — Tatu City Managers Rendeavour has signed a deal with Real Estate developer Unity Homes for the construction of 1,200 affordable homes at Tatu City in Kiambu County worth Sh4 billion.

The project will address the shortage of affordable homes in Kenya and provide opportunities for local employment in the area.

The houses are set to be priced between Sh3 million and Sh5 million featuring approximately 600 ft² of floor space, two bedrooms, parking, modern kitchen, spacious stone worktops, stainless steel oven-hood and dining room/lounge.

READ MORE: https://www.capitalfm.co.ke/business/2018/06/tatu-city-signs-sh4b-deal-t...

Nairobi Building Approvals in Rebound as Calm Returns

Submitted by AA on 29 June, 2018 - 21:39

Nairobi's construction sector registered a 71 per cent rebound with Sh60.1 billion projects approved this year compared to Sh35 billion August to December 2017 approvals.

The latest economic indicators released by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) that captures the first three months shows investors specifically sought to inject Sh36.85 billion into residential developments compared to Sh23.55 billion during the August (election month) to December in 2017.

While investments in residential developments could indicate a scramble by investors out to cash in on the 200,000 annual housing deficit gap in Nairobi, KNBS observed that non-residential development registered Sh23.25 billion injection being an 11.56 per cent rise over last year's Sh11.66 billion.

READ MORE: https://www.nation.co.ke/business/996-4635366-2u1fh9z/index.html

New Plan Seeks to Use Alternative Technology in Building Houses

Submitted by AA on 29 June, 2018 - 21:38

By James Kariuki

Freeing public land for residential development projects in Nairobi has applied the brakes on the booming subdivision of land in satellite towns with an eye on the spillover from the centre.

Traditionally, those unable to afford high rents that come with staying close to town, have had the option of living further away or opting to set up their home in the outskirts of Nairobi. Many are also landlords.

But matters may not be looking so rosy for such people if a State backed plan delivers the envisaged number of housing units.

READ MORE: https://www.nation.co.ke/lifestyle/smartcompany/New-plan-seeks-to-use-al...

Chinese Firm to Construct Road Linking Kenya to South Sudan

Submitted by AA on 29 June, 2018 - 21:36

Kenya's North Rift region is set for transformation as a Chinese firms has won the tender to construct the first tarmac road that extends to South Sudan.

China National Aero-Technology International Engineering Corporation has been contracted to undertake the construction of the 60km road in a region referred to as Kenya's bread-basket.

Ferdinand Wanyonyi, a lawmaker in Kwanza Constituency in Trans Nzoia County, on Tuesday hailed the 20 million U.S. dollars project funded by the national government, saying it will transform the lives of local farmers.

READ MORE: http://www.focac.org/eng/zxxx/t1572239.htm

Tanzania's Natural Gas Plant Construction to Start in 2022

Submitted by AA on 29 June, 2018 - 21:34

By Samuel Kamndaya

Dodoma — Actual construction of a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) plant in Tanzania will start in 2022, the Energy minister said on Monday.

Dr Medard Kalemani told the Parliament that the government was doing well with its negotiations with multinational firms that are interested in the project and that actual construction would start in 2022.

He said currently, the firms were competing with each other regarding who should be the leader in the project execution.

READ MORE: http://www.thecitizen.co.tz/News/1840340-4631622-1nh62kz/index.html

One-Village One-Dam Starts in Bongo District

Submitted by AA on 29 June, 2018 - 21:32

By Peter Atogewe Wedam

One of the major 2016 campaign promise of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, "one-village, one-dam" (1V1D), has commenced in the Bongo District of the Upper East region with the handing over of seven dam sites to a contractor.

The dam sites included the old Apusariga-Mogre dam in the Anafobisi Electoral Area, the Asabuliga dam in Kuyelingu in the Atampiisi Electoral Area, a site in Dua-Yikine and one in Kabre among other locations. In Kudorogor however, the contractor could not take over the proposed site because the community later changed its decision on the agreed site but failed to alert the authorities for the necessary amendments to be effected.

Bongo District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Peter Ayinbisa Ayamga, who handed over the sites said it was a proof that the President would eventually deliver on all the promises he had made to the people of Ghana. He noted that just as Government had restored the nursing trainee and teacher trainee allowances as well as the roll out of the Free Senior High School programme in 2017, the citizens should have faith in the President that, all other projects will fall in line.

READ MORE: http://www.ghana.gov.gh/index.php/media-center/regional-news/4782-one-vi...

Malawi Seeks Partners for Airports Construction to Bring Tourists Directly to Lake Malawi

Submitted by AA on 29 June, 2018 - 21:30

By Nyasa Times Reporter

Malawi is seeking investors under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement to help in the construction of a new airport in Mangochi District to take the world directly to Lake Malawi, Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism Henry Mussa.

Mussa said the government was transforming air transport in the country further with plans to rehabilitate and upgrade two other airports.

He said the partnership is also needed to help in construction of modern airports at Likoma, Nyika National Park and Blantyre to boost tourism as some of them are located in tourist destinations such as Likoma and Mangochi in the Northern and Eastern regions, respectively.

READ MORE: https://www.nyasatimes.com/malawi-seeks-partners-for-airports-constructi...

'We'll Be Like a Museum' - Lamu Locals Fear Huge Regional Infrastructure Plan

Submitted by AA on 29 June, 2018 - 21:27

By Nick Young

The multi-billion-dollar LAPSSET project promises to transform Kenya -- including the oldest Swahili settlement on the African coast.

This is the first part in a series looking into the effects of LAPSSET on local communities along its proposed route in: Lamu, Garissa, and Turkana.

Along Manda Bay, the mangrove-lined lagoon on Kenya's coast, a Chinese dredger scoops up millions of tons of sand and coral. Near the shore, a piledriver hammers huge pillars into the sea bed to anchor an 800-metre causeway where huge container ships will one day dock.

READ MORE: http://africanarguments.org/2018/06/20/kenya-museum-lamu-locals-fear-hug...

Paper Sculptures Depict Bacteria in the Human Body as a Coral Reef

Submitted by AA News Network on 29 June, 2018 - 19:00
[ By SA Rogers in Art & Sculpture & Craft. ] If you could shrink yourself down like cartoon schoolteacher Ms. Frizzle and take a journey through your own microbiota, it might look a bit like scuba-diving through a coral reef. Each individual strain of bacteria, fungi or archaea (single-celled organisms with no cell nucleus) is surprisingly beautiful in its own way, often manifesting as an intricate geometric shape or fractal pattern. Artist Rogan Brown shows us just how scenic the ‘foreign’ bodies within our own bodies can be with a new series of paper cut sculptures called Magic Circle Variations. Why do informal settlements get cluttered with litter?

Submitted by AA on 29 June, 2018 - 16:58

UCT survey of Island in Khayelitsha provides some answers

By Emma Green

Island, an informal settlement of Site C, Khayelitsha, has a river that is mostly blocked with litter, smells toxic and is a haven for rats. Some of the litter comes from passing traffic but a lot is dumped into the river by people who live there. Why does this happen?

As an informal area, Island residents are legally entitled to a door-to-door black bag system. The City of Cape Town has sub-contracted the cleaning service in this area to Masiqhame Trading 729 CC, which employs workers to collect two refuse bags per household per week and store the rubbish in shipping containers on the roadside which are emptied weekly by truck.

Yet according to a survey by the University of Cape Town (UCT), only 15% of residents in Island said that their rubbish was routinely collected in this way. This shows that there has been little improvement since the Social Justice Coalition (SJC) audited Khayelitsha’s refuse removal and area cleaning in 2013. The rest of the residents either took their rubbish directly to the containers (44%) or threw it in or near the river (41%).

'Ngiyabonga, mkhulu': farewell to master photographer David Goldblatt

Submitted by AA News Network on 29 June, 2018 - 15:12

In 2006 I went to South African photographer David Goldblatt’s exhibition “Some Afrikaners Revisited” at the Michael Stevenson Gallery in Cape Town. It was an expanded view of Goldblatt’s body of work, first published in 1975 as “Some Afrikaners Photographed”.

Each of the photographs was surprisingly small. But each was powerful, compelling one to walk over and have an intimate conversation. Like the Dutch Masters, Goldblatt knew how to make the ordinary – even the kitchen of a hardscrabble, rural Afrikaner family – luminescent.

Conversing with those photographs revealed the heart of Goldblatt’s work: his instinctive talent for spotting – and pinpointing – the things that make South Africans uneasy, probing the predicaments at the core of contemporary South African existence, and elaborating upon those unspeakable issues using the sharpness of an image.

Read more: David Goldblatt: photographer who found the human in an inhuman social landscape

The Standard New Orleans / Morris Adjmi Architects

Submitted by AA News Network on 29 June, 2018 - 15:00

Text description provided by the architects. The Standard at South Market District, New Orleans, is the fourth development in the downtown area and offers 89 one-to-three bedroom, for-sale luxury condominiums and 24,000sf of retail space.  The building also doubles as an expansive art gallery displaying large-scale works by local, national, and international artists.

These "Urban Soaps" are Inspired by the Architecture of Seoul

Submitted by AA News Network on 29 June, 2018 - 14:00

Designers Studio Ohk have released details of their architecturally-inspired “Urban Soaps” range, reflecting built fragments of the South Korean capital Seoul. The four designs reference traditional and modern architectural elements in Seoul through their shapes and colors, “curated and blended by the team to highlight the city’s personality.”

The products began with an idea of “delivering regional stories, images, and experiences through an accessible medium” with soap chosen ultimately for its flexibility, and its appeal to multiple senses, such as sight, scent, and touch. Tutorials for Post Production Editing of Architecture Drawings in Photoshop

Submitted by AA News Network on 29 June, 2018 - 08:00

If you are trying to approach the representation of architecture through postproduction in Photoshop, the YouTube channel Show It Better can be very useful. The following tutorials allow you to maximize the effectiveness of photoshop by providing both technical and visual tips.

Here we have selected examples that address axonometric representation, plans, sections, elevations, diagrams, and others.

We hope you enjoy the following tutorials. What other kinds of drawing tips would you like to see?

Axonometric Drawings

South Africa: Public Hearings on Restitution of Land Rights Amendment Bill continue

Submitted by AA News Network on 29 June, 2018 - 06:39

Public hearings hosted by the Portfolio Committee on Rural Development and Land Reform on the Restitution of Land Rights Amendment Bill are well under way, with six provinces covered thus far.

At each venue, large numbers of the community attended, many of them in support of reopening land claims. Some participants provided useful insights into making amendments to the bill which will ensure that equity in the distribution of land rights is achieved. Many people want their land returned to them. Then there are those who have been waiting for title deeds since 1994, others have outstanding claims that have not been paid, while still others allege there is corruption in Communal Property Associations.

Once the public hearings in all provinces have been completed, the submissions will be captured and analysed for the legal drafters to prepare the first draft of the bill for consideration. The committee will have further engagements at Parliament with stakeholders, such as non-governmental organisations, trade unions and community-based organisations.

Details for upcoming public hearings in Eastern Cape and Gauteng are as follows:

Thursday, 28 June 2018 at 10h00

Friday, 29 June 2018 at 10h00

Oliphant has expressed concern about transformation

Submitted by AA on 29 June, 2018 - 01:22

Minister of Labour Mildred Oliphant has expressed concern that a few companies are evading implementing their own Employment Equity Plans.

“It is disturbing to note that there are still designated employers who would rather budget for fines and penalties than embracing transformation in the world of work,” Oliphant said.

Addressing a media briefing on Thursday, she said the country is not making much progress in transformation in the workplace.

“The Employment Equity Act is voluntary in its character and introduces the self-regulatory mode of doing things. It is the designated employers who develop their Employment Equity Plans and set their own targets,” Oliphant said.

The Employment Equity Commission (CEE) released its 18th Annual Report and the public register to the Minister at St Georges Hotel in Irene.

“There are times when one feels that even the Employment Equity Plans are put together grudgingly with no real will to implement them. Twenty years since the Employment Equity Act was introduced, there is not much to show for it,” the Minister said.

According the Department of Labour, employers must have employment equity plans which indicate the objectives, affirmative action measures, timetables, duration, procedures and responsibilities that they will implement.

“We are resolute about scaling up inspection and enforcement and targeting those areas that will give us the bigger impact. Our resolve is to ensure that there is equity in a workplace, by ensuring that everyone receives fair treatment, is a non-negotiable.

“This we will do because we know that when equity exists, people have equal access to opportunities and by extension, create an environment conducive for all-inclusive growth and development,” Oliphant said.

She encouraged all social partners to work with government in rooting out the culture of non-compliance.

Employment Equity Commission report

Opening Lines: Sketchbooks of Ten Modern Architects

Submitted by AA News Network on 28 June, 2018 - 18:00

Opening Lines: Sketchbooks of Ten Modern Architects, an exhibition drawn from the Drawing Matter collection, with additional loans from selected architects, is dedicated to architectural sketchbooks in practice and on display.

2018 United Nations Public Services Forum: Local and Regional Governments at the heart of the debate

Submitted by AA News Network on 28 June, 2018 - 17:40
Submitted by uclguser2 on Thu, 28/06/2018 - 17:40 In the frame of this forum, UCLG, together with UCLG-Africa and UN DESA (through its Division for Public Institutions and Digital Governments – DPIDG and the program UNPOP) co-organized workshop 4 on Governance to localize the Sustainable Development Goals.

The objective of the workshop was to address current challenges in localizing the SDGs and to discuss how to build capacities for effective decentralized governance to realize the 2030 Agenda.  Participants from ministries, UN agencies, networks and academies from all regions enabled a very interesting exchange around governance, challenges and practices in localization.

The workshop was structured around three main axes:

1- Cooperation between National & Local Institutions in Localizing the SDGs

2- Addressing National & Local Gaps – Tackling Capacity, Information & Resource Gaps

3- Promoting Whole-of-Government & Whole-of-Society Approaches for  Effective Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships

South Africa's universal health care plan falls short of fixing an ailing system

Submitted by AA News Network on 28 June, 2018 - 16:04

South Africa’s Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has finally gazetted the bill detailing an ambitious plan to roll out universal health care in the country through a National Health Insurance.

The bill responds to a global campaign spearheaded by the World Health Organisation and linked to the UN’s sustainable development goals to make sure that no-one is left behind in accessing quality health care.

There’s no dispute that South Africa’s health care system needs major reforms. There are considerable inequities in health care between urban and rural areas; between public and private health sectors and between primary health care and hospital care. And the country has a complex disease burden with heavy caseloads of HIV, TB and non-communicable diseases.

How the discovery of a protein's secret function could boost solar tech

“We have no place to defecate” says Khayelitsha resident

Submitted by AA on 28 June, 2018 - 15:50

City has promised to fix blocked toilets in Green Point informal settlement, but blames land occupiers for problem

By Vincent Lali

There is a pungent smell of sewage and human faeces as you enter Phase 3 of Green Point informal settlement in Khayelitsha. This is because most of the toilets in the settlement are blocked and overflowing.

“Some residents shit in these toilets even though they are already blocked. I don’t know if they defecate while standing,” says Nomthandazo Monakali, who is a community leader in the settlement.

Monakali points out some of the toilets in the area that have been vandalised. The doors were unlocked and open. Many of the toilets are filled with dirt and faeces.

Monakali says criminals removed the padlocks and bolts from the toilets and sold them to scrap dealers. She says December 2017 was the last time janitors employed by the City of Cape Town, cleaned the area.

The City has since promised to fix the toilets.

“There’s lots of unemployed youths who are eager to get hired as janitors here, but the City doesn’t employ them,” she says. “If the City can’t hire people to maintain and clean the toilets, it must give us Mshengus [chemical toilets].”

Monakali says that the poor condition of the toilets has resulted in more rats and flies in the informal settlement.

What peace between Eritrea and Ethiopia will mean for the Horn of Africa

Submitted by AA News Network on 28 June, 2018 - 14:44

No one saw it coming, but a lasting peace deal may have finally arrived for Ethiopia and its longtime sparring partner, Eritrea. The two countries, which share a common culture, language, and history, have been at odds for years.

The conflict came to a head in May 1998 when the two countries went to war over the border town of Badme. Both wanted it on their side of the border. A peace deal – the Algiers Peace Accord – was signed by both parties after two years, but neither side complied with it for the next 16 years.

But there’s light at the end of the tunnel. Ethiopia’s new premier Abiy Ahmed has promised to fully comply with the accord. This means he’s willing to end hostilities between the two countries, and to pave the way for peace.

Ahmed has also promised to accept the outcome of a 2002 border commission ruling, which awarded disputed territories, including the town of Badme, to Eritrea.

How IoT lies at the very heart of the smart city

Submitted by AA News Network on 28 June, 2018 - 11:30 Photo by NASA on [[https://unsplash.com/search/photos/smart-city Unsplash]]</span>Smart cities are the future, there is no doubt about this. With numerous challenges both existing and emerging, exacerbated by growing populations and dwindling resources, it is essential for municipalities to more effectively control and manage many areas. These include water and electricity, traffic flow, parking, refuse removal and sewerage to name but a few.


Submitted by AA News Network on 28 June, 2018 - 10:10


Proposals are invited from suitably qualified and experienced companies in Gauteng for the following:

RFP 3/2018: Salary Benchmark Services

NB: The BID and SACAP declaration form is obtainable at the SACAP Building, 51 Wessel Road, Rivonia¸ Sandton, at a non-refundable fee of R500.00. Payment can be made into the SACAP’s FNB bank account as follows: Account Number: 50411172203; Branch Code: 254005, Reference Number: 100012345

The tender documents plus 5 additional copies of these documents (including the original Specification Document) must be deposited in sealed envelopes on or before the closing date and time into the tender box at the Main Reception area at the above-mentioned address. SACAP reserves the right not to consider any Bid not fully completed.

Terms and Conditions of this Tender

1.1 Please note that the SACAP reserves the right not to accept the lowest bid or any bid in part or as a whole. It will award the contract to the bidder who proves to be fully capable of handling the contract and whose bid is technically acceptable and financially advantageous to SACAP.

1.2 Bids that are late or submitted by post, telegram, fax or e-mail will not be accepted.

1.3 Kindly note that the SACAP is entitled to amend any bid conditions, validity period, specifications or extend the closing date of bid. All bidders who submitted bids will be advised in writing of such amendments timeously.

1.4 Amended bids may be sent in an envelope marked *amendment to bid” and should be placed in the tender box before the closing date and time