Set in the picturesque Durbanville wine valley on the outskirt ofCape Town, Vissershok Primary School is a rural school where mostpupils are children of farm workers and underprivilegedcommunities living in Du Noon, a poverty-stricken township severalkilometres away.The Vissershok Container Classroom, sponsored by three SAcompanies- Woolworths, Safmarine and AfriSam, is a 12m recycledcontainer converted into an independent classroom for 25 Grade R(age 5-6) pupils.The first phase of the project started with a design competitioncalled “Making the Difference Through Design”. Run by Woolworthsannually, the competition is aimed at introducing design to localhigh school pupils. This year the brief calls for creative solutions onhow a recycled container can be adapted to help under-resourcedschools.The winner of the competition, Marshaarn Brink, is a Grade 10 pupil(age 15) that delighted the jury with his playful ideas of an outdoorjungle gym and several sensible storage solutions for the container.The ideas were translated by Tsai Design Studio into a final designthat also takes the site conditions and environmental factors intoconsideration.Built with limited means and budget, the final product incorporatedfour elements designed to maximise its usage:Learning Area- Grade R pupils uses the container as theirclassroom in the morning, which also doubles as a small library inthe afternoon for the rest of the school.A big sheltering roof insulates the recycled container from directsunlight, while the gap in-between acts as heat buffer that reducesheat gain. Cross ventilation is achieved by a series of colourfulwindows on both side of the containerGathering Area- the steep site offered an opportunity to extendthe patio with stepped seating, something the school lacked, forpupils to sit outside during lunch and socialise. The amphitheatrewill also serves as an assembly area for the school.Play Area- Marshaan Brink’s concept for the play area is translatedto be part of the container like a pair of outstretched arms. Thesteel frames extend outwards to hold play equipments for theyounger kids.Growing Area- A green wall in the guise of a vertical vegetablegarden shelters the play area from the prevailing South Eastly wind.A large area adjacent to the container classroom was cleared andturned into a vegetable garden. Besides been educational, thegarden will allow the school to have fresh produce to add to theirfeeding program.
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