An abandoned Safmarine shipping container that was transformed into a multi-purpose sports centre in the Western Cape town of Piketberg has been selected as one of 12 finalists in the 2011/2012 AfriSam/SAIA Award for Sustainable Architecture
Safmarine in South Africa teamed up with Tsai Design Studio and Star South Fruits to create the leisure environment, which can accommodate more than 100 children in Piketberg and is being administered by the Wellington-based Stars in their Eyes Foundation.
Star South Fruits marketing director, Johan van Niekerk, said, “The Stars in their Eyes Foundation is an innovative football project that combines the joy of football with the alleviation of social problems.
“The programme was initiated by Freedom Fruit, an international fresh produce brand established by the Dutch fresh produce company, Cool Fresh International.”
In the past 20 years it is claimed that Safmarine has contributed to more than 3,000 projects and provided more than 8,000 decommissioned containers, which have been converted into classrooms, libraries, crèches and centres for sport training.
AfriSam partnered with the South African Institute of Architects (SAIA) to form the sustainability award in order to raise public awareness and stimulate debate around architectural topics.
