The Safety Shelters initiative responded to requests from the K Stjwetla Patrollers, a volunteer group tackling high crime rates in the settlement. The project reimagined the guard hut, typically an “architecture of fear”, as dignified, open, and visible shelters. Two prototypes were co-produced at key hotspots in Stjwetla, built with local artisans, students, and residents using repurposed materials to ensure sustainability and affordability.

The design-build process combined pedagogical, practical, and civic goals. On campus, a Summer School introduced students to fabrication with community artisans; on-site construction tested adaptive, low-cost techniques under shifting conditions. The resulting structures – one with a roof of recycled steel drums, the other triangular and open with built-in benches – offer patrollers visibility, protection, and legitimacy. By day, they double as shaded gathering areas, enhancing comfort and sparking collective imagination.

Beyond their physical presence, the Safety Shelters established new forms of collaboration between community actors, municipal officials, and the Urban Safety Reference Group. They propose an alternative model of safety governance rooted in reciprocity, where universities mediate between residents and authorities. The project shows how architecture can promote safety and inclusion in contexts of inequality.

This project was developed in the framework of the Centennial Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Centre for Urbanism and Built Environment Studies (CUBES), School of Architecture and Planning, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. It was developed within the Kelvin-Alexandra-Frankenwald City Studio, and it was made possible through the resourcing and strategic guidance of the South African Cities Network, enabled by the contribution of the Inclusive Violence and Crime Prevention (VCP) Programme implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and co-financed by Global Affairs Canada (GAC).

Architect and coordinator: Paulo Moreira 

Artisans and Builders: Edmore Hwatetepa, Claude Mutanho 

Building assistants: Armando, Courage, Dazio, Filipe, Jabu, Mandla, Musa, Precious, Tsholofelo, Victor 

Urban Safety Reference Group representative: Siphelele Ngobese 

Students Summer School: Chisom Okafor, Gabriel Mamabolo, Harold Maswodza, Khensani Makodzo, Kolobetso Selemena, Lehlogonolo Nchabeleng, Lindokuhle Mlaza, Mandisa Radebe, Mbuso Masuku

Date: 2024-25

Photography: Leon Krige