dhk architects has unveiled an ambitious new sports project for a disabled school in Gugulethu, designed in partnership with OCAL Global, a non-profit focused on empowering ‘differently abled’ people.
Tembaletu School for Learners with Special Educational Needs (LSEN) was founded in 1974 to cater for children with physical disabilities in the townships of Cape Town. It is one of only four LSEN schools in the Western Cape offering education to Xhosa speaking children in their mother tongue, and the only one that offers a main stream curriculum. The school caters for has around 200 students with physical disabilities most commonly resulting from Cerebral Palsy, Spinal BiFida, amputations, genetic syndromes, spinal injuries and traumatic brain injuries.
OCAL Global has partnered with dhk architects with the aim to create a world class sports facility for the school, providing a purpose built space for sports for both the learners and the wider disabled community. The new sports centre will house a fully accessible four-court sports hall and gym with an elevated running track that doubles up as spectator seating for the courts below. A translucent wraparound façade exposes the movement within and allows light into the space while creating a glowing beacon at night.
OCAL Global is fundraising in order to secure the funding needed to realise the ambitious new Sports Centre project.
