January 26, 2007
By Lucille Davie
IT used to be a lush, tranquil corner of Joubert Park; today it is a raw, wooden skeleton, a sad reminder of Victorian elegance. And its restoration has been put on hold while waiting for funds.
The conservatory, built in 1903, has been stripped of its luxurious garden, pond and koi fish. The panes of its glass walls and roof, broken and dangerous, have been removed. And it waits, a tall, peeling-wood structure against the blue sky. The metal levers and pulleys, once used to adjust the ventilation of the hothouse, also need renovation.
In recent years the conservatory was a favourite venue for the Joubert Park photographers as a setting for family and wedding photographs. But it has been closed for the past three years.
The conservatory, standing bare and neglected in Joubert Park
The restoration of one of the three wings has been completed, while the other wings and the central section, with its pond, wait to be restored, says Dorah Lebelo, the executive director of the GreenHouse Project (GHP), under which the conservatory falls.
Lebelo says she is waiting on funding from the National Lottery. She submitted an application last March, and has appealed to the Gauteng department of agriculture, conservation and environment to put pressure on the officials. But still she waits.
The conservatory, which belongs to the City, needs R3-million for its restoration (R1-million has already been spent on the east wing). Once restored, it will be used as a multi-functional space. This includes creating a gathering and relaxation space, with water features that demonstrate biological water cleansing, and flora to educate visitors about healing and scented plants.
The GreenHouse Project
The conservatory shares the northwestern corner of Joubert Park with the GHP, a project set up to develop a clear, practical knowledge base for making greater Johannesburg a green city, through creating an environment resource and development centre.
It disseminates information to the built environment sector, with the aim of encouraging people to become more environmentally conscious. Suggested ideas include installing grey water systems to recycle water and repainting buildings with environmentally friendly paint.
In 2002 an old potting shed was converted into the GHP office and resource centre, using environmentally friendly principles. The building, the first phase of the project, was made of straw bales and recycled materials from the shed, like bricks, soil and windows. It has composting toilets, grey water recycling and uses natural lighting.
Also on the site is a recycling centre that focuses on sorting paper, bottles, plastic, tin and glass, at the same time generating jobs for inner city residents.
Lebelo has overseen the second phase: a two-storey straw-bale, timber and brick structure to be used as a workshop and conference centre, with offices for GHP staff.
She explains that a variety of methods have been used: a rock foundation, sealed with timber, and attractive sets of wooden poles holding up the upper floor. Hydraform bricks – consisting of 5 percent cement and 95 percent compressed clay and sand – have also been used.
The lift shaft has been built with bricks from the site, and will play a "key role in ventilation", Lebelo says.
Local residents with construction skills have been used to build the structure; again its completion awaits funding.
Community projects
The project has touched many people through its outreach programme, for example about 100 families in the townships have portable, barrel gardens. Lebelo says she runs workshops at the centre, and then visits the people who are implementing what they have learned.
Environmental entrepreneurship programmes are also running. During these, participants are taught how to build mobile solar heaters, solar cookers, solar geezers and ethanol gel stoves. They are then encouraged to set up their own small businesses.
The recycling programme has developed into a co-operative involving 15 people - 13 women and two men. Another co-operative, producing organic seedlings, is also up and running.
The two gardeners who maintain the permaculture gardens on the site have been encouraged to run their own businesses, sending a proposal to the National Development Agency for funding. The idea is to employ 22 people at other sites, stretching from Tembisa in the north to Soweto in the south. They will grow and sell vegetables, herbs and indigenous trees.
Lebelo says that she and her staff are now working with more than 20 groups around the city, monitoring their progress. "We want to create jobs while tackling environmental issues," she explains.
The GHP was initiated in 1993 by Earthlife Africa Johannesburg, in partnership with the City. The Danish Cooperation for Environment and Development has provided the majority of the funding. Wesbank has also given funds and Investec is interested in the second phase of the project.
Green information and research is available on the GHP website and at the centre’s offices. The entrance is from Wolmarans Street.
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