BAPHUMELELE COMMUNITY PRECINCT
PROJECT INFORMATION
CLIENT: Baphumelele
TYPE: Community
STATUS: Completed project
COMPLETION: 2023-2024
ADDRESS: Dabula Street, Khayelitsha, Cape Town
IN ASSOCIATION WITH: Mr. Beast Philanthropy
“A project in our portfolio of Design for Social Change.”
Design Network was appointed to deliver a series of community-focused upgrades for the Baphumelele Children's Home and Rosie's Kitchen & Bakery in Khayelitsha. Together, the projects sought to improve facilities supporting vulnerable children and the wider community through thoughtful, durable and uplifting architectural interventions. The project celebrates the remarkable work of Baphumelele, which has provided a stable home and place of safety for orphaned, abandoned and vulnerable children in Khayelitsha for more than two decades.
The first phase involved the refurbishment of the Baphumelele Children's Home, undertaken as part of a philanthropic initiative supported by Beast Philanthropy. Twelve residential homes within the campus were upgraded, creating brighter, safer and more welcoming living environments for children from birth to eighteen years of age.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6x_b11Kyrco [Mr. Beast Video]
The second phase transformed Rosie's Kitchen & Bakery, where a collection of ageing and undersized shipping containers no longer met the needs of the growing community programme. Existing containers were refurbished and expanded with new units to create dedicated facilities for the soup kitchen, bakery, sewing programme and accessible ablutions, forming a cohesive community hub that supports both daily meal provision and skills development.
A vibrant palette of colour unifies both projects, bringing warmth, optimism and identity to the buildings while creating welcoming spaces for children, staff and the wider community. Commissioned public artwork further reinforces this sense of place, demonstrating how carefully considered design can enrich everyday life and strengthen the social fabric of the community.
