Yellowknife (Nov 29/06) - A South African community development project could end up with a distinctly Northern flavour.

Guy Architects recently assembled a team of Northern designers and professionals to enter a competition to develop a cultural centre and community area north of Cape Town, South Africa.

Wayne Guy, of Guy Architects, holds a design of a culture centre and community complex his team of Northern designers created. The group entered a competition in South Africa to build a community north of Cape Town and a number of its features have parallels to Northern designs. - David Ryan/NNSL photo

The design takes into account a sustainable, culturally sensitive area, with a number of successful Northern design parallels involved, said owner Wayne Guy.

"It has a similar vision and elements. It gives people an opportunity to meet one another, which is also very important in NWT developments," he said.

The cultural centre and community would accommodate 3,000 people, with housing, recreation facilities and art performance areas all built specifically to the contours of land.

It would also be "culturally relevant" incorporating African markets and public spaces where residents and tourists can interact, he said.

"This could help serve as a model for sustainable development on the continent," he said.

The design team consisted of a number of Northerners including artist Bob Kussy, electrical engineer Fola Soboyejo, educator Obed Duru and associate member of Guy Architects Bentley Faulmann.

The professionals were able to use their expertise and experience to contribute to the overall design plans, Guy said.

The group filed its final design in August and hopes to hear back within a few months. With hundreds of entries involved in the competition, Guy is still optimistic, but said he was just glad to bring the experts together to hone their skills.

"The ideas we have are still applicable to our own backyard," he said.

Kussy, who was involved in the art performance and sport complex venues in the design, said, "It was very flattering to be asked to help out. I helped to provide insight in areas where the other members may not have been as strong.

"For Northerners to have impact on the quality of life in South Africa, is a very enriching feeling," said Kussy.