African project The Edge – Uganda
African model , which is the one we know best and which therefore served as a point of departure for the design process ,” he explains . “ We then spent a great deal of time with our client discussing how aspects of the Ugandan culture and way of living needed to be accommodated in the design .” For example , Ugandans tend to be extremely private people and issues of privacy and visibility are of much greater concern than they are to the average South African . Aspects such as common walkways , lines of sight , the creation of multiple and discreet entry and exit points from units all had to be considered . The creation of public and private areas also had to be given additional thought .
In addition , most people in Uganda still do a great deal of cooking outside . Matoke – a variety of starchy banana – is a commonly eaten dish in East Africa and is generally cooked by steaming it over a charcoal or wood fire – an activity which most often takes place outside . Not only does this mean that every unit in The Edge requires a fair-sized courtyard space in which residents can cook , but since the process tends to generate a lot of waste material , it was necessary to provide a waste yard for every block in the complex rather than just one for the entire complex .
Setting a new standard for Kampala With there not being a great many precedents for attractive and upmarket residential complexes in Kampala at present , the professional team and the client devoted long hours to finding the best ways to design something that would stand out in the Ugandan market – that would raise the bar for residential development – but which would also meet all the functional and aspirational needs of residents . “ Our client , Mr Henry Lubwama , wanted to develop something special on this site . There is not much in the way of original development in Kampala at the moment – there is a great deal of replication , and residential complexes do not tend to be well planned or to accommodate Ugandan lifestyles well ,” comments Cole .
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