A sawtooth greenhouse framed in red steel acts as "a beacon" atop Soweto Caracas Community Centre in the South African township of Khayelitsha, recently completed by non-profit Urban-Think Tank Empower. Combining childcare, educational and sports spaces with a kitchen and rooftop vegetable garden, the centre is part of a community-led development to upgrade an informal settlement with 72 housing units, overseen by Urban-Think Tank Empower (UTTE).
The Soweto Caracas Community Centre opened during Design Week South Africa, which took place in October 2025. It was designed to "maximise usefulness" on its compact, 320-metre site, at the eastern tip of a triangular plot known as BT-Soweto, and reflects the vibrant colour palette of the surrounding homes with its yellow walls and red steel roof.
"Given the extreme lack of social infrastructure in the area, the design was driven by a determination to pack as much programme as possible into a single building, ensuring every space could adapt to multiple uses," UTTE architectural director Benjamin Kollenberg told Dezeen.
"Architecturally, it stands as both a landmark and a beacon – physically through its illuminated rooftop greenhouse, and socially through programmes that draw people in and extend value back out into the community," he explained.
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