Health Projects Accepted as Part of World Design Capital 2014

Cape Town will hold the fourth biennial World Design Capital (WDC) in 2014, becoming a focal point for the international design community.

Western Cape Government Health is proud to announce that the following public health infrastructure projects were accepted to be part of the WDC Cape Town 2014:

Du Noon Community Health Centre (CHC): This much anticipated CHC is being constructed for the Community of Du Noon, an informal settlement. The project is scheduled to be completed by early 2014 and will contribute to bridging the divide between communities by providing a much needed public health centre for the poor.

Delft Symphony Way Community Day Centre (CDC): The lesson learnt from traditional African architecture is that the in-between space is more important, not the inside. The design of the CDC is based on the idea of a healthy village rather than an institutionalised solution. In this context of Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) housing, the CDC is a beautiful urban space.

Khayelitsha Hospital: Khayelitsha Hospital was the first new hospital to be completed in the Western Cape in over four decades. The project was initiated in November 2005, construction commenced in September 2008 and the facility was officially opened in April 2012. The vision for the hospital was the creation of a patient-centered environment for healing which was accessible, sustainable and state-of-the-art.

Mitchells Plain Hospital: The new Mitchells Plain Hospital provides modern quality healthcare in a natural healing environment and raises health awareness through design and sustainability and forms part of the new vision for healthcare delivery in the Western Cape.

Grassy Park Clinic: The new Grassy Park Clinic replaces an old dilapidated building and was submitted under the theme of "Beautiful spaces, beautiful things". The beautiful modern building gives pleasure to the public and those that make use of it, whilst also providing an essential service. 

Valkenberg Hospital Revitalisation: Western Cape Government Health initiated the revitalisation of Valkenberg Hospital to create a state-of-the-art mental healthcare facility. New precincts are being proposed and the hospital, currently spread across the M5 highway, will be consolidated on one site. The design acknowledges the historic landscape setting and the historic core. The first construction stage is set to be completed by September 2014 and final construction is aimed to be complete by mid-2016.

Theuns Botha, Western Cape Minister of Health, said: "We are indeed proud that our new health facilities have been nominated for this global design campaign. It shows that these facilities are indeed of world standard, and that we are now offering our patients the best in terms of universal access to healthcare. Our investment these past years in health infrastructure has been focused on redressing the inequities of the past, and finally our facilities are monuments to this credo."

The World Design Capital is about design in its broadest sense – designing better cities for people by making it more competitive, attractive, liveable and efficient.  It celebrates the accomplishments of cities that have used design as a tool to reinvent themselves to improve social, cultural and economic life.

Alan Winde, Western Cape Minister of Finance, Economic Development and Tourism, said: “The Western Cape, and indeed Africa, will see substantial benefits from the hosting of WDC2014. An official report by Deloitte into the WDC2012 in Finland showed that the benefits of the award included that the year’s exhibitions, events and sites attracted 2.5 million visitors and Helsinki, the host city, became a leading international design city.”
 
“The WDC will foster a stronger design culture in the Western Cape and South Africa. Entrepreneurs in that creative space could see their products expanding into the export market; they will have the attention of an international audience. The prestige of the award also attracts travellers who are eager to see how the host city is using design and there’ll be visitors attending the signature events hosted throughout the year. With more visitors in Cape Town, it’s an opportunity to encourage tourists to spend time in other parts of the Western Cape.”

For more about the World Design Capital Cape Town 2014, please visit http://www.wdccapetown2014.com/