About the Center

Rocklands Urban Abundance Center is concerned with the search for local community resilience as well as global sustainability. Rocklands will serve Cape Town as an educational centre that demonstrates practical working applications of earth sensitive responses to land use, shelter, renewable energy, waste management and recycling.

The centre has an international reach and is very concerned with the immediate community through the development of Community Social Enterprises as well as community wellness programs.

Sustainable Building Design

During 2010, SEED engaged architects, Donne Putter and Joanna Rawson to assist in the design of a new Permaculture Training Centre at our home base, Rocklands Primary School. A small amount of funding was made available to begin the process with the first steps being a Holistic Goal Setting Day which involved SEED staff members, teachers, community members and the architects.

This day made it clear to all what the dreams and aspirations for SEED immediate and long term work within the communities are. These goals were then used to guide a second workshop, The SEED Design Day, which was facilitated by Kent Mohommad Tahir Cooper, an experienced Permaculturist and Designer assisted by architect and permaculturist, Donne Putter. A very clear brief emerged from this process.

Download The Brief

Download the sketch plan

The Caretakers House

The design of Rocklands Urban Abundance Centre was kindly sponsored by the Nussbaum Foundation, who have also funded the building of the first house. This is the Caretakers House - which is built in the same budget and floor size as the RDP (Reconstruction & Development) houses (that are built for people who have no homes in South Africa). This building will house the Rocklands Caretaker and will demonstrate earth sensitive building at a low income level.

The house is off the grid and positioned for passive solar aspect, is built largely of recycled brick and incorporated cost-effective insulation methods as well as innovative water catchment.

Download a sketch design for the caretakers house

Rocklands serves the following key functions:

EDUCATION

• Accredited Permaculture Training
• Permaculture Education for teachers
• Sustainability Education for school groups
  
  

DEMONSTRATION

• Sustainable Living
• Ecological Building
• Renewable Energy
• Appropriate Urban Permaculture Systems
  
  

COMMUNITY ENTERPRISE

• Community Gardeners
• Community Market
• Gourmet Mushrooms
• Nursery
• Poultry Project
  
  

COMMUNITY WELLNESS

• Tree Programmes
• Rocklands Community Market
• Rocklands Backyard Gardeners
• Inspiring social space
• Centre of abundance, replication and genetic material
• Catalyst for community transformation