Jhono Bennett made his university project a reality to help develop an informal settlement
Currently practising in Johannesburg, and a founder of ‘1:1 Agency of Engagement’, Jhono Bennett’s work aims to provide solutions in some of South Africa’s most vulnerable urban areas. Past work with the NGO ‘South African Shack Dwellers International Alliance’ has led to Bennett taking on more independent social projects that aim to solidify the responsibility of architects to provide for millions of informal settlement dwellers.
The Slovo Park project in Soweto began as a project of Bennett’s at the University of Pretoria and evolved into a serious attempt to legitimise the park as a formal settlement. From 2010 to 2012, Bennett and his team constructed a community hall (with a later extension), and a playground, completed in November 2013.
Fact File
Architect: Jhono Bennett with Jacqueline Cuyler, Claudia Fillipe, Isabel Van Wyk, Mohau Melani and the Slovo Park Community Development Forum as well as Carin Combrinck and the 1:1 Student League Volunteers
Project: Slovo Park
