Urban Realm. Feasibility Study for the
Re-Development of the Herero Mall ‘Informal Market’ 

Date. Year 2013

City. Windhoek

Role. Photography | co-design workshop volunteer assistant

​

Description.

Featured in my portfolio is my engaging volunteer involvement with a consultant team commissioned by the City of Windhoek. The team was entrusted with a "feasibility study for the re-development of the Herero Mall 'informal market'" in 2013.

​

This consultant team was under the leadership of LaRRI Labour Resource and Research Institute (LaRRI), an independent research institute with ties to the National Union of Namibian Workers, Namibia’s largest trade union federation. The collaboration also included the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST).

​

The project timeline, as prescribed by the City of Windhoek (CoW), spanned two months and encompassed a range of tasks. This included conducting a participatory survey involving stakeholders, formulating an architectural design and cost estimate, and crafting a comprehensive implementation plan.

​

My role entailed providing valuable assistance to the team leaders during a significant phase of the project, specifically the second workshop that aimed to "co-design the spatial intervention using a large-scale model." The workshop was held in a community hall where a 1:20 scale model of the mall was set up. Together with traders, we engaged in an interactive exercise. This activity was pivotal as we collectively defined the existing spatial layout and elicited input from traders regarding current functions. This interactive session was instrumental in guiding participants and offering insights to our team on possibilities for spatial optimization and reconfiguration.

​