Saambreel
Where: Gatvol township, Bloemfontein, South Africa
Timeframe: 6 days, start to finish
Collaborators: David van der Merwe, Pastor Booysen, UFS 2nd year B.Arch students 2025, Gatvol community, Crystal from DIY Superstore, Lefu Namane.
Materials: Gum poles, PVC pipe, recycled aluminium cans, concrete, steel tube, wire mesh, galvanised wire.
A little less Gatvol: Building shade, by hand, in a Bloemfontein township
Saambreel is a shade structure we built in Gatvol — a township where space, shade and care are in short supply. It doesn’t fix that, but maybe, in its own way, it makes life there a little lighter.
The name combines two Afrikaans words: saam (together) and sambreel (parasol). Saambreel is about making shade, together.
We didn’t start alone. At the University of the Free State, a lecturer and his students had been improving the site step by step. When he heard about our obsession with shade, he invited us to join last minute. The idea, design, and material sourcing had to happen fast.
"We had a weekend to prepare, and two days on site — no time for overthinking."
We built with what was at hand: gum poles, PVC pipe, wire mesh, and aluminium cans cut into flowers. As the sun moves, the canopy casts dappled shadows. Our material choices were carefully made; shaped by budget, site constraints, and the wish to create something both practical and beautiful
But more than materials, it was people who shaped Saambreel. Students, neighbours, kids, and the local pastor all joined in, offering their skills, time, advice, and voices lifted in praise and worship.
“Saambreel emerged not just as an object,
but an invitation to build together.”
It’s a modest structure, held together with care and collaboration. Imperfect, semi-permanent, but real — a first step in making shade and holding space where it’s needed most. Out of this, a practice is emerging: to create spaces that are collaborative, conscious, and intentional — places of shelter, opportunity, and connection.
