The Art Therapy Centre is located near the historical Regina Mundi Church in Soweto – famously used to shelter activists during the dark days of apartheid in South Africa.  Art Therapy is a process where art is used to heal trauma where language is a problem.  Mostly children come here, many of whom are victims of violence and poverty.


The building is conceived of as a sculpture.  Merely by entering the building, the user is caused to reconsider their relationship to the environment.  The environment is very different from anything a user may have experienced but familiar materials are used thus ensuring that the building is not alienating.  The therapy drum is round in form and has been chosen so that everyone is equal and no-one can be put in a corner.  Light comes in from above, enabling privacy while simultaneously creating an uplifting environment.  The scale of the building is intimate.  Indoor and outdoor spaces overlap in function. The building is simple yet robust and made beautiful through colour, shape and texture.