Incubator #1
With these ‘Incubator’ installments in our newsletter we are exploring ideas and opening up the discussions we have in the office to you. Feedback or ideas welcome.
First Thursday’s
On the first Thursday of every month – the art galleries, museums and restaurants stay open till late and most of them have specials or exhibitions. The streets (especially Bree Street where our offices are) become a hub of activity. The city is lively, activated and fun – it is an incredibly special experience. (see some pictures above and click here to be redirected to their website)
We at JMA would like to participate. We would like to explore the idea opening up our building’s parking garage (which is empty in the evenings) and partner up with our friends like the Matthew Freemantle and Andrew Kai (chefs) www.muchogusto.co.za Rob Mills (Photographer) www.signoflife.co.za and other artists to convert the parking spaces into a pop up gallery and food experience. If this is too much PT with body corporate we may just clear and use our office on 4th floor.
Specialised Shopping Trips
As mentioned in our ‘JMA goes Multilingual’ post we will be travelling abroad at least twice a year to see our international clients. We have the idea of assisting clients with shopping trips to Italy. You could see the best that Europe has to offer in terms of kitchens, finishes and furniture. The piece will have a story and an experience behind it for you to remember. We can also guide people to local talents so a combined end product with the best of local and European can be “curated.” The trips could plan the itinerary around big cities, big brands or the artisinal and hand crafted. Visits to workshops and factories gets you to see the process and appreciate how things are made. You can touch, feel and sit in your piece..
The Haven Night Shelter Upgrade
We are conscious of the plight of many people who are homeless and in dire circumstances for reasons beyond their control. We as an office believe we have to contribute more and plan a very important pro bono project this year to assist upgrade the Haven Night Shelter in Greenpoint. They do exceptional work. We need to embrace our fellow human beings and assist them to live with pride and dignity. Some of the reasons cited on their website for homelessness www.haven.org.za
- Suffering severe emotinal trauma or grief
- Being unemployed, insolvent, or having no or low income
- Escaping physical abuse or life-threatening situations
- Losing everything as a result of a disaster like fire, flooding, etc.
- Suffering mental illness, drug or alcohol abuse
- Being a refugee or asylum seeker
- Suffering from a physically-challenging disability
- Being an ex soldier or prisoner who was removed from society for a long time, etc.
Food Events
We are having a food event at a clients home in Constantia – curated by Matthew and Andrew and plan more of these to celebrate our wonderful clients and our shared successes in designing and building their homes.