Since 2013 landscape technology students at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) have benefited from a construction week sponsored by Corobrik. It provides an opportunity for the students to participate in a landscape design and construction project; this year the students constructed a paved pathway through a (to-be-constructed) medicinal plant garden that will be used to grow a variety of plants researched by researched by the Medicinal Plant Research group within the Faculty of Applied Sciences.
Approximately eighty students involved landscape technology across foundation, first and second years were involved. Students ranged across different years working collaboratively on a single construction project which provided a vital opportunity for peer learning and skill transfer. One foundational student commented that the construction week has assisted them to interact with senior students, which has improved and enhanced their knowledge in managing and in how a leader should be.
Corobrik generously donated 100m2 of clay pavers to enable the practical learning and has done so since the event’s inception in 2013. Each student was instructed to install their own square meter of paving after a training session conducted by Ishmael Rothman, Corobrik’s Bricklayer Training School Coordinator.
The paving donated this year included the Corobrik Meadow paver and Corobrik Constantia paver. The Corobrik products provided the perfect outcome for the construction project. The clay pavers are known for their durability, lasting longer than comparable products, making them a manageable investment for construction projects like this year’s landscape technology students created. Besides these valuable qualities the yellow colouring of the Corobrik Meadow paver alongside the red of the Corobrik Constantia paver makes for an attractive and colourful design, as clearly evident in the finished project by the hardworking students.
“Collaborating with CPUT on this event is important”, said Christie van Niekerk, Corobrik Western Cape Manager. “The event establishes a professional bond between the students and Corobrik at a young age, through both the exceptional bricklaying training conducted by Ishmael Rothman, and Architectural Sales Representatives Siyanda Mapekula and Werner Oelofse who introduced them to Corobrik products.”
“It ensures that they are familiar with Corobrik products now, in order that Corobrik maintains its reputation in their young minds as a leader in its field for their future projects when employed in the landscaping and constructing industry. Siyanda Mapekula from Corobrik attended the event and concurred saying that it is important to build relationships with students early so they learn all the bricks available to them and know and trust Corobrik products for and into their construction and landscaping futures.”
Focusing on the essence of the construction week, Christine Price from CPUT explained that the initial aim of the construction week was to provide a practical experience of landscape architecture- from design to construction. The practical process is helpful to many of our students in demonstrating the reality of working in the landscape field. She went on to share that, every year the construction week challenges students, not only in terms of skill development but also attitudes, motivation and problem-solving.
This encouraging observation of the event was echoed in the sentiments of one student who took part in the week, commenting, “it was such an enjoyable week. I loved what I was doing. It made me feel more interested and believe that landscaping is what I can do best and my attitude to all the hard work is now positive because I have experienced real landscaping as opposed to before. I used to see pictures in books about what landscaping is – now I feel like I actually touched it.”
For the fourth year in a row, the CPUT-Corobrik construction week was a success.
More at www.corobrik.co.za
