OH ARCHITECTURE presents OH15 – Iain Low Lesotho Work.

Graduating from the University of Cape Town in 1979, Iain Low proceeded to Lesotho where he worked with Design Group Lesotho, a firm affiliated with the Building Design Group from Durban, and later with the Training for Self Reliance Project.

Over a period of 5 years, from 1982-1987, Professor Iain Low, architect and academic, implemented an integrated program to upgrade education and schools: the Training for Self Reliance Project [TSRP], that he designed and co-ordinated. Funded with an IDA loan from the World Bank for least developed countries, he worked on the 3rd and 4th phases of a project to design interventions at about 200 - 300 schools throughout Lesotho, thereby contributing enormously to the shortfall of education facilities in the country. A system was evolved that would not only meet the demands of this massive service delivery project, but would also ensure local economic development and the continued growth and implementation of the project long after the designers of the system have moved on.

On a visit to the projects with Iain Low in early January of 2013, we found that the system has indeed endured and continues to be successfully implemented throughout the country through the Ministry of Education in Lesotho as well as being locally ‘interpreted’ by others around the Kingdom.

View a short video clip of our visit with Iain Low

09h00	Registration & coffee: (Lancers Inn – off Kingsway)	Maseru
09h30	Transport departs from Lancer's Inn	Maseru
10h00	Lesotho Evangelical Church (intro and overview)	Qoaling
11h30	Matsieng Primary School	Matsieng Royal Village
12h15	Morija Printing Works + Lunch at Morija Museum	Morija
14h30	Khubetsoana Primary school	Maseru
15h30	Maseru High School	Maseru