The project team developed the 'Be, Fore' concept as part of an effort to revitalize unused spaces at the Sihwa Industrial Complex sewage treatment plant. Initially, there were plans for the city of Siheung-si to create a themed water park for the local population. However, after visiting the site, the team realized that the old industrial structure possessed unique urban characteristics.
The terrain still showed vestiges of its industrial past. The team considered that imposing a rigid program, defined by few people in a short time, would only result in a superficial facade, devoid of practicality and ethics. Instead, they opted to analyze the minimum requirements to enable various activities in the existing setting. This methodology allows preserving the current state while introducing the program progressively, enabling visitors to experience the atmosphere, ruins, and history of the old purification units.
The intention was for visitors to feel the same spatial impression experienced by the team: a rough, dark, and irregular environment, which might be slightly uncomfortable, but which simultaneously conveyed a sense of vastness that transcended human scale and revealed an atypical space. For this reason, efforts were made to maintain the authenticity of the site and its atmosphere, avoiding the addition of excessive fixed structures.
Interestingly, these intentions were reinforced by the reduction in project costs, which dropped from 4.2 billion won to 1 billion won during the design process. Consequently, the focus remained on preserving the originality and atmosphere of the space through minimizing new permanent installations. The initial scope, which contemplated intervention in ten condensation tanks, was reduced to five.
By exposing the principles, organization, and context of the pre-existing sewage facilities, an open sequence was created that links previously buried civil engineering structures, allowing the water treatment system to be experienced in its entirety. All materials incorporated into the original facilities were chosen for being light and fluid, suitable for a temporary intervention. The renovation method was designed to be executed by a standard residential multi-family construction contractor.
The objective was to materialize, in architectural form, the unconscious community inherent in all of us, using accessible contemporary materials and subtle architectural gestures, while preserving the original form as much as possible. Common materials were employed with great care and rigor. For the spiral staircase, the atrium pillars and eaves were made of light structural wood, such as two-by-four and two-by-six pieces. The inspection walkway floor uses checker plate steel, common on construction sites, while the roof and skylight are composed of single-layer aluminum and acrylic, materials typical in residential frames.
The added elements—modern and accessible materials, rustic walls, and translucent plastic coverings with diffuse light patterns—evoke, as an architectural expression, a feeling of community inscribed in the subconscious. This reflects the common formal sensitivity found in both abandoned industrial facilities and the primitive and fundamental space of the human condition.
Hind El-Sheikh, Director of the General Administration for Licensing and Dangerous Animal Management at the Egyptian Ministry of Agriculture, refuted claims that there are '50 million dogs' in Egypt and warned against the spread of misinformation.
During a phone interview on Friday on the program 'al-Hekaya' on MBC Masr, hosted by Amr Adib, Sheikh noted that domestic dogs help protect citizens from other threats, such as reptiles and other pests. She added that dogs have been present in Egypt since the pharaohs, and solving this problem requires time and comprehensive plans, not quick fixes.
According to Sheikh, dogs perform a protective function because crime rates, including kidnappings, are less likely in areas with domestic dogs. She explained that dogs are nocturnal animals and sleep about 18 hours if well-fed, especially in winter, spending most of the day asleep before taking on a protective role at night.
El-Sheikh confirmed that the state is implementing a unified national plan to manage the stray animal issue, including free-roaming dogs, in coordination with all relevant authorities. She emphasized that the Ministry of Agriculture is making long-term, scientific decisions to ensure the health and environmental safety of citizens.
In Sheikh's opinion, the stray dog problem is part of a comprehensive strategy being implemented by the veterinary sector. She explained that the goal is to unify the efforts of relevant departments and prevent contradictory decisions when dealing with this issue. The Ministry approaches the problem with a multifaceted and comprehensive approach, assuring that citizen protection is a priority and the issue is being addressed with sustainable, not temporary, measures.
Sheikh reported that the ministry has begun controlling the dog population through vaccination, checking, sterilization, and subsequent release. She stressed that sterilized dogs become gentler and capable of coexisting with society. She assured that they are tackling this issue decisively, protecting the community from risks and relying on research to develop comprehensive plans, noting that this stray animal crisis requires time for a thorough resolution.
With the launch of the Rustlers Valley Memorial Forest in the eastern Free State this weekend, Ivory Price examines why this bold vision may offer lessons not only for agriculture but also for the future of South Africa.
For a long time, South Africa has viewed environmental decline, mental health issues, fractured communities, and youth unemployment as separate crises. Government agencies address them in isolation, NGOs compete for funding, and businesses invest in fragmented projects. However, anyone who spends time in rural South Africa knows that these problems are closely interconnected.
When land is depleted, livelihoods disappear. When opportunities fade, hopes follow. And when hope is lost, communities begin to break down. This is why the Renewal Forest, emerging in Rustlers Valley, deserves attention that goes far beyond its impressive location.
This project is not just a tree-planting event in honor of Mandela Day; it is a living tribute woven from the legacies of three South Africans whose lives intersected in Rustlers Valley in vastly different ways.
Founder Frik Grobler believed that landscapes could inspire entirely new ways of life, farming, and creativity. Anton Chaka dedicated his life to the people of the nearby village of Naledi, defending land, dignity, and collective responsibility. Today, his legacy lives on through his daughter Mukho Chaka, a prominent advocate for regenerative agriculture. Riky Rick, the singer-rapper, reminded the generation that belonging and vulnerability are not weaknesses, but inherent elements of hope. Their stories together form the foundation of this remarkable initiative.
Today, Professor Koshek Seuchurran, Director of the Rustlers Valley NPC Foundation, guides this vision. With support from Kagiso Trust and a growing community of supporters, he and his team are transforming these intertwined legacies into a living landscape where ecological restoration, creativity, leadership, and human well-being converge. Instead of building statues, the Renewal Forest invites people to plant something that will continue to grow long after they are gone. There is a deeply agricultural meaning in this idea.
Farmers know that regeneration is never just about getting a better harvest. It is about leaving the land in a healthier state than when it was found, restoring soils, protecting water, rebuilding biodiversity, and creating opportunities for future generations. The same principle applies to society. Strong communities, like healthy farms, require patience, care, and a long-term vision. This philosophy lies at the heart of regenerative agriculture. Healthy soil yields healthy food. Healthy ecosystems support sustainable communities. Long-term stewardship always surpasses short-term exploitation.
At the center of the initiative is the Camino of Renewal—a walking trail through forests, meadows, and regenerative landscapes, where the values embodied by Grobler, Chaka, and Riky Rick—imagination, care, and belonging—serve as guiding principles on the path to renewal.
Some might consider such an idea idealistic. Perhaps that is why it is so important. South Africa has become remarkably good at describing its problems. What it lacks is places where people can feel hope. Agriculture has always understood the power of place. Farms are more than production units; they are homes, classrooms, ecosystems, and communities. Rustlers Valley has long embodied this spirit, attracting people who believed there was another way to coexist with the land, rather than simply extracting from it.
The Renewal Forest builds upon this legacy, recognizing another truth that agriculture instinctively understands: conservation cannot succeed without people. By uniting ecological restoration with the development of leadership skills, youth entrepreneurship, regenerative agriculture, traditional knowledge, creativity, and mental well-being, it presents a holistic vision of sustainability.
The launch this weekend will not solve the country's problems overnight. Trees take years to mature. Communities require constant investment. Trust grows slowly. But agriculture has always taught us that significant changes happen season after season through patient management and faith in the future. Under the enduring legacy of Frik Grobler, Anton Chaka, and Riky Rick, and guided by Professor Koshek Seuchurran, the Rustlers Valley NPC Foundation and partners like Kagiso Trust, the Renewal Forest has the potential to be more than just a memorial site. It can become a living testament to a simple yet powerful truth: restoring the land, renewing communities, and healing the human spirit are the same journey. Because hope, like agriculture itself, is ultimately what we cultivate.
