UNDER 40S PICASSO HEADLINE

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 JOURNAL OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN INSTITUTE ARCHITECTS UNDER 40s PICASSO HEADLINE

15002 Issue

RSA R20.00 (incl VAT) 9 771682 938004 Other countries R17.50 (excl VAT) 71 JAN|FEB 2015

COVER_71_final.indd 1 2015/02/18 10:59 AM _To Check_fcp.indd 1 2014/12/08 8:45 AM Ed's Note_71.indd 1 been paid for and therefore donotcarryanyendorsementbythepublishers. advertisements/advertorials and promotions All have Headline. Picasso of those necessarily Africa not are Headline Reg:59/01754/07.Theopinionsexpressed South Architecture Copyright: Picasso Headline and the publishers.Thepublishersarenotresponsible for unsolicited material. of this magazinemaybereproducedinanyformwithout thewrittenconsent Walter Peters, RogerFisher, Ilze Wolff, Paul Kotze Gift Bouwer, Noelvan Breda,MunasheMbavarira Cover Illustration Heidi van Eeden E-mail: [email protected] Editorial AdvisoryCommittee [email protected] Newspapers andMagazines [email protected] Advertising Co-ordinator [email protected] [email protected] Manager: Architecture Head ofDesignStudio Robin Carpenter-Frank [email protected] Content Co-ordinator Financial Accountant Associate Publisher Lodewyk vanderWalt [email protected] Jayne Macé-Ferguson AND DISTRIBUTION Tel: 0214692400 Business Manager Sales Consultants Production Editor Arnold Cruywagen Content Manager Shamiela Brenner SUBSCRIPTIONS Project Manager Shihaam Adams Jocelyne Bayer is published everyPicasso by month second Vanessa Rogers Michéle Jarman Hendri Dykman PRODUCTION Mike Tissong OPERATIONS Merle Baatjes Mfundo Ndzo Senior GM: Julian Cooke Copy Editor Raina Julies EDITORIAL Designer Architecture South Africa South Architecture SALES Editor

Fax: +27866822926 Tel: +27214692400 Observatory, 7925 Black River Park, FirStreet Central Park Times MediaBuilding Picasso Headline(Pty)Ltd PUBLISHERS: . No portion of . Noportion of YOUTHFUL MATURITY appreciated andcriticisedwith asmuchacuityanyworkbyanoldhand. Jane Austens, just likeanyotherart, andthebuildingspublishedhere mustbe No, architecturehasits fullcomplementofMozarts, Masaccios, Keats’s and La Roche, Garchesand Savoye, andahostofotherbuildingprojectswritings. city projects, Ville ContemporaineandthePlan Voisin ofParis, hisseminalvillas, when hewas36; LeCorbusier’s portfolio attheageof42includedhistwomajor Gerrit Rietveldproducedtheepoch-makingSchröderHouse, hisfirstbuilding, Philip Webb was28and William Morris25whentheyfashionedtheRedHouse; two afterheturned40, eventhoughhetookuparchitecture onlytenyearsbefore; to do, itquicklyexposesthefalsityofidea. “child prodigies” inhisEndPiece. However, ifyouchecktherecord, ashebegan or emerging architects’ edition, and seems to lie behind Roger Fisher’s search for in theirmatureyears, seemstomakesense. It isthesubscriptofanunder40s and vision, thenotionthatitismostcommonlyachieved byexperiencedpeople, architecture requiressuchaprofoundsynthesisofknowledge, reason, practicality work inthelast15yearsofhislife, betweentheagesof60and74. Becausefine struggling inhisearlyyearsmediocrityandblossomingtoproducemagisterial seventies, conqueringtheimmenseformalproblemsofStPeter’s, orofLouisKahn that architectureisanoldperson’s art. OnethinksofMichelangelo, alreadyinhis criterion. Forsometime, Iacceptedunquestioninglythecommonlyexpressedidea women, thisyearwomenwereresponsibleformorethanhalfofthecontributions. the spectrumofcurriculumopportunitiesinuniversitycourses. Congress, isbeginningtohappenonthegroundanditbolstersideaofenlarging broadening ofthearchitecturalrole, discussedindepththeUIA2014Durban it would have been unlikely to be found 20years ago. This is a sign that the work, indicating that the profession is engaged in situations or communities where exploiting theircapacities. a commitmenttomakinglastingopportunitiesforemployees, ratherthansimply chief designer. The shiftsuggestsnotonlyanew, healthymagnanimity, butalso of peopleareinvolved, butthat’s noreasontocloakinmysterythenameof to societyforthem. And weknowthat, inmostarchitecturalprocesses, a number designs comingfromhisorheroffice, andisresponsibletotheclientultimately individual andconfusing historically. We know, of course, that the principal owns the the past, whenithadnotbeenthatofaprincipal! The practicewasunfairtothe more generousisthisrecognitionthanthevigorouscoveringupofauthorshipin openly attributingauthorshipofsometheiroutputtoemployees. Howmuch architects workinginsomeoneelse’s practice, meaningthatestablishedfirmsare who wereprincipalsofpractices. Inthisone, thereareanumberofprojectsby first regardsauthorship. In that previous edition, allthework came from architects work and the previous one of 10 years ago (Architecture SA July/August 2005). The There arethreeratherinterestingdifferences inthispublicationofunder40s’ At random: Palladio’s Basilicaand Villa Rotondaweredesignedonlyayearor Looking attheworkitself, Ihaveagrowingfeelingoftheirrelevanceage In thethirdclearshift, whereasin2005, fourofsixteenunder40contributorswere The secondencouragingsignofchangeisthesubmissionOtherarchitecture 2015/02/18 10:43 AM 1

EDITOR’S NOTE | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 Untitled-2 1 2014/11/17 11:23 AM Contents71.indd 3 34 28 22 14 CONTENTS REFLECTIONS OF THE LAND HOUSESNYDERS,CROCODILERIVER: 14 HOUSESAKER, BETTY’S BAY THREEHOUSES 12 THEME: UNDER40s HeidivanEeden THENEW (YEAR’S) REVOLUTION 07 FIELD NOTE A TRIBUTE –ARCHITECT ANDARBITRATOR PETERRICHAWARD 05 NOTES ANDQUOTES JulianCooke YOUTHFUL MATURITY 01 EDITOR’S NOTES Roger Fisher PRODIGIESAND TWO OFSOUTHAFRICA’S OWN SOMEOBSERVATIONS ONARCHITECTURE’S PRECOCIOUS 51 END PIECE NicCoetzer MY LIEISMADEOF WOOD 49 PERSPECTIVE DawiddeVaal 47 TECHNICAL Departmentof Architecture, University ofPretoria EdnaPeres, Arthur Bakerand Chrisna duPlessis, 40 JürgenKieslich 34 SandravanderMerwe 31 KathrynEwing HannaDuker, DylanPope,CaitlinComrie ProjectArchitects/UrbanDesigners:StephaniePotgieter, APPROACH TO RECLAIMING THE PUBLICREALM VIOLENCEPREVENTION THROUGH URBANUPGRADING: 28 AndreChristensen RETHINKING THE WALL: DORDABIS COMMUNITY SPINE 22 EBONY DRIVE,NORTHCLIFF 17 Stanley Segal Open CityArchitects–BettinaAndrag&MarineLeblond RIJKSBERNADUS VAN WALT: DER Hans Wegelin IKHAYA TEMBA LE AND RESILIENCE THINKING ARCHITECTURE FORLIFE:EXPLORING REGENERATIVE STUDIO VIJF,STELLENBOSCH NM &AssociatesPlannersandDesigners– VULAMASANGO CHILDAND YOUTH CARE FACILITY, PHILIPPI Ewing Principal Architect&UrbanDesigner:Kathryn Wasserfall MuntingArchitects–MiekeDroomerand Origin andJames–KarinHarcus-Harrison W designarchitecturestudio–JohanWentzel

2015/02/17 4:22 PM

CONTENTS | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 Untitled-1 1 2015/01/19 9:57 AM AN AWARD AND A TRIBUTE

PETER RICH AWARD would be completely destroyed by the environments at densities in excess of Peter Rich has been awarded a 2015 apartheid regime. 125 units per hectare. RIBA International Fellowship. An “[His] greatest contribution to African “From his 2008 thematic master plan abbreviated citation follows. architecture has been [made] through his for Aksum, close to the iron-age city “Peter Rich’s work was little known seminal research into African concepts in Ethiopia, through Mapungubwe to in Europe, until the Mapungubwe of space-making in sub-Saharan Africa, his latest project, the Laetoli African Interpretation Centre was awarded including traditional transitional and Origins Museum in Tanzania, Peter the Building of the Year prize at contemporary applications. has used spatial models derived from a the 2009 World Architecture Festival He founded the Kigali-based practice local tribal vernacular to communicate in Barcelona. Light Earth Design in order to lead the the story of Africa’s creative genius to Yet, from the 1970s, Peter researched development of local African building the world.” and documented by means of sketches industries, particularly in land-locked In 2010, Peter was awarded an and measured drawings the traditional countries, through the application of Honorary Fellowship of the American rural settlements of South Africa, his appropriate sustainable technologies. Institute of Architects and the South motivation being the distinct possibility His research also led to the development African Institute of Architects’ that such indigenous settlements of first-generation African urbanGold Medal. NOTES AND NEWS | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 AND NEWS | JANUARY/FEBRUARY NOTES

BERNARDUS RIJKS VAN DER WALT, ARCHITECT AND ARBITRATOR: A TRIBUTE ARCHITECT AND ARBITRATOR BY: STANLEY H SEGAL

Rijks van der Walt, architect, arbitrator Johannesburg Opera House in Auckland rather than just letting things happen, and founding partner of MV3 Architects Park, which unfortunately never saw and of “doing things right the first time”. (Pty) Ltd died in December 2013 after the light of day. His love of the theatre Rijks would be at the office at the contracting Parkinson’s disease, which left was rewarded when, in 1975, MV3 crack of dawn after his gym workout him bedridden for the last months of his Architects was appointed the project and would have checked the drawings life. His death, at the age of 85, occurred of the Ettienne Rousseau Theatre in on each staff member’s board before just two months after his wife Noreen Sasolburg, which Rijks designed and the they arrived, often leaving cryptic notes was brutally attacked in their Hermanus building contract of which he managed. when he discovered items not to his home and died shortly thereafter in So successful was this 500-seat theatre, liking. He bemoaned the fact that he was hospital from the wounds inflicted on her. that Sasol appointed MV3 Architects to denied this opportunity to check work in I met Rijks in the late 1960s when build an almost identical theatre in 1984 progress, up on the drawing boards, once our two architectural practices, Vlok & in Secunda, which again was designed our CAD system was introduced in the Van Der Westhuizen and Moolman van and constructed under the watchful eye early 1980s. Towards the latter part of der Walt commenced merger negotiations. of Rijks. his career, Rijks obtained his diploma in These culminated in 1969 in the form I had the privilege of working closely arbitration and was heavily involved in a of Moolman van der Walt Vlok and Van with Rijks over a four-year period in number of cases. Der Westhuizen, later known as MV3 the late 1980s, when MV3 Architects He and Noreen lived for most of their Architects. was commissioned for the new Armscor marriage on a smallholding in Lyttleton, Rijks was born in Namibia in 1929, and Head Office in Erasmusrand. Under his where they brought up their four qualified in the late 1950s with a BArch constant management, this project was children in a delightful thatched cottage degree from the University of Cape Town. completed on time and within budget – Rijks was not one for fancy motor cars, Shortly after marrying Noreen Bryant, the and, most importantly, to the entire swimming pools and exotic homes but couple moved to Kenya where Rijks was satisfaction of the client. I enjoyed loved the simple things in life, such as employed for a number of years in an our many years together as partners, as tending his extensive rose garden. architectural practice. On their return to well as our friendship that spanned so After he retired from active practise, the South Africa, he teamed up with the late many years. couple relocated to Hermanus where they Piet Moolman and Basie van Rensburg Rijks was generally regarded by the designed and built a modern version of a to form a three-man partnership in staff who worked under him at MV3 as a “fisherman’s” cottage. Rijks developed Pretoria, known as Moolman van der Walt tyrant – he was a stickler for punctuality a great interest in the local fynbos and Architects. and woe betide the person who was late studied the many varieties growing in Rijks had a passion for the theatre and for work or, worse, for a meeting! He his area; he also had a keen interest and was heavily involved in the design of the believed in “making things happen” involvement in local community affairs.

Notes and News_71.indd 5 2015/02/17 4:23 PM The ideal form is simple and clear: Vionaro – the slim-line classic design of tomorrow.

13 millimetres - that‘s all it needs for perfect design.

VIONARO

The new cubist design system combines the track-proven concealed slide system Dynapro with perfected design in an extremely slim-line form.

GRASS ZA (PTY) LTD. Beauty, love of detail, precision of movement and perfect industrial manu- 2 Graph Avenue facturing – virtually no other movement system achieves such a harmonious Montague Gardens combination of rational and emotional aspects like Vionaro. The sleek drawer Cape Town, South Africa sides provide a clear design statement. The new drawer system from GRASS T +27 (0) 215 298 040 F +27 (0) 215 298 041 features a sturdy front connection, stepless horizontal and vertical adjustment [email protected] plus tilt angle adjustment integrated in the drawer sides. www.grass.co.za

AD_Vionaro_210x275+5_02-2015_ZA_EN.indd_ToCheck_fcp.indd 2 1 2015/02/1717.02.15 3:28 10:48 PM Fied Note_71.indd 7 BY: they won’t appearinrealityunlessyoudesign andbirds youaddinPhotoshop, people a building appearonarendering engine. How simpleitistopressabutton andsee don’t havethepatienceforarchitecture. gratification, ourshorteningattentionspans In an ageofdigital narcissism and instant 2. to remain relevant. architectural professionwillneedtoevolve digital frontiers?Howeverwegoaboutit, the we designforanincreasingexpanseof spatial change in an urbanising world? Will planning acupuncturalinterventionsfor construction altogether, insteadcarefully build? Will weavoidphysical how we and spatial opportunities, thereby redefining limited lifespan. the demolitionofvaluableresourceshasa on thedevelopmentofvirgin landand should knowthataprofessionsurviving insatiable consumerculture, architects Rather thanaidingandabettingsociety’s where theyshouldencouragelessbuilding. with thechallengeoftraversingaworld Twenty-first centuryarchitectswillbefaced 1. year andcentury. architectural re(v/s)olutionsforthecoming of athirddecadedemocracy, herearefive face becomingobsolete. Now, onthecusp rethink theirprofessioninitsentirety, or of anewgenerationarchitects; thosewho for change. the re-scriptionofprofessionasavehicle should anticipate an approaching evolution: symbol orpermanentshelter. Rather, we no longerexistasasolidform, reassuring and loyalcompaniontoourZeitgeist–can is thatarchitecture–alwaysadirectreaction methods. A terrifyingandinspiringthought despite ourinstantaneouscommunication we areabletocomprehendorrespondto, virus terrors). monsoons, earthquakes, floodsandsuper- environment (threat of hurricanes, droughts, African expanse)andanunstableecological the MiddleEast, Sovietregionsandmid- socio-political landscape(growingconflictin met withinstabilityandunrest: atumultuous 2014’s ‘significant moments’ andyou’llbe FLICK, TWEET, THE NEW (YEAR’S) REVOLUTION u regardlessofthenumbertrees, But I WILL NOT RUSH Will welookfornew, renewablematerials I WON’T (NECESSARILY) BUILD This (r/)evolutioncallsfortheemergence Our worldischangingmorerapidlythan HEIDI VAN EEDEN scroll or scan through scrollorscanthrough

others believeinthemtoo. networks andurbanpatterns– and make see –betweenculturalgroups, ecological Let’s makeconnections thatotherscan’t highway bridgesandtrain-shunting yards. alleyways, backyardsandbrownfields; the heaps, sewagefarmsandindustrialruins; the we least expectthem – the urban waste those whoarestillfreetodream. spatial inventions, butwecanlearnalotfrom We oftenscoff at students for their fantastical programmes that have not yet been found. innovation, let’s findthespaces, clients and Both outofnecessityandadrivefor OTHERS SEENONE 4. courage, tochallengeit. and henceforthhavetheconscience, and to sewagelinesandstormwaterchannels. natural ripariansystemshavebeenreduced indigenous forestsaredisappearing, andour bees andbirdpopulationsaredwindling, our less-vocal contemporaries. As aresult, bats, human life, whileignoringthepleasofour environments todeserts, supportingonly construction thattheyreducedurban in reserves. becarefullypreservedbehindfences will the normandonly ‘wild’ natureleft civilisation. Soon, urbanlivingwillbecome civilisation, butinsavingtheplanetfrom energy airconditionersthantoplanttrees? ‘Green’, wearemoreinclinedtospecifylow- Isn’t itironicthatinanagesoobsessedwith the huesofnature, notthecolourofmoney. other architects(andclients)thatitrefersto sticky handsofCapitalismandreminding architectural principle–pryingitoutofthe … andreclaimthe ‘Green’ movementasan 3. we canproducetheminhours. for indecades, evencenturies, eventhough remember thatbuildingsshouldbedesigned carefully craftedpatinasoftime. scoffed at, butthey’llneverfullyreplacethe These exceptionaltoolsshouldnotbe means of3Dprintinganddigitaldesign. the possibilityofinstantconstruction, by and with less effort. The future evenholds buildings morerapidly, at higher volumes for them. Technology enables us to produce Let’s exploreopportunitiesintheplaces I’LL FINDOPPORTUNITIES WHERE Let’s blameCapitalismfortheabove Our predecessorsweresofocusedon Our prioritywillnolongerlieindeveloping I WILL BEANENVIRONMENTALIST When wedobuild(see#1), weshould

See illustrationoncover. the same. challenges anduncertaindisasters. with preparingforalifeofcertain (architects andconsumeristsalike), and themessesofourpredecessors up ourselves, we’llbetaskedwithcleaning of allthesefields. Inordertosaveusfrom responsible for the physical manifestation scientists or environmentalists – but we are its salvation. by partakinginitsreconstruction, and real opportunitytoreaffirm itsimportance air-conditioned office blocks. a We have houses andhotels, commercialcentresand restricted tothedesignof extravagant that hasacause. Architecture isnolonger We’re fortunatetobepartofageneration IN CONCLUSION our publicpatrons. regain therespectandunderstandingof our designs–asamoralobligationand no passport. Middle East. Delhi, orfascismandterrorinthe and actions –betheyairpollutioninBeijing suffer the consequences of each other’s countries areimaginary, andthatwe’llall that thebordersseparatingSAfromother trying tounderstandtheirdesireforit? Tuscan housingasignorance, insteadof water? Why dismissaclient’s demandfor and basins, whensomanyhavenopotable waste architectural budgets onluxurytaps buildinginour African context? Why a and informaltraderswhendesigning Why denytheexistenceoftaxiroutes dismiss thepublic’s takeonourwork. problem, we can’t ignore local issues and of African informalityissomeoneelse’s we tellourselvesthattheorderedchaos Eskom. Regardlessofhowmanytimes housing, the astounding incompetence of Nkandla’s ‘fire pool’, badlyplannedRDP about them. issues, andqualifiedtodosomething equipped tounderstandlocalandglobal We maybetheonlyprofessionthat’s BEYOND 5. Architecture isheretostay, ifnottostay We’re notsocialists, philosophers, So let’s startaddressingglobalissuesin Disaster travelsquickly, andrequires Simultaneously, wemustremember There’s nodenyingthatSAhasissues– I’LL FOCUSLOCALLY, BUT THINK 2015/02/17 4:23 PM to to

FIELD NOTE | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 Untitled-1 1 2014/12/09 9:40 AM Sandton | B. Italian Illovo Square, Shop 1. No 3 Rivonia Road Tel +27(0)11 268 6677 [email protected]

www.bitalian.co.za www.facebook.com/bitalianZA

_ToCheck_fcp.indd 2 2015/02/17 3:28 PM Untitled-3 1 2015/01/05 3:15 PM Ceiling & Partition Warehouse (CPW) supplies a wide range of ‘best quality’ ceilings, both fixed and suspended, including decorative ceiling accessories, as well as a wide range of drywall accessories that will enable you to decorate the space you design. We have vast and extensive product knowledge and installation expertise.

Branches throughout Gauteng and the Free State and opening in Cape Town on 1 May 2015. With many of CPW’s clients expanding into Africa, our imported products can be shipped into various African countries.

Ceiling & Partitions.indd 1 2015/02/18 11:16 AM THREE HOUSES HOUSE SAKER, BETTY’S BAY ARCHITECTS: OPEN CITY ARCHITECTS – BETTINA ANDRAG & MARINE LEBLOND

2 3

THIS FAMILY holiday retreat nestles that float above the vegetation. Inside, a areas make them enjoyable at different among the rocks and surrounding large open-plan living, dining and cooking times of the day and ensure that, at any indigenous fynbos of Betty’s Bay, capturing area provides space for gatherings of family time, one or the other is sheltered from the spectacular views over the rocky Atlantic and friends. unpredictable Betty’s Bay wind. shoreline. The building’s shape defers From within, the house spills out onto All four bedrooms, as well as the living to an existing rocky outcrop to create an multiple terraces and patios, each offering areas, are widely opened towards the sea outdoor terrace that is linked to it, and to different views and focal points of interest. views on the South-East side. The roof the sea views beyond it, with wooden decks The multiple orientations of the outdoor structure lifts up towards the North to fill

Offering a range of paint solutions synonymous with the aesthetic enhancement and reliability expected from the world’s Number 1 Paint Company – www.duluxtrade.co.za

12 ARCHITECTURE SA | ISSUE 71

House Saker_1.indd 12 2015/02/17 4:12 PM House Saker_1.indd 13 efficient wood-burningfireplaceinthe runs on a heat pump. In winter, a highly double-glazed andthehot-water system envelope isinsulated, the windowsare the housetoitsrockysite. local stonework of the ground floor anchors echoing thelandscape. Meanwhile, the of thebuilding, theirmaterialityandtones soften thefacadesandbreakdownscale while finetimbershuttersandpergolas the bedroomswithnaturallightandwarmth, 10 7 4 To conserveenergy, thebuilding 8

. Frontfacade: Timber andstoneelementsbreak 2. Side view fromaSouth Westerly direction 1. natural resources. impact ofthehouseonitssurrounding rehabilitated, furtherreducingthe being indigenousfynbosiscurrently and the Rainwater iscapturedinanexposedtank directing hotairupwardstothebedrooms. lounge warmstheentirehouseby connect ittothelandscape down thescaleofbuildingandvisually showing thebuildinginitsfynbossetting 5 10. Section Siteplan 9. First-floorplan 8. Ground-floor plan 7. 6. Stairlobby andskylight:Lightwashes down 5. Kitchen: Warm timberelementsarebalanced 4. Frontterrace: The curved edgeofthefront 3. a timber screen,creatingarhythmicdiagonal line Stair detail: The stairbalustrade istreatedas the wall toilluminatethestaircase of colour tobeaddedby theowners shelving createsanopportunityfor splashes with undecorated whitewalls, whiletheopen in the distance building andechostheshapeofmountains deck hugstherockyoutrcropinfrontof 9 6

2015/02/17 4:24 PM 13

THEME: UNDER 40s | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 HOUSE SNYDERS, CROCODILE RIVER REFLECTIONS OF THE LAND ARCHITECT: W DESIGN ARCHITECTURE STUDIO – JOHAN WENTZEL PHOTOS: JAMIE THOM

THE FIRST and most lasting impression The natural level of the river and in another world. This path down to the of the property on which House Snyders the majority of the trees and abundant house is part of the transition of creating is situated, is the river and the presence life forms, are positioned a few metres that world within a world. of water. Although ‘city life’ and, indeed, below the surrounding landscape. The Once inside, visitors are greeted with the rest of the world via Lanseria Airport footpaths leading down to these areas a remarkable vista that is visible from are located very nearby, here, one is serve as entry points from one world almost every angle, while a shallow pond completely surrounded by the landscape into another, while the positioning and dominates the home, with reflections and seemingly endless open space. process of entering into the house is from the water casting a glow throughout. The concept of the project was achieved by extending the natural drop Reflections of the light on the water essentially focused on extending and down to the river in and around the change with the seasons and respond ‘reflecting’ the abundant natural life on living spaces. to a full moon or early morning. Water the river banks that characterises the House Snyders is almost invisible vapour pours off the water in winter. area. This was also the driving force from the road. Veld grass on the roof The presence of the water links one’s behind the ‘journey’ of moving from camouflages much of what lies beneath. perception to the natural environment. the open, undefined veld down into the Those who visit walk down a series of It reflects the surrounding trees, clouds river-bank space. steps and, before long, find themselves and life forms. The slightest breeze or

14 ARCHITECTURE SA | ISSUE 71

House Snyders.indd 14 2015/02/17 4:18 PM House Snyders.indd 15 towards the river in the East, but within thehouse. is optimisedfromalmostevery point presence ofthelandscapeand context extend beyondthewalls, whilethe makes thehouse’s influenceand ‘ideas’ landscape –theabsenceofdeadends extend throughthestructureinto are positionedsoastoensureallspaces of endlessspace. Windows andopenings of thestructurewastoreinforceidea interior ofHouseSnyders. casting amovinglightthroughoutthe moving insectsetsthewatertrembling, 3 2 House Snyders is primarily orientated The aimofthedetailinganddesign 4 of theoutsideandnatural context. they experience a heightened awareness Snyders havefound, at alltimes, that the naturalclimateinside home. rectangular volumes, butalsotocontrol the openingstofirstlyreinforcesolid Windows arerecessedquitedeepinto appears to ‘hover’ abovethegroundfloor. the completeupperlevelofhouse structure, suchasthewayinwhich to separatevariouselementsofthe were alsousedaslarge ‘shadow lines’ skylight structures. Window openings through deep-recessedwindowsand Northern sunlightfillsthevariousspaces Those spendingtimeat House 5 sum ofitsparts. This buildingissomuchmorethanthe seasons. the movingsunlight, timeofdayand an enhancedawarenessoftheviews, of the ‘lightness’ oftheplace, alongwith the contextandtoevokeanexperience The architectureaimstobe ‘less’ than . Entrance courtyardpathway 5. 4. River courtyard 3. Courtyard 2. Arial view 1. Entrance

2015/02/17 4:19 PM 15

THEME: UNDER 40s | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 6 7

6. Living area 7. Main bathroom 8. Ground-floor plan 9. First-floor plan 10. Main bedroom 10

16 ARCHITECTURE SA | ISSUE 71

House Snyders.indd 16 2015/02/18 9:37 AM Ebony Drive_1.indd 17 The Southernfacadeofthethree-storey degree ofconcealmentfrom the street. ensures thatthehousehas a relative on aslopingsite. The slopeofthesite court, whichprovidedan excellentbase Northcliff ridge. the breathtaking Northern views from tower over the trees, taking advantage of a rare-findsubdividedproperty. Itwould open brieftodesignafamilyhomeseton EBONY DRIVEwastheresultofan PHOTOS: IVAN MULLER ARCHITECT: ORIGINANDJAMES–KARINHARCUS-HARRISON EBONY DRIVE,NORTHCLIFF 1 The housewasbuiltonanoldtennis moonlit nights. staircase duringtheday, aswell as on skylight ofglassilluminates the white the transitionbetweenmasses. This running its entire length; these lighten to themonolithicwallbymeansofglass The main levels of the house arejoined the horizontalmortarjointsexaggerated. The wallisbuiltasadiaphragm, with along the three-storey skylit staircase. allowing selectedSouthernviewpoints house isa nine-metre monolithicwall, . Double-volume livingarea,Eastelevation 3. First-floorview towards light-washed staircase 2. Main entrance 1. interfaces andwasutilisedunderneath unique opportunitiesforinterestinglevel which thevolumesflow. It presented spine ofthehome, serveseachlevelfrom kitchen, livingareaandlibrary. the groundfloorandhousesgarage, 2 3 and double-volume loungebelow section The large staircase, astheorganisational The mainapproachofthehouseison

2015/02/17 4:32 PM 17

THEME: UNDER 40s | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 5 6

7 8 9

for the entrance, pantry, storage space to all bedrooms. The lengthy skylight study and main suite. The huge camphor and library wall, as well as for the floating provides natural light from the South to tree towering over the roof terrace gives study above. The kitchen and double- the circulation space on the upper floors. the house a modern tree-house feel and volume living area open seamlessly onto The Southern wall’s windows allow for optimises the incredible Northern view an outdoor courtyard, which is shaded by good cross-ventilation and ensure passive that unfolds at this level, high above the a huge camphor tree. cooling to aid in the thermal comfort of the structures below. The first floor, which is accessible from home. A service core was also introduced the lounge and main staircase, hosts two to aid in the vertical circulation of services 4. Ground floor plan lofty bedrooms, a bathroom and a guest within the house. 5. First-floor plan suite. The house has been orientated in On the top floor, the skylight 6. Second floor 7. View from Eastern courtyard under the camphor tree an ideal fashion along the North-South terminates in a light box that leads to 8. Second floor light box under the large camphor tree axis, which ensures optimal sun exposure the tree-covered roof terrace, lounge, 9. Skylit staircase

18 ARCHITECTURE SA | ISSUE 71

Ebony Drive_1.indd 18 2015/02/18 9:29 AM Not a fan of wires visibly running on the walls of your masterpiece?...

Ensure that security installation points are highly considered when planning your building.

Let Elvey Security Technologies assist you in creating a flawless finish to your building security.

INTRUDER DETECTION CCTV ACCESS CONTROL FIRE DETECTION

Elvey is a leading distributor of electronic security equipment in Africa. Our mission is to assist in the protection of people and property by providing quality, innovative products and solutions to the electronic security industry, thereby ensuring a safe and secure future for all.

+27 (0) 11 401 6700 + 27 (0) 11 401 6753 [email protected] www.elvey.co.za

_ToCheck_fcp.indd 2 2015/02/17 3:37 PM Have you seen our new THE CEMenT INNOVATION COMPANY showroom in Cape Town? It is certainly worth a visit... [email protected]

Manufacturers of cement-based finishes for WALLS FLOORS SWIMMING POOLS

0860 CEMCRETE [email protected] www.cemcrete.co.za

AdsToCheck.indd 1 2015/02/18 9:56 AM Rollerstyle

Untitled-1 1 2014/03/27 5:04 PM RETHINKING THE WALL: DORDABIS COMMUNITY SPINE

ARCHITECTS: MIEKE DROOMER AND ANDRE CHRISTENSEN OF WASSERFALL MUNTING ARCHITECTS PHOTOS: ANDRE CHRISTENSEN & MIEKE DROOMER.

THE CONCEPT of this project evolved and an activity zone,” commented the in turn will create an amphitheatre space from an exploration of the ‘wall’ as architects, who hail from Wasserfall with the first wall. an active threshold, and a generator Munting Architects. A future phase 3 will see the erection of economic development and social Undertaken as part of the firm’s pro- of a wall of gumpoles; an activity space cohesion. Its aim was to create a catalyst bono programme, the project will grow will be created within this “corridor”, from which the community could from land-art installation to a cultural providing a structure for the attachment develop a cultural precinct for passing precinct, as funds are made available. of small trader stalls. tourists and from which the everyday Over and above its role as a cultural lives of the Dordabis community could precinct, it will also enrich the everyday be enriched. lives of the Dordabis community. 1. Community spine in relation to its context 2. Approaching the spine from the South-West “This project calls for a re- Inspired by a very limited budget, 3. Section of the wall, creating a seating area interpretation of the wall within the the project is envisioned to develop 4. An existing tree, which forms a central pivotal cultural context of the Namibian in several stages. With the first wave point for the layout of the community spine 5. Main approach vernacular: the multi-functionality, of the wall completed, phase 2 is now 6. Initial artist’s impression parasitical and sculptural nature of a in progress. 7. Proposal for a future phase, with trading stalls as integrated elements to one of the ‘walls’ fundamental element of architecture. This second wall will provide a 8. Elevation of the screened back wall of the It is a connector, a route, a threshold backbone for shading and seating, which amphitheatre curve

Achieving your creative vision with long lasting and durable paint solutions www.duluxtrade.co.za

22 ARCHITECTURE SA | ISSUE 71

Dordabis.indd 22 2015/02/17 4:35 PM Dordabis.indd 23 2 6 8 4 3 5 7 7

23 2015/02/17 4:37 PM

THEME: UNDER 40s | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 9 10

FUTURE PHASES

TREE PROJECT

TRADING AMPHITHEATRE AREA

VILLAGE

TRADING AREA

DORBABIS

11 12

13 14

ACCOLADES RECEIVED exhibition will also travel to Bordeaux, emphasise the social, environmental Selected from nearly 200 projects, Beijing, Johannesburg and Windhoek. and participative approach displayed architects Mieke Droomer and Andre This competition presents a unique in the submitted projects, which are Christensen were named laureate opportunity to showcase the important representative of a new way of thinking winners of the 2014 Young Architects role played by the African continent in among young Africans. in Africa award for their Dordabis the realm of contemporary architecture. Community Project, alongside a South By hosting the awards, CA’ASI opened African firm and a Kenyan studio. the doors of its Palazzo Santa Maria Nova 9. Conceptual layout of the community wall Curated by the Paris-based firm to young African architects allowing them 10. Artist’s interpretation of amphitheatre space AS.Architecture-Studio, the award- to promote the creativity and originality 11. Sketch diagram showing the layout and phasing winning projects were exhibited at the of emerging African architecture, 12. Investigation and site context of Dordabis Village CA’ASI as a Collateral Event to the 14th and to help them gain worldwide 13. Plan and relationship between amphitheatre International Architecture Biennale in recognition. The Young Architects seating and an outer performing space 14. Typical section of shading device for Venice (2014). In addition to Venice, the in Africa competition endeavours to amphitheatre seating

ARCHITECTURE SA | ISSUE

Dordabis.indd 24 2015/02/17 4:38 PM International Slab.indd 1 2015/01/06 10:49 AM OmDev: World-Class Projects Require World-Class products

A South African leader in the design and installation of modern Commercial and Residential interiors, OmDev Interiors offers fast, effi cient and cost-effective solutions in creating internal walls, Bulkheads, Suspended Ceilings, and Flush Plastered Ceilings. According to Rajesh Bhula, Managing Director of OmDev Interiors, interior design is art. “For OmDev, making any interior look good is a passion. In our years of operation, we have completed countless modern, Commercial and Residential projects, from the entirely practical to the very elegant.” Bhula says Lafarge Gypsum’s Steel Brandering, Galvanised Angles, Plasterboards and Skim Lite are among the products that OmDev uses regularly for the high standards expected by clients. “These are the best ceiling products for our particular bulkhead designs,” he says, adding that the Lafarge Gypsum Standard Plasterboard range of 6.4mm, 12mm and 15mm comply with SANS 204 energy effi ciency standards, enabling designers and architects to enhance their “green” offering. Offi cially listed on the eco-specifi er, the leading global source of sustainable development and life-cycled assessed {Pregybel ®} products.” that raise safety and comfort levels in every green product information, Lafarge OmDev fi nds Lafarge Gypsum’s drywall building. “We pride ourselves in world- Gypsum’s Plasterboard is produced in partitioning the ideal solution for class products and service. Every client is a number of standard lengths, widths Commercial and Industrial environments important to Lafarge as their and thicknesses, as well as a variety of that must be completed quickly and work ultimately houses our communities,” characteristics, depending on the economically, with minimal disruption to Croze says. intended use of the board. day-to-day business processes. “Drywall As Managing Director of OmDev, Bhula Jean-Paul Croze, Managing Director partitioning is light weight and allows for says he uses every opportunity to make of Lafarge Gypsum South Africa, says: greater speed of construction, lower cost sure all of OmDev’s projects are running “Our commitment to building better cities and easier transportation to site than smoothly, staying abreast of how his includes Lafarge plasterboard meeting traditional masonry products,” Bhula adds. staff are doing and whether his clients critical technical specifi cations, while According to Croze, Lafarge Gypsum are satisfi ed with the products and ensuring design fl exibility. Besides raising spends a great deal of time and resources workmanship. “In this regard, Lafarge the environmental-friendliness of interior on ensuring its products are in line with the Gypsum is an excellent company to work designers and architects’ work, the Lafarge latest architectural and innovative design with; their aftercare service surpasses that, Gypsum’s Plasterboard range also includes techniques. Lafarge Gypsum prides itself in that other players in the industry offer,” he Fire Check, Moisture Check and Acoustic the building of better cities with properties adds.

_ToUntitled-2.indd Check_fcp.indd 2 2 2014/12/082014/11/28 2:099:55 PMAM Untitled-2.indd 3 2014/11/28 9:56 AM ADVERTORIAL OmDev: World-Class Projects Require World-Class products

Untitled-2.indd 2 2014/11/28 9:55 AM Untitled-2.indd_To Check_fcp.indd 3 3 2014/11/282014/12/08 9:562:10 AMPM 1 VIOLENCE PREVENTION THROUGH URBAN UPGRADING APPROACH TO RECLAIMING THE PUBLIC REALM PRINCIPAL ARCHITECT & URBAN DESIGNER: KATHRYN EWING PROJECT ARCHITECTS/URBAN DESIGNERS: STEPHANIE POTGIETER, HANNA DUKER, DYLAN POPE, CAITLIN COMRIE WORDS AND PHOTOS: KATHRYN EWING THE AFRICAN city should be seen as successful at the local area scale, that aims at safe and integrated a stimulating and exciting maelstrom where contextual issues can be fully communities, citizenship, pride and of cultural conflict and transformation. understood and acknowledged. Design the improvement of quality of life for We need to celebrate and dissect the must focus on the nature of the void the residents in local neighbourhoods. fragments of urban life and empathise between the built form and, in particular, The programme wishes to overcome the with the multiplicity and contradiction the interface that mediates between the different levels of economic, cultural, experienced in our cities. Under the public and private domains of a city. social, institutional and spatial exclusion, current conditions of extreme and rapid If the design approach is appropriate in order to reduce and prevent crime. growth experienced in the majority of and successful, the public realm will The VPUU programme follows a SA cities, change manifests itself most allow the everyday energy flows to be research-based approach, featuring the evidently through space. We need to focused and supportive of the individual strategy of prevention, cohesion and allow for the unpredictable. But can such urban components. protection. It also incorporates elements spaces be designed? And what exactly is The work presented here is part of international best practice from the role of the architect, urban designer of the Violence Prevention through organisations like the UN Habitat Safer and town planner? Urban Upgrading (VPUU) Programme Cities Programme and the World Health In our context where resources are developed, designed and implemented Organisation’s Life Cycle Approach, scarce and basic needs dire, design is by the Situational Crime Prevention: combined with the concept of asset- unfortunately, in many cases, treated Built Environment Workstream of based development informed by the as an afterthought and perceived as ‘under 40’s’ spatial professionals. context within South Africa. an extravagance. However, holistic VPUU is a comprehensive area-based The emphasis on all projects is that and appropriate design is particularly community development programme they be locally owned and determined.

Adding colour to people’s lives through a holistic range of paint solutions; from inspiring interiors to ultimate exterior protection – www.duluxtrade.co.za

28 ARCHITECTURE SA | ISSUE 71

VPUU.indd 28 2015/02/17 4:40 PM VPUU.indd 29 hypotheses: The designapproachisbasedonthree Architecture, PlanningandConstruction. domain, withafocusonUrbanDesign, various facetsoftheBuiltEnvironment Safe Node Areas (SNAs). This includes the stream, theprincipaldesignfocusis Prevention: BuiltEnvironment Work- and beneficiaries. accountable tothefundingpartners implementation ismeasureableand of theprogramme. Additionally, its maintenance arekeysuccessfactors implementation, operation and Participatory conceptualisation, design 3 2 public spaceswillhavea positive improvement andmanagement of Secondly, theimplementation, opportunities forcrime(SOCIAL). labelled spacewillreduce the and positivelyoccupyingdangerously Firstly, reclaimingthepublicdomain As partoftheSituationalCrime upgrade of the public realm within upgrade

control andsurveillancemechanisms. of boundaries, orthe settingupof much morethanthedelimitation territoriality andownership entails and maintenance). The definitionof breaking downbarriers, operation access and safe movement, image, visibility, ‘owned’ spaces, defined neighbourhoods (surveillanceand and urbandesignprinciplesforsafe VPUU crimepreventionstrategies approach, design using participatory long-term sustainable, integratedand The designproposalsworkona and crime(INSTITUTIONAL). cohesion and reduce the risk of violence which inturnwillimprovecommunity will ensureasenseofcitizenship, ownership andmanagementofspaces Thirdly, involvingresidentsin who usethem(SITUATIONAL). spaces andtheprideofresidents impact ontheperceptionofthese 4 . LotusPark Community Festival, heldon 4. LotusPark NeighbourhoodCentreemthonjeni 3. LotusPark NeighbourhoodCentre 2. Lotus Park NeighbourhoodCentre 1. medium-term ‘catalyst’intervention Park isseenasastrategicshort-to The Neighbourhood Centre for Lotus NEIGHBOURHOOD CENTRE PROJECT 1:LOTUS PARK prevention strategies. is partandparcelofsustainablecrime- community managementandoperation, and promotinginnovativeformsof ownership ofthesepublicspaces, facilities. Encouraging a sense of public spaces and their accessible between publicandprivatedomains), semi-public spaces(offering transition and dailyenvironment. They include and responsiblefortheirimmediate which communitiesfeelconcernedabout spaces’ refertoaprocessby ‘Owned 01 November 2014

29 2015/02/17 4:40 PM

THEME: UNDER 40s | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 5 7

6 8

project and is part of the Community Phases 2 and 3 of the Neighbourhood most accessible urban conditions, but Action Plan for the upgrade of the Lotus Centre entail the development of public this is not to say that smaller, productive Park Informal Settlement. spaces, which will be associated with public spaces and places do not play a There is a desperate need for the public building. Early Childhood fundamental role in the neighbourhood community facilities within Lotus Park. Development (ECD) programmes are and for its inhabitants, allowing for The site identified by the community currently operating from the Centre and small but vital changes. Such spaces leaders was an existing ‘dump’ site, with a local youth group utilises the building are dynamic and can evolve (or even a small informal kick-about space to the for study groups. disappear) as their contribution to Northern side. The location falls within overall community development adapts the long-term spatial proposal for the PROJECT 2: EMTHONJENI over time. They tend to be located along upgrade of Lotus Park. The community in Monwabisi Park safe walkways and are implemented to The NHC acts as a landmark, and Informal Settlement refers to public work with the community. is fundamental to the public domain spaces as emthonjeni. These are The implementation strategy is in terms of the idea of ‘breaking down multifunctional places, provided with based on an ‘Emthonjeni Road Map’, fences’. It comprises the following a selection of utilities (possibly a water where a local working group is guided elements: a meeting room/hall; office point); places for gathering, playing, through the co-design of utilisation, spaces for community facilitator, washing and business opportunities. security and maintenance in terms of leadership group, VPUU partners Emthonjeni offer practical solutions a ‘Community Contract’. This process (Legal Aid, Sikhula Sonke, Mosaic); for crime prevention, in the quest for starts at the beginning of the design and ablutions; storage; a General Worker an improved quality of life. What is implementation, allowing for change flat; a Facility Guardian space; kitchen; imperative is not to over-design such over time. business opportunity (i.e. for a spaza spaces at all scales (from large parks to etc); a recycling room; and a youth smaller community spaces), but to leave space. The building is made from eco- room for interaction, adaptation and 5. Monwabisi Park emthonjeni A-15 beam construction, with sandbags and ingenuity. There is generally a correlation 6. Monwabisi Park emthonjeni M-15 containers. It has a separate (off-grid) between the location and scale of the 7. Monwabisi Park container facility and kick-about sewerage system. Water collected from public space – the larger spaces (parks, 8. Monwabisi Park Community Festival, the roof supplies the ablution facilities. kick-abouts) usually associate with the held on 14 February 2014

30 ARCHITECTURE SA | ISSUE 71

VPUU.indd 30 2015/02/17 4:41 PM Vulamasango Child Care.indd 31 and erodedthroughtheactivities ofits within thefarmingindustry. development andfutureemployment environment, andencourageskills with atherapeuticandeducational the development, connectthechildren productive agriculturallandwillsustain within the Philippi Horticultural Area; is torehabilitatethesite, a5.2haplot for them. A parallelaimoftheproject whose parentsarenotabletoprovide from an AIDS-related causeorthose children whoseparentshavepassedaway Philippi. The facilitywillaccommodate a childandyouthcarefacilitylocatedin fundraising entity PositivLebene.V, is organisation aidedbyitsGerman VULAMASANGO, Anon-profit PHOTOS: NM&ASSOCIATES ARCHITECT: NM&ASSOCIATES PLANNERSANDDESIGNERS–SANDRA VAN DERMERWE CARE FACILITY, PHILIPPI VULAMASANGO CHILDAND YOUTH 2 1 The existingsitewasgreatlydisturbed Empowering through colourasthepaintpartnerofchoicefor someofSA’s leadingsustainabilityandcommunity development programs – excavated materialtoformawindbreak; reshaping ofanexistinghill/berm of formed bytreedwindbreaks; the indigenous medicinalplantsin ‘rooms’ gardens, orchards, tree nurseries or which couldtaketheformofvegetable is nowreservedforagriculturalpurposes, the PhilippiHorticultural Area. Development Framework’s visionfor facility withintheCape Town Spatial to facilitatethedevelopmentof development plan, whichwasrequired consultants, preceded the detailed site input from engineering and landscaping ofplanningapplications,A number with restore its agricultural productivity. to like thechildandyouthcarefacility previous owners, andrequiredacatalyst Approximately two-thirdsofthesite www.duluxtrade.co.za

a people-centredapproachwithpractical Precinct andaseriesofFamilyClusters. an Administrative Precinct, aJunior encompass threecomponents, namely New buildingsforthesitebroadly heat pumps for hot-water generation. grey-water andrainwaterre-use, and bed-based blackwatertreatment, service alternativesthatincludereed infrastructure, through sustainable facility’s relianceonmunicipalservice seasonal pondareas. or thereshaping/rehabilitationofexisting . Thesite,May2009 2. The existing hall 1. Vulamasango’s philosophyintegrates The projectseekstominimisethe 2015/02/18 12:08 PM

THEME: UNDER 40s | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 3

education, and strives to promote connected by means of a covered the site, with the main public facilities community and cultural identity within walkway, such that it forms an extension being revealed initially, followed by a dignified place of safety and care for of the main roof structure of the other their supporting facilities, and then the the children. This made it important for buildings, and includes a ‘tower’ residential clusters as one goes further the NM & Associates project team to component for surveillance and to give into the site and the private realm of uphold these values in their approach visitors an overview of the development. the development. The intention is to site layout, building typology and the The residential components are to create precincts using a common refinement of the brief. divided into Family Clusters, where architectural language with reference The Administrative Precinct (eventually, approximately 120) children to the local vernacular of rural building comprises admin and first aid offices, of varying ages will be raised in family forms and elements, but with different utility and volunteers’ buildings set units with a live-in house parent; and identities, scales and grades of public around a central court, and an existing the Junior Precinct, which will act as an and private spaces. hall that’s currently in use as a crèche ‘intake’ area for the youth and child care The limited budget for building and aftercare facility for children from facility before children can be placed in works (approximately aligned with the the nearby townships of Samora Machel a family unit, and will provide a space delivery of affordable housing) called and Siqalo. where pre-school children can be taken for small internal spaces, and the use of The hall acts as a focal point in care of during the day. standard, simple building technology a manner that makes reference to the The overall design approach at and durable domestic finishes. The vernacular configuration of a homestead, Vulamasango has been to define challenge has been to identify and with its peripheral outbuildings con- spatially a gradation of the public and develop a building element that can tained in a ‘werf’. The buildings are private realms as one moves through make a significant impact on improving

32 ARCHITECTURE SA | ISSUE 71

Vulamasango Child Care.indd 32 2015/02/17 4:44 PM Vulamasango Child Care.indd 33 are groupedaroundcourts sothat with theirhouseparent/s. The buildings where upto10childrencould beliving the familyandjuniorprecinct homes increasing theirvolume, especiallyin the relativelysmalllivingareasby and theenvironmentalcomfortof improves thequalityofspace attractive soffit. Thisheightallowance roof purlins, creatingadurableand and arelaidsimultaneouslywiththe inform theroofs’ structuralmodules form generouswalkways. storeys, withdeepeavesthatextendto that allowhigh-volumesingleordouble buildings havegenerous, simpleroofs agricultural shed structures, the proposed roofs. Inkeepingwiththenatureof of thebuildings–inthiscase the livingandspatialenvironment 8 Internal shutterplypanelceilings

Cluster, iscurrentlyunderconstruction. the Admin BuildingandatypicalFamily the year. socialising andplayingspacesthroughout the walkwaysaccommodatingsitting, modest internalareasavailable, with and alsocomplementtherelatively covered walkwaysconnectstructures Cape Town Quantity Surveyors: DeLeeuwGroup, Structural Engineer: JTLStructures Project Manager:Peter Jones Project Architect: Sandra van derMerwe Huda Tayob) Dylan Pope, DavidBennet,EmilSinclair, der Merwe, MarietMundey (Alsoinvolved: Project Team: JacquiPerrin, Sandra van Client: FlorianKraemer of Vulamasango THE TEAM Phase 1oftheproject, whichcomprises 9 7 6 . Sectionalelevation oftypicalfamily units 9. Crosssectionoftypicalfamily unit 8. Typical Family Cluster 7. JuniorPrecinct 6. Administrative Precinct 5. 4. Longitudinal section Siteplan 3. 6. Pergola first-floor layout 5.Central courtand walkway 1, 2,3.Double-storey family unit4. Typical Key: double-storey family unit double-storey family unit6.Firstfloorof 4. Connectingwalkway 5.Groundfloorof 1, 2.Single-storey house3.Crèche Key: 7. Existing hall 5. Volunteers’ building 6.Connectingwalkway 3. Firstaidoffice4.Utilitybuilding 1. Firstflooroffice2. Adminbuilding Key: 3. Existing hall(aftercare)4.New crèche 1. Existing workshop 2.Existing caretaker’s home E. New reedbed C. ReshapedbermD.Existing pond A. Upgraded accessroadB.Productive area Key:

33 2015/02/17 4:45 PM

THEME: UNDER 40s | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 STUDENT ACCOMMODATION

ARCHITECT: JURGEN KIESLICH

THE CLIENT of Studio Vijf wanted common areas – such as a lounge, kitchen, many ‘zero’-rated building principles this student accommodation to be braai area, TV room and dining areas – as possible. This gave rise to a building designed, approved, built and ready giving a total habitable building area of with superior acoustic and temperature for occupation in the next academic 1 951m2, along with basement parking insulation, through all seasons of the year. year which, at the time, was 10 months and external buildings occupying around On the acoustic front, one can away. In order to achieve this, the topic 950m2. The development had to respond study inside any of the rooms in this of modular building came up very to the existing heritage building, DF building and barely hear the noise of early on. But this would be a first for Malan’s old house, that was part of the a jackhammer outside. South Africa and, to counterbalance the project and had also been converted Generally speaking, any modular negative perceptions of prefabricated into student housing, and the design building technique produces less waste, products that had come up in market had to be negotiated with, presented to as work is done in a factory environment research on other developments, the and passed by the heritage committee on a production line. Offcuts and wastage decision taken was to go high-end. of Stellenbosch. can be minimised, or easily stored for Essentially, the building comprises The aim of the project team was later reuse. The availability of light, 62 single, studio apartments with various to be as green and to implement as electricity and work tables; the lack of

A Silver Founding Member of the Green Building Council of South Africa www.duluxtrade.co.za

34 ARCHITECTURE SA | ISSUE 71

Student Accomo.indd 34 2015/02/17 4:26 PM Student Accomo.indd 35 further reducetheenergy requirements. average, byatleast25percentto on by theXAregulationswas increased, resulted inasubstantialcostsaving. from 1200mmto400mm, whichalso over thebasementcouldbereduced helped. The depthofthetransferslab less cement and thereducedweight – all the materials – not firing bricks, using less stressontheearth’s resourses. of aconventionalconstruction, placing thatweighslessthana third a structure The techniqueusedherealsoresultsin and moreefficiently thefirsttimearound. done correctly, morerapidly, lessmessily dust and rain, all ensure that the job is 2 The standardofinsulationrequired In thisregardtheembodiedenergy in

provided ample storage and cupboard to ensure personalaccountability. with theirownprepaidmeter system, boards werefittedineachunit, together this endeavour, individualdistribution consumption ofresources. Inlinewith individual responsibilityfortheir of conventionalHWCheating. control andasavingofover50percent employed toensureownconsumption at externalareasandbalconies. with tiltandopeningfeaturesdirected and doorsemployingdouble-glazing, as welllocallyassembledwindows LED lightingwasinstalledthroughout, 4 On apracticallevel, thisdesign These featuresgiveeachstudent Instantaneous waterheaterswere . First-floorplan 6. Ground-floorplan 5. Siteplanwithground-level parking layout 4. Four-storey basementareatotuckbuildinginto 3. Northernelevation showing how theuniquely 2. Mainentrance linedupwithoneofthefour 1. intercom systemlinkedtoasecurity- flame-path protection, apanicalarmand smoke detectors, verticalandhorizontal features couldbeinstalled, suchas turn, meantin-roomsafetyandsecurity and cablednetwork points. This, in media connections–DStv, TV, Wi-Fi space, plusaccesstoahostofITand 5 3 the ground pod system designed publicspacesfitintothemodular existing trees 6

35 2015/02/17 4:29 PM

THEME: UNDER 40s | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 7

6 9

8 10

control room and the entrance gates, them to a particular site. But this scheme a few great ideas that concern mixed- tag-controlled gate access and the like. managed to achieve a Northern or use space, public/private courtyards The finishes are high-class and feature Easterly orientation for approximately and the use of the walls of buildings sanitary and brass ware that reduces 70 percent of the units. Furthermore, it to shape the surrounding urban space. water consumption, especially for the was possible to step the Eastern elevation If employed, these ideas could work to toilets, which boast one of the most down to two storeys, in places, to respect increase public safety and reduce the efficient flushing operations available. the housing on the opposite side of the need for boundary walls and security. The Studio Vijf project has been road. The deciduous trees that were Furthermore, the Council’s internal- integrated with the adjacent park – saved now provide shade to the few West passageways requirement made easy all existing trees were kept and close or park-facing units in summer. cross-ventilation an impossibility and attention was paid to landscaping and Unfortunately, the Stellenbosch increased the need for fire monitoring, water consumption. The installation Council’s inability to view a courtyard lighting and mechanical ventilation. of holding tanks for the storage of house as a type and their unwilling- underground water (from the basement ness to appoint an urban planner to sump pump) provides the water needed the De Weides area as a whole (and, to irrigate the garden. additionally, to aim for a contemporary 7. Typical room 8. Communal lounge area Modular systems, by definition, have integrated Student Housing node), 9. Detail of main internal staircase limitations when the aim is to adapt forced this project team to abandon 10. Communal dining/kitchen area

36 ARCHITECTURE SA | ISSUE 71

Student Accomo.indd 36 2015/02/17 4:29 PM 24 Fransen Street, Chamdor, Johannesburg P. O. Box 7889, Westgate, 1743 South Africa Tel: +27 11 762 2453/4/5/6 Fax: 011 762 2565 Email: [email protected] Website: www.flowsystems.co.za FLOW SYSTEMS MANUFACTURES, SUPPLIES AND INSTALLS THE FOLLOWING: 150 Standard Models of Access Control & Biometric Turnstiles, Speedgates, Access Control Revolving Doors, Access Control Booths and Mantraps, Vehicle Access Control Booms, Automatic and Manual Revolving Doors

“Original Manufacturer of South Africa’s Access Control Turnstile”

_Place Ads.indd 1 2015/02/18 1:18 PM _To Check_fcp.indd 1 2014/11/24 9:17 AM SUBSCRIBE

DIGEST OF SOUTH AFRICAN ARCHITECTURE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 JOURNAL OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN INSTITUTE ARCHITECTS

vol 18

of South African Architecture

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 JOURNAL OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS

2013 VOLUME 18

of South African Architecture

UNDER 40s

SOPHIA GRAY LECTURE: MRA CONGRESS LECTURE: DURBAN GRAY 2014 UIA SOPHIA

Issue

70|DEC NOV 2014 endorsed by the South African Institute of Architects

PICASSO HEADLINE A REVIEW OF WORK COMPLETED IN 2013 2014/03/07 2:20 PM

15002 Picasso Headline Issue

PICASSO HEADLINE RSA R20.00 (incl VAT) RSA R20.00 (incl VAT) 9 771682 938004 Other countries R17.50 (excl VAT) 71 Other countries R17.50 (excl VAT) JAN|FEB RSA R65.00 incl VAT / Other countries ZAR65.00 excl tax of South African Architecture 2015

COVER_71_final.indd 1 2015/02/18 10:59 AM cover 2012 FINAL drafts 2.indd 1 ARCHITECTURE JOURNAL OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS SOUTH AFRICA DIGEST of South African Architecture Architecture South Africa was established over 20 years ago as the The Digest of South African Architecture is the official publication official bi-monthly journal of the South African Institute of Architects (SAIA). endorsed by the South African Institiute of Architects. Published Together with SAIA and the professional editorial team, it allows us to be on annually, this magazine is a display of the finest work completed by the cutting edge of new developments within the industry. The publication South African architects each year. focuses on highlighting new and exciting design projects, innovative technologies and materials in well-illustrated articles and insightful editorial. YES...I WANT TO SUBSCRIBE YES...I WANT TO SUBSCRIBEYES... I WANT TO SUBSCRIBE. PLEASE SIGN ME UP

PLEASE TICK ONE OF THE BOXES BELOW PLEASE TICK ONE OF THE BOXES BELOW DIGEST of South African ARCHITECTURE SA ARCHITECTURE ARCHITECTURE SA ARCHITECTURE SA DIGEST Architecture (6 issues) SA ARCHITECTURE SA (12 issues) ARCHITECTURE SA (1 issue annually) Digest of South African(6 issues) Architecture SA: Journal of the South African DIGEST (12 issues) (1 issue annually) 2-year subscription 1-year(1 subscription issue annually) (6 issues) (3 issues) 2-year subscription Architecture 1-year subscription Institute of Architects 2-year subscription R80 R170 2-year subscriptionR280 R120 2-year subscription 1-year subscription 1/2-year subscription R170 R280 R110 R80 R60 Name of individual or organisation: ...... Postal address: ...... Name of individual or organisation: ...... Postcode: ...... Postal address: ...... BANK DETAILS: Cell number:Account details:...... Picasso Headline, Standard Bank, ...... Postcode: ...... Name of individual or organisation: ...... Thibault Square Cell number: ...... Postal address:Tel code ...... Branch and code: number:...... 02-09-09 ...... BANK DETAILS: Tel: code and number: ...... Account number: 070829977 Postcode: ...... Account details: Picasso Headline, Standard Bank, Thibault Square Fax codePlease and write number:reference (Archies ...... Sub) and your name on Branch code: 02-09-09 ...... Fax: code and number: ...... Cell number: ...... the deposit slip. Account number: 070829977 E-mail address: ...... E-mail address: ...... Tel: code and number: ...... Please write reference (Archies Sub) and your name on the deposit slip. Website address: ...... Fax: codeWebsite and number:PLEASE address: ...... FAX A COPY ...... OF THE DEPOSIT SLIP TO 021- 462-1124 or 021-469-2525 WITH YOUR SUBSCRIPTION PLEASE FAX A COPY OF THE DEPOSIT SLIP TO 021-462-1124 or 021- Contact person: ...... E-mail address: ...... ContactFORM. person: ...... 469-2525 WITH YOUR SUBSCRIPTION...... FORM. Position in company or organisation: ...... Website address: ...... Contact Positionperson: ...... in company or organisation: ...... Position in company or organisation: ...... BANK DETAILS: Account details: Picasso Headline, Standard Bank, Thibault Square Branch code: 02-09-09 PLEASE FAX A COPY OF THE DEPOSIT SLIP TO PO Box 12500, Mill Street, Gardens, 8010 | 105 Hatfield Street, Gardens, Cape Town, 8001 086-462-926 WITH YOUR SUBSCRIPTION FORM. [email protected] | Tel: 021 469 2500Account number: 070829977 For secure payment, credit card transactions can be made telephonically or via e-mail. Please write reference (Archies Sub) and your name on the deposit slip.

PO Box 12500, Mill Street, Gardens, 8001 | Times Media Building, Central Park, Black River Park, Fir Street, Observatory, 7925. [email protected] | Tel: 021-469-2500 | Fax: 086-682-2926 For secure payment, credit card transactions can be made telephonically or via e-mail.

Archies_Subscrib-70.indd 1 2015/02/18 11:42 AM ARCHITECTURE FOR LIFE: EXPLORING REGENERATIVE AND RESILIENCE THINKING BY: EDNA PERES, ARTHUR BAKER AND CHRISNA DU PLESSIS

AS BUILT-ENVIRONMENT theory founded in an emerging world view that systems in Pretoria is ironic, since its evolves, so does the awareness that built reintegrates humans and nature as partners connection to water was integral to its environments form an integral part of in the biophysical world. The ecological establishment (Dippenaar, 2013: 6). The natural systems. Living systems are capable worldview recognises the inevitability abundance of water and game drew many of regeneration, resiliently adapting to of change and that it is the quality and communities, such as the Bakwena in the pressures in order to sustain life. Through diversity of life on earth we need to sustain, 1600s and the Matabele in 1825 (Andrews this perspective, the role of architecture rather than the status quo. The far-reaching and Ploeger, 1989: 2), to settle in the in our cities is an opportunity to catalyse changes in ecological, social and economic area between the Apies river and the renewal in the urban system by working systems expected in the 21st century will Steenhovenspruit. British and Boer settlers with and integrating various systems of change the world as we know it. From this began to arrive thereafter and, in 1853, life. Using the theme of water, this paper proactive perspective, two complementary portions of the newly established Daspoort explores the latent potential of degraded concepts emerge – resilience and and Elandspoort farms were consolidated urban sites to inform architecture that regeneration – which are two powerful to form the town. unlocks processes of renewal, resilience and strategies for this transition. As Pretoria evolved from a settlement to regeneration in natural and social systems. Urban resilience can be described as a city, the demand on local water resources the capacity of a city to adapt to change, could no longer be sustained (Dippenaar, AN ECOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE brought about by slow pressures or rapid- 2013) and the unmaking of the city began. Many modern cities have been shaped by pulse disturbances. It is a passive quality, Water was mainly sourced from the Apies an Enlightenment world view, in which representing ‘the life-sustaining aspect of River through furrows, but the river would nature was seen as separate from humans nature that yields to external forces and, in often burst its banks (Engelbrecht et al., and their habitats – a force to be controlled that yielding, keeps the system from failing 1952: 66). In 1863, the Zuid Afrikaanse and bent to the service of humanity. Natural or being destroyed’ (Du Plessis, 2013: Republiek (ZAR) increased its water supply systems became resources to be exploited 35). Cities can experience both ‘positive’ by accessing two springs at Fountains Valley. without consideration for the long-term resilience, brought about through healthy The visibility of the water diminished after effects; this in spite of the fact that humans diversity (e.g. alternative roads to avoid a the early 1890s, when a weir was constructed have an inherent need to be part of nature traffic jam), or ‘negative’ resilience brought just below the upper and lower fountains to (Wilson, 1984; Kellert, et al., 2008). This about through lock-in (e.g. politics stalling feed water along the streets through brick- reductionist thinking sought to ‘simplify the provision of affordable housing). lined furrows with slate covers (ibid, 1952: the urban system and make it intelligible At times, the goal of creating a thriving 26). Andrews and Ploeger (1989: 6) describe by breaking it down into sub-systems, city may necessitate that a system is allowed the early town as ‘disorganised; water from whose individual optimisation leads to the to collapse and regenerate. This places a the aqueducts (water furrows) overflowed sub-optimisation of the whole’ (Salat, 2011: responsibility on professionals hoping to and the streets needed urgent care’. The 476). Today, the disconnection between be ‘resilient and regenerative’ – they must 1880 floods (Engelbrecht et al., 1952: 100), built and natural environments threatens be able to identify which aspects may led to the decision to canalise the seasonal the physical functions of cities, along with need to collapse in order to provide room Apies, Steenhoven- and Walkerspruits the physiological and psychological well- for new life to take root (Du Plessis, 2013: streams, thus interfering with their natural being of its citizens. 38). Transformative resilience recovers flow and denigrating rivers to stormwater One response is to see the city as an a system’s health (Chapin, et al., 2009; channels (Jordaan, 1989: 28). These were ecosystem (e.g. McHarg, 1967; Lyle, 1994; Gotham and Campanella, 2010) and is eventually sunken underground and now Rees, 1997), instead of an engineering and brought about through regenerative design, present a high risk for sink holes. In most economic system. This has led to several an active quality that renews the system. instances, the city’s support systems have approaches: urban ecology; using ecological The point of departure for the projects been removed far from sight, perpetuating concepts as metaphors or guidelines for discussed in this paper, is to build conditions the deterioration of the system. The urban human activities (e.g. urban metabolism, for life to regenerate the degraded sites that water quality and quantity crisis is becoming ecological footprinting, resilience); and require systemic transformation in Pretoria. so acute that many are recognising it using nature itself as the metaphor to as a pronounced environmental problem guide the physical development of cities LATENT POTENTIAL: PRETORIA’S (Dippenaar, 2013), making the regeneration (e.g. ecological design and engineering, FRESHWATER SYSTEMS of this natural resource paramount to the biomimicry). These approaches are The story of disconnection from natural resilience of Pretoria.

For environmentally conscious, innovative and sustainable paint solutions that don’t compromise on the finest quality www.duluxtrade.co.za

40 ARCHITECTURE SA | ISSUE 71

Essay.indd 40 2015/02/18 8:37 AM The water body has patent and latent potential for social and ecological resilience (Fig. 3), represented by three ‘potential sets’ (Büchner, 2013: 34-47). Social potential exists in the recreational and functional benefit it will offer the surrounding communities (Büchner, 2013: 38). Historical potential is evident in the residual industrial infrastructure; remain- ing building materials can be reused, while extant fabric tells the story of ‘place’ through original functional operations informing new production processes. Biophysical potential exists in the FIGURE 1 Pretoria in 1886, as seen from Daspoort Ridge. In the foreground is the confluence of the landforms, microclimate, ecology and large 2015 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY ESSAY Apies River and Steenhovenspruit. (Le Roux (ed.), 1991: 64). water body; the by-products of clay mining are not too pollutive, so invasive flora can POINTS OF OPPORTUNITY: REMAKING many ‘vocations, from ecological habitat, be replaced with indigenous species to THE CITY THROUGH THE REGENERATIVE to resource deposit, productive industry increase biodiversity. POWER OF WATER [and, finally,] a naturally reclaimed Integrated fish farming can be The restorative qualities of water have habitat’ (Büchner, 2013: 20). Although the introduced in a closed-loop system, been recognised by urban dwellers since quarry enabled the construction of the where the by-products of one process feed ancient times (Kellert, Heerwagen and surrounding fabric (Fig. 2), its intrusive the next. These processes will include, Mador, 2008). Conversely, dysfunction in operations met with community pressure among others, algae farming, mulberry a city’s water systems can have disastrous in the 1980s, resulting in a court order farming and silk production, which in consequences. Pretoria’s relationship to giving the company 10 years to close turn will foster industrial decentralisation, water and its influence in the ‘making’, down. Invasive Black Wattle species, which artisanal industry and various natural ‘unmaking’ and possible remaking of further compromised the ecosystems, were water-treatment processes. the city is investigated through four introduced to mitigate noise and dust. Educational facilities will provide new MArch theses exploring regenerative Mining operations were curtailed when knowledge, either directly through lectures architecture in neglected sites: Ingmar the quarry excavation hit one of many and tours, or indirectly through movement Büchner examined latent potentials underground springs and this, together routes that intersect historical elements, at the Monument Park Quarry; Heidi with economic pressures and a workers’ production processes and the natural van Eeden investigated industry at the strike, resulted in the mine closure around topography. Recreation will be provided Daspoort waste-water treatment works; 1993 (Van der Merwe, 2013:40). through restaurants, nature walks and Marié Cronjé tapped into networks at The site is currently inhabited by a water activities. But, most importantly, the the Steenhovenspruit Canal; and Carla small group of homeless people and its architecture will be made and organised Taljaard explored transformative processes infrastructure, partially demolished for in a manner that allows visitors and at the Era Brickworks.1 safety reasons, is overgrown. While the inhabitants to reconnect with nature. Abuse of water systems in these sites ‘unmaking’ of the quarry site began New buildings will be formally influenced resulted in a reduced ability to provide through mining activity, it unlocked by existing landforms; extant ruins will services, such as clean water, social ameni- ecological potential in the form of a large determine the architectural pattern for ties and economic activity. This begs the water body. Without an understanding of new production spaces, land forms question: in systems that have collapsed this new potential for regeneration on the and water-edge conditions, while new or are at the brink of collapse, how can site, it risks becoming another gated estate experiential routes will cross these elements a) collapse be transitioned or sped up; b) in a city already suffering the consequences creating internal and external pathways the latent potentials be harnessed for new of this typology (Fig. 2). (Fig. 3). uses; and c) existing narratives inform new interventions that build on positive qualities rather than trying to ‘fix the problems’? This informed the following investigations, which aimed to make the symbiosis between the water system and its social system resilient in adapting to change and regenerative in its functioning.

MONUMENT PARK QUARRY: HUMAN ACTION MITIGATED BY PLACE-SOURCED POTENTIALS The Rosema and Klaver coal-fired brick factory started production in 1933 (Van FIGURE 2 der Merwe, 2013: 41). The site has had The quarry site in 1976, surrounded by the transforming Monument Park (Büchner, 2013: 29).

Essay.indd 41 2015/02/18 12:07 PM of which at least a third are currently underutilised (Fig. 4). The site provides opportunities to link Marabastad with its historic natural border, preventing further degradation, and to allow new resilient production processes to improve the local economy. A proposed 21st-century textile mill reflects the architecture of a ‘living machine’ (Van Eeden2, 2013: 8_6). Unlike traditional production processes that drain natural resources, the new textile mill acts as a biomechanical device that links industry with nature and the community with economic opportunities. The ‘Machinarium’ (ibid, 2013: 1_3) consists of interactive parts that ‘have some form of life, and are therefore unpredictable and largely uncontrollable’ (ibid, 2013: 8_6). The Western edge of the mill borders the existing water-treatment works, and acts as a literal and metaphorical filter of its water and production processes. Mills tend to consume large quantities of water, but ‘Machinarium’ takes over some of the functions of the Daspoort plant by directing water through an ‘architectural aqueduct’ (ibid, 2013:8_10), before discharging it through a series of filtering ponds into agricultural fields and the Apies River (Fig. 5). Water is also used for hydropower, steam generation, algae cultivation, evaporative cooling and irrigation (ibid, 2013: 8_19). To the East, the truncated Jerusalem Street FIGURE 3 is extended to meet the Apies River, Top: The final site model showing the water body and various agricultural facilities housed in and alongside reconnecting the inhabitants with nature. the new building, located in the centre of the site (Author B, 2013). Bottom: Model of the facility, with Industrial activities are exposed on adapted heritage fabric in the foreground (Buchner, 2014). the Eastern edge of the mill where

FIGURE 4 The Daspoort Waste Water Works site with its settling tanks in the foreground, leftover Marabastad heritage to the right and, in the background, the Daspoort ridge (Van Eeden, 2013: 6-5).

DASPOORT WASTE WATER TREATMENT River and Steenhovenspruit (Jenkins, steam, used to drive the rotating wheel, WORKS: THE POLITICS OF SEPARATION 1955: 364), separating the community is expelled over the main public square. ALLEVIATED BY A BIOMECHANICAL from a valuable resource. This separation Spatial experience is heightened MACHINE was exacerbated by the canalisation of by algaculture water walls that filter North of Marabastad, a culturally Steenhovenspruit in the 1920s and later daylight, and dying processes that significant district and transit node, by the railway line, Bel Ombre station exhibit through colourful canopies. lies the Daspoort Waste Water Works and an incomplete freeway project. The New functions such as fashion, that was constructed in 1913 (Fig. 4), in plant’s infrastructure has been upgraded education and crafts provide the visitor response to polluted water furrows. It was over time, leaving in its wake abandoned and local inhabitant alike with varied erected at the confluence of the Apies structures and outdated technologies economic opportunities.

42 ARCHITECTURE SA | ISSUE 71

Essay.indd 42 2015/02/18 8:38 AM An existing furrow, possibly part of the old water-supply system of Pretoria, has been given new life as a stormwater garden that feeds the adjacent fibre- growing fields. The old Marabastad church is enveloped by a pond, celebrating its historical significance and renewal. ‘By exposing water as an architectural device, hydrology becomes an embedded layer of the human environment and is no longer seen as a separate natural resource’ (ibid, 2013: 8_10). The ‘Machinarium’ breathes life into a derelict environment. A true 21st- century mill adapts the old, mitigates the

present and postulates a resilient future 2015 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY ESSAY (Fig. 5).

CONTROL VERSUS OPPORTUNISM: SYSTEMIC PARTICIPATION IN MARABASTAD, USING THE STEENHOVENSPRUIT CANAL AS A SOURCE OF TRANSFORMATIVE RESILIENCE Initially, the Steenhovenspruit formed a natural boundary between racial groups that was aggravated by canalisation during the 1920s. Between 1938 and 1965, Marabastad was affected by forced removals and extensive demolition of its fine-grained urban fabric (Cronjé, 2013: 56). Only the Boom Street precinct remains, as evidence of a suburb previously described as the only area in Pretoria exhibiting the complex characteristics of a true city (Le Roux (ed.), 1991: 109). Today, in the absence of adequate services, trade and opportunism (Cronjé, 2013: 57) extend to the use of the Steenhovenspruit as a sheltered hiding place to wash or discard waste (Fig. 6). Marabastad’s culture of opportunism is highly resilient and a source of economic energy, however it sustains perverse activities that inhibit local social and ecological well-being. Past strategies have focused on ‘fixing the problem’ by eradicating negative aspects, rather than understanding this resilience or its regenerative potential (Fig. 6). The service provided by Steenhoven- spruit can be augmented by increasing direct dependence on its resource, thereby encouraging more responsible water use (Kellert, Heerwagen and Mador, 2008). The proposed design on a site adjacent to Steenhovenspruit and Boom Street makes water more accessible and builds on ‘various and diverse interactions between different actors within existing systems’ (Cronjé, 2013: 123). Social and FIGURE 5 ecological interactions were mapped and Top: Photo of ‘Machinarium’ model (Author B, 2013). Bottom: The use of natural dyes as walls and the extension of the natural habitat into public spaces (Van Eeden, 2013). then systemically integrated to generate

Essay.indd 43 2015/02/18 8:38 AM FIGURE 6 The canalised Steenhovenspruit and surrounds, in 2013 (Cronje, 2013: 69).

an architectural solution that builds on the canal. The characteristic Marabastad limited success, while park areas remain historical production (beer brewing, bread retail street-edge typology, along Boom unsafe and cut off, perpetuating the stigma baking) and existing trade. Interactions Street, will continue to support the strong of industrial activity (Fig. 8). were grouped into three networks; networks between formal and informal The brickworks closure will profoundly ‘natural’ is seen as the primary and all- economies (Fig. 7). affect the broader area. This revolutionary phase in the long-term evolution of the site is seen ‘not as loss or abandonment of obsolete capital, but as the release of energy and potential that can be positively restructured’ (Taljaard, 2013: 17). It represents an opportunity to re- envision the life of the site, by integrating its water sources into the broader context and stitching together the social-ecological pieces of the segregated urban wasteland. Complementary potentials on site shift between evolution and resistance (ibid, 2013: 17). Water formed a primary component of the first potential set, which FIGURE 7 led to an intervention that harnesses the The final model with canal, centre right, social spaces under the pergola, spiral-pump system with water clay-producing potential and existing tanks in the centre and formal retail on the street edge, left (Author P, 2013). workforce, on site, to create a craft-based ceramic production facility (utilising the encompassing driver of regeneration, CONFLUENCE OF POTENTIAL: quarry, existing warehouses and kilns). subsequently embracing ‘social’ and REVERSING INDUSTRIAL STIGMA The second potential, memory and ‘economic’ renewal. AT THE ERA BRICKWORKS imagination, involves perceptions towards The ‘natural’ driver is tackled by The convergence of the Moreletta industry and the buffering green space. filtering polluted canal water through and Rietspruit rivers in Silverton was By creating a porous public building that wetlands and retention ponds upstream. influenced by three significant factors allows life to flow through the industrial Canal banks are stepped using vegetated (Taljaard, 2013: 12). Firstly, a third trade structures, interaction is encouraged. gabions, and widened to mitigate flooding route North through a fault in the mountain Preservation of the cultural landscape and improve visibility. The base flow in range stimulated industrial production. allows obsolete industrial material to the canal is diverted into the building, Secondly, the deposit of silt and other soils, transform into a positive public amenity, where a spiral pump generates electricity. ideal for clay-brick manufacture, enabled which challenges the stigma surrounding Rain water is harvested and treated the establishment of the Era Brickworks industrial processes and evokes steward- for use within the building and to (Fig. 8). Lastly, political forces perpetuated ship of the site. irrigate productive gardens, while racial segregation on either side of the two Finally, the site has the capacity to permeable surfaces allow excess rain- rivers, with the use of an industrial buffer transform, while maintaining its identity water to replenish the groundwater table. zone. The brickworks lies within the and primary functions. An imminent Perishable foods, currently discarded buffer, but clay levels have been depleted disturbance will be the brickworks closure; by traders on site, are ‘harvested’ for and production is in its final decade. Social however skilled labour, flat open space, brewing or composting within an amenities within the buffer zone have had tangible cultural landscape, clay residues integrated collection space, located on and a large water body will be immediately the ground floor; ‘social problems’ will available. All these potentials can be be harnessed for their potential to utilised in the ceramic facility within strengthen ecological networks. existing buildings, with new studio spaces The ability ‘to recognise and exploit being built in a sunken courtyard along an opportunity’ (Cronjé, 2013: 40), as has inhabitable brick wall ‘spine’ that blurs the been demonstrated through Marabastad’s line between nature and industry (Fig 9). resilient history of subletting, illegal beer New kilns sensitively replace some of the brewing and informal street trade, will also FIGURE 8 obsolete heritage infrastructure and create The Era Brickworks, with clay factory in the be harnessed. Building edges encourage foreground and Rietspruit, top right an efficient closed-looped system that also ‘exploitation’, while social spaces link to (Taljaard, 2013: 20). heats water for the entire building.

44 ARCHITECTURE SA | ISSUE 71

Essay.indd 44 2015/02/18 8:40 AM thinking offers clues to a positive future Earthworks, No 13, April/ May, vision for architecture, that can evolve pp. 35-38. and inspire the building practice to Engelbrecht, S.P., Agar-Hamilton, sustain a diversity of life. J.A.I., Pelzer, A.N. and Behrens, H.P.H. Ms Peres and Prof du Plessis are 1952. Centenary Album. Pretoria’s First from the Department of Construction Century in Illustration. J.L. van Schaik, Economics, and Dr Barker from the Limited, Pretoria. Department of Architecture, University Gotham, K.F. and Campanella, R. of Pretoria. 2010. ‘Towards a Research Agenda on Transformative Resilience: Challenges ACKNOWLEDGMENT and Opportunities for Post-Trauma The financial assistance (Grant No 78649) Ecosystems’. Critical Planning, Summer, of the National Research Foundation pp. 9-23. (NRF) towards research is hereby Haggard, B. Reed, B. and Mang, P. acknowledged. Opinions expressed and 2006. ‘Regenerative Development: A new

conclusions arrived at are those of the approach to reversing ecological degradation 2015 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY ESSAY authors, and cannot necessarily be offers opportunities for developers and attributed to the NRF. builders.’ Available online at: http://www.regenesisgroup.com/pdf/rd. ENDNOTES Accessed: 17/02/2014. 1. Students formed part of a funded NRF Jenkins, G. (ed.). 1955. Pretoria 1855- research project on resilience (Grant No. 1955. Die Stadsraad van Pretoria. 1st 78649), managed by Chrisna du Plessis, Edition, Wallach’s P&P Co. Ltd. Pretoria. with student supervision during 2013 by Kellert, S., Heerwagen, J. and Mador, Arthur Barker and Edna Peres. M. 2008. Biophilic Design: The theory, 2. Heidi van Eeden recently won the science and practice of bringing buildings national Corobrik student competition. to life. Hoboken New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. WORKS CITED Le Roux (ed.), 1991. Plekke Andrews, T. & Ploeger, J. 1989. en Geboue van Pretoria, Vol. 2. Street and Place Names of Old Pretoria. Stadsraad van Pretoria. Pretoria. J.L. van Schaik. Lyle, J.T. 1994. Regenerative design Büchner, I. 2013. ‘Latent Potential: for sustainable development. New York: A Post-Industrial Artefact.’ Pretoria: John Wiley & Sons Inc. Unpublished Master’s dissertation, Mang, P. and Reed, B. 2012. University of Pretoria, Gauteng, ‘Designing from place: A regenerative South Africa. framework and methodology.’ Building Chapin III, F.S., Carpenter, S.R., Reseach & Information, Vol. 40, No 1, Kofinas, G.P., Folke, C., Abel, N., pp. 23-88. Clark, W.C., Olsson, P., Smith, D.M.S., McHarg, I. 1969. Design with Nature. Walker, B., Young, O.R., Berkes, F., New York: Natural History Press. FIGURE 9 Top: Rendering of the final proposal, with new Biggs, R., Grove, J.M., Naylor, R. Rees, W.E. 1997. ‘Urban ecosystems: additions set against existing grey-coloured extant L., Pinkerton, E., Steffen, W. and The human dimension’. Urban Ecosystem, factory spaces. Bottom: Various water strategies Swanson, F. J. 2009. Trends in Ecology Vol 1:63-75. (Taljaard, 2013: 104, 105). & Evolution, Vol. 25, No 4, Salat, S. 2011. Cities and Forms: On pp. 241-249. Sustainable Urbanism. Paris: Hermann. CONCLUSION Cronjé, M. 2013. ‘The Liquid Taljaard, C. 2013. ‘New Era Ceramics: The extension of buildings beyond their Network: a catalyst for participation A solvent for the industrial boundary’. physical domain enhances their capacity in Marabastad.’ Pretoria: Unpublished Pretoria: Unpublished Master’s to adapt, evolve and nurture the diversity Master’s dissertation, University of dissertation, University of Pretoria, of life within cities. Four Masters projects Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa. Gauteng, South Africa. reveal latent potential, within derelict Dippenaar, M. 2013. Hydrological Wilson, E. O. 1984. Biophilia: sites, that could rebuild urban quality and Heritage Overview: Pretoria’s fountains – The human bond with other species. generate awareness about the broader arteries of life. Pretoria: Water Research Cambridge: Harvard University Press. urban ecology. Strategies are based on the Commission SP44/13. Van der Merwe, 2013. ‘The Garden unique story of place at each site, where Du Plessis, C. 2008. ‘Understanding Is Us: In search of poetic dwelling.’ water inspires resilience and regeneration Cities as Social-ecological Systems’. Pretoria: Unpublished Masters in the architectural solution. Closed-loop Proceedings of the World Sustainable dissertation, University of Pretoria, food production and social activities Building Conference. SB’08, 21-25 Gauteng, South Africa. inform the design of buildings that are September, Melbourne, Australia. Van Eeden, H. 2013. ‘Machinarium.’ moulded into their landscape, redirecting Du Plessis, C. 2013. ‘Resilient and Pretoria: Unpublished Master’s flows of energy to build social-ecological regenerative – the Yin and Yang of dissertation, University of Pretoria, capacity. Resilience and regenerative a new development paradigm.’ Gauteng, South Africa.

Essay.indd 45 2015/02/18 8:40 AM

Technical.indd 47 private money. to foil insulation. horizontal S-profilesheetingapplied outside, upto clerestory height, with without insulation. floor consistsofascreed-onmarineply, brick innerleafwithpatenthangers. The softwood andarefixedtothehalf- clerestory height. columns, hasbeentakenupto the rests onprecastconcretelintolsspanning A half-brick masonry innerleaf, that bed tokeepthemclearofgroundwater. sleeve. a PVC The polesrestonagravel poles that have beenprotectedwith up tofloorlevel, builtaroundvertical by theDepartmentofPublic Works. gumpole constructionthatwasapproved consisting of a hybridmasonryand the deck toa grassedandlevelledarea. community activities, lead down from wooden steps, doublingupasseatingfor ground lineundisturbed. Generous have beenraisedsoastoleavethe amongst thestonepines. The buildings and inspiringstructurebeautifullysited corrugated-sheet metalschoolisafresh Hout Bay, this masonry, gumpole and BUILT ONawoodedhillsideabove TEXT: WEGELIN HANS ARCHITECT: DAWID DE VAAL IKHAYATEMBA LE The construction was funded with The polesuperstructureiscladonthe Floor beamsarecomposedofsawn The masonrypartconsistsofcolumns The structurehasarationaldesign,

47 2015/02/18 8:26 AM

TECHNICAL | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 SOUTH AFRICAN INFORMED • INNOVATIVE • INSPIRED HOME OWNER WELCOME HOME SUBSCRIPTION SPECIAL OFFER Get 50% off (only R220.00 for 11 issues)

SOUTH AFRICAN SOUTH AFRICAN INFORMED • INNOVATIVE • INSPIRED INFORMED • INNOVATIVE • INSPIRED SOUTH AFRICAN INFORMED • INNOVATIVE • INSPIRED HOME OWNER HOME OWNER HOME OWNER WELCOME HOME WELCOME HOME WELCOME HOME DECEMBER 2014/JANUARY 2015 FEBRUARY 2015 MARCH 2015

PRIZES WINWORTH SOFAS WINWORTH REFRESH & R144 470 R42 000 TRENDS 2015 KITCHENS & • WALLPAPER & FABRICS REDESIGN • TOP 3 DESIGN TRENDS YOUR HOME BATHROOMS • BATHROOM TILE INNOVATIONS ROOFTOP GUIDE TO KITCHEN LIGHTING ENTERTAINING LUXURY SHOWER EXPERIENCE & MORE INSPIRING FEATURES FLOORING WOOD, CARPETS & URBAN LIVING INDUSTRIAL-CHIC LOOK OUTDOOR OPTIONS THE COMPACT KITCHEN FREE TICKETS CITY APARTMENTS HOMEMAKERS JHB – R90 DECOREX DBN – R70 ULTIMATE WIN PRIZES TO THE COLOUR GUIDE VALUE OF CITIES REBORN R154 980 URBAN RENEWAL PROJECTS

LUXE GUEST ARCHITECTURE BEDROOM NEW GUIDELINES R39,90 (VAT incl) incl) R39,90 (VAT Other countries R35,00 R39,90 (VAT incl) incl) R39,90 (VAT Other countries R35,00 R39,90 (VAT incl) incl) R39,90 (VAT Other countries R35,00

TO SUBSCRIBE TO SA HOME OWNER MAGAZINE Call our call centre on 0860 123 300 or email [email protected] with ARCHSA in the subject line *This offer is valid only to SA residents until 30 April 2015

AdsToCheck.indd 1 2015/02/18 11:43 AM Perspective.indd 49 who won’t pauseoutsidethehaltsign point ofcontactwithpotential intruders, close to theentrancehall... asthefirst times. The ‘L’ putsthekidsupfront, troubling, especiallyin ourtroubled ‘arrangement’ forsuburbanliving… is anundeniablyperfectandefficient its ensuite. The ‘L’ plan, orsoitseems, its overlords, gobblesupandgivesto in theexpansivelebensraumambitionsof lose tothecorridor, theMasterBedroom, and ensuites). What thekids’ bedrooms into ‘BICs’ andbathrooms(cupboards corridor issnatchedandexpropriated of the ‘L’ plan, wherethespaceof on theirheel?). door, paused…and, un-knocked, turned anxieties haveaccumulatedoutsidethis Bedroom door(howmanychildhood a foreboding ‘Halt!’ signontheMaster Gawie Fagan, thecorridorendsitselfin unless youareextremelycleverlike of alongcorridor. Or, moreprecisely, phrase from another era) at the end the ‘Master Bedroom’ (suchacreepy inevitably leadspastthekids’ roomsto natural lightintoourhomes. ventilation and maximising thefloodof climatic demands, easilyallowingcross- The ‘L’ also works brilliantly in our filled withapoolofdive-bombingkids. between thetwowingsof ‘L’ isoften and inSouth African suburbia, theplace became knownasthe ‘ranch house’ – making embracetowhatotherwise crafty ‘L’ alsogivesanemphaticplace- being, well, thebedroomwing. This functions ofthehouseandother wing dedicatedtothemorepublic follows-function kind, withtheone paean tosensibledesignoftheform- of suburbia. Houses reallycapturetheutopianspirit the-box, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Usonian house disassembleditselfintoajack-in- in an ‘arrangement’ andtheSchroder brought twomarriedcouplestogether Whilst the1920s Schindler Chasehouse wonderfulpredictabilityaboutthem. a middle-income suburbiatendtohave or Mrs ‘Rietveld’ Schroder, housesin UNLESS YOU are Rudolf Schindler PHOTO: NICCOETZER BY: MY LIEISMADEOF WOOD But the ‘L’ alsodoessomething Behind thisdoorisanotherclevertrick The driveofthis ‘L’-shaped plan Their ‘L’-shaped planisanubiquitous NICCOETZER I have neverseen. but thisself-sacrificingarrangement role atthestartofbedroomwing… and seems better located in a protecting out ofplaceattheendcorridor this reality, the Master Bedroom is In seems quitefraughtintherealworld. Lloyd Wright’s Usoniautopia, but of the MasterBedroomdoor. there. A different setofanxieties– from thekids, whose doors areright inevitably bringamurmurand arustle and squeals and clicks and clunks that security gatesarelockedwith squeaks and thebedroomwing. At night, these the knucklebetween ‘public’ wing form ofaninternalsecuritygate, rightat demands another articulation in the 1 The ‘L’ planmakessenseinFrank In deepsuburbia, then, the ‘L’ plan And sohereitis, myliemadeofwood. ethically indeed. makes me smile–Iamacting and it of astonishmentassteelbitessteel, axe-wielding madmanandhismoment But thenIpicturea ‘here’s Johnny!’ liar, for acting so unethically?a blatant licence injeopardyforbeingsuch now, Iwonder, architect’s isnotmy slatted elementsinthehouse. clad intimbertomatchothertimber- Tuscan columns, wehadthesteelbars and honestythesneeringat ‘fake’ about Ruskinandthetruthtomaterials drummed-in lessonslearntinfirstyear – weburiedit. Against allthose when unabletodealwiththeproblem metal anddidwhatmostarchitectsdo of theendcivilisation). also providinghimwithfurtherevidence with hishandmadeanimistmantra, but would agoniseRuskin(perfectlyaligned burrs; thekindofhandmadethingthat suns, withsharpedgesandslicingweld – amangled mesh of flowers, vines and becomes anelaboratedweldedmonster else theoppositeistrueandgate in exasperationandmindlessdefeat. Or steel barsareinevitablypaintedwhite a strongarticulationinthiscontext–the Somehow, thecraftofsteeldoesnotfind easily invisibleevenwhenlookedat. bars, beingubiquitous, necessaryand in muchthesamewayasburglar the ethics of homemaking aesthetics They consequentlygetblankedoutof composed ofstandardproprietysystems. designed, andareoftenoff-the-shelf or steel. They arerarelythoughtfully of down, somewhatsaferontheotherside. barrier asthenuclearfamilybunkers abandoned on the other side of this and Johnny-come-latelyguestsget of sweataroundthisgate. And pets parenting ones–accumulateinapool . Gate incollaboration withPeter Neokorides, 1. Our screenisbeautifullymadebut For oursecurityscreen, welostour Inevitably, thesegatesaremade architect andGreen Way Interiors

49 2015/02/18 8:27 AM

PERSPECTIVE | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 ALProd shower doors half page.pdf 1 2012/07/09 02:24:32 PM

mobel.co.za THE BEST POOL COVER IN THE WORLD

Email: [email protected] Web: www.shutapool.co.za Tel: 011 393 2044 Cell: 083 235 5779

Mobelʼs roots started sprouting in 1996. Since then, C we have strived to be the preferred supplier of joinery and cabinet-making, through the delivery of M

quality products and superior service. water We supply windows and doors, kitchens and Y vanities, decking and furniture. We also do repairs and

maintenance of the highest quality at affordable prices. CM

Our client base includes building contractors, water

architects, developers, dealers and the general public. MY We add value and style to your project. water Our team grows to their full potential High-qualityCY aluminium extrusions in a through development, empowerment, recognition, powder-coated finish to enhance the aesthetic value of respect and involvement in a safe and healthy working your home environment. CMY We also manufacture: Jacuzzi covers, skylight covers, stairwell covers and retractable patio covers. Contact Jo Pretorius: 083 308 7789 K add add

Mobel.indd 1 2014/12/01 12:37 PM add

TOILET AND SHOWER CUBICLES, LOCKERS, LOCKER-BENCH COMBINED AND BENCHES

A watertight commercial solution - 100% non-porous and water-resistant - Hygienic, easy to clean and maintain just

ANNOUNCING OUR NEW PRODUCT: HOSPITAL BEDSIDE LOCKERS just just 42 Wellington Road Durbanville 021 979 5898 / 083 592 7834 www.ww alprodshowerdoors.co.za

Tel: 086 100 0451 | Fax: 086 610 0084 | Cell: 083 445 6042 [email protected] www.cubiclesolutions.co.za

1/9 Horizontal 130.5mm X 40mm Have you seen the website?

AdsTemplate.indd 38 2015/02/18 12:35 PM .co.za

alprodshowerdoors

42 Wellington Road Durbanville 42 Wellington 021 979 5898 / 083 592 7834 www.

water add ALProd shower doors half page.pdf 1 2012/07/09 02:24:32 PM just K C M Y CM MY CY CMY End Piece_71.indd 51 UNIVERSITY OFPRETORIA BY: Prakesh, butthatisas aperformerof and acclaimedstarchitect, SheilaghSri mention ofanarchitectisthecontemporary educationalist, andnoarchitect! The only one psychologist, JeanPiaget, theiconic all ofwhichwomenalsofeature. Butonly of course, aresports, gamesandacting, in before frozenarchitecture! Thereafter, conclude thatmusicisliquidmathematics are themusicians, whichleadsmeto mathematical manipulation. Then there mainly male, inthesciencesdevotedto followed byapreponderanceofthose, one finds listed many mathematicians, searching fortheterm ‘Child Prodigies’, of currentomniscience, Wikipedia, in bit ofdifference’? To resort tothat source damn as great. Itwouldnothavemadea fishing, hewouldbejustasbeloved, just physics in the year1925andhadgone who wrote, ‘If Einsteinhadstoppeddoing WAS ITscientificbiographer AbrahamPais AFRICA’S OWN PRODIGIES AND TWO OFSOUTH ARCHITECTURE’S PRECOCIOUS SOME OBSERVATIONS ON ROGERCFISHER,EMERITUSPROFESSORANDACTING HEADOF THE DEPARTMENT OFARCHITECTURE, early development or maturity, especially ‘manifesting or characterised by unusually and ‘precocity’ in itsprimarysenseof meaning ‘child withexceptional abilities’, prodigy’, butusuallypreceded by ‘child’, prodigium i.e. propheticsign, omen, portent, from whichomensaredrawn, fromLatin ‘sign, portent, somethingextraordinary between ‘prodigy’, aC15nounmeaning their forties. Perhapsweneedtodistinguish architects, thatis–somewherebeforeorin considering herealldiedyoung–for to live alongandproductivelife. Melbourne, attheageof19. Hewenton aptly namedtheOld Treasure Building, in and hadproducedsomethingmemorable, public serviceanddesigningatagefourteen James Clark(1838– 1915), who was in prodigy’ deliversan Australian, oneJohn search ofthecombinedterm ‘architect traditional Indiandance. A broaderGoogle Those architects whom I am next Those architectswhomIamnext a prodigy. In 1797 he travelled extensively (Dabie, today Poland), Gilly was known as architect DavidGilly. Bornin Altdamm was a German architect and the son of the the historyofarchitecture. age, yetstillhavingenteredtheannalsof misfortune ofdyingatarelativelyyoung my extrarequirementoftheirhavingthe of as precocious prodigies, in addition to to writeshouldratherthenbethought signs’. Thus, thoseofwhomIherewish look forprodigies–thoseshowing ‘prophetic architecture, itmustbeacceptedthatwe processes forcandidatesstudiesin mentalaptitude’. Intheselection in . Solomon’s Fullerresidencecourtyard,University 2. Pugin’s detailing oftheHousesParliament, 1. Friedrich DavidGilly(1772–1800) of Cape Townof London

2015/02/18 8:32 AM 51

END NOTE | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 in France, England and Austria where, in with forceful views, became the first editor in general and architectural students at that same year, his design of the Frederick of the Journal of the Association of Transvaal the University of the Witwatersrand in II Monument reveals the neoclassicism Architects, early in 1916, but resigned as both particular were influenced by Martienssen’s of the French influence. When in 1799 editor and a councillor of the Association energetic lectures and intellectual writing Karl Friedrich Schinkel (1781 – 1841) of Transvaal Architects in December 1916, that explored both classical and modern lived in the Gilly household in Berlin, he in protest over the proposed registration architecture. His penmanship ensured was taught by Friedrich’s architect father of architects. that his influence extended after his early David Gilly and, more influentially, by his Edward Henry Waugh (1872 – 1948), death and provoked widespread reaction son, Friedrich Gilly, for which both are his successor as editor, considered him in South Africa. better remembered. Gilly fils was appointed a destructive critic, who adjudged him as In his book The Favoured Circle, professor at the Berlin Bauakademie putting forward nothing in place of that Australian architectural sociologist Gary at the age of 26. Of his built designs, which he criticised. Steves discusses the system of architectural only one survives: the ruinous Greek Solomon, after a great deal of lobbying education, as well as everyday aspects Revival mausoleum (1800 – 1802; mostly of his patron, and with the additional aid such as the competition for reputation. destroyed after 1942) at Dyhernfurth near of the machinations of Lady Florence He concludes that throughout history, Breslau (now Brzeg Dolny near Wrocław, Phillips, was successful in being appointed the most eminent architects have been Poland), which takes the form of a prostyle as architect to the new University of Cape connected to each other by master-pupil Greek temple. Town buildings in December 1917. This was and collegiate relations. These networks Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin (1812 surprising: he was 30 years old and relatively provide a mechanism for architectural – 1852), an English architect, designer, inexperienced, having executed very few influence that runs parallel to that of the artist and critic, was the son of the architect works on which his performance might be university-based schools. Auguste Pugin. He is remembered for his judged. Furthermore, no competition had So we have as markers for posterity, of the pioneering of the Gothic Revival, having been held. He had, however, bitten off more precocious prodigies prematurely demised, designed many churches – most of them in than he could chew. In fact, the work grew that they have the genes and attentions of England. In 1836 Pugin published Contrasts, to such proportions that Solomon became their architect fathers, or the fortunes and a polemical book that argued for the revival acutely anxious, particularly about the privileges of education and the favours of of the medieval Gothic style and ‘a return mounting costs. mentorship of other mature architects so to the faith and the social structures of the In the spring of 1919 Lutyens, expressly beneficently disposed. They too wrote, and Middle Ages’. Pugin contrasted each plate at the invitation of the Council of the left written a legacy – particularly at times in the book with a type of urban building University of Cape Town, was requested of revolutionary thought in the discipline of and a C18 equivalent – a medieval monastic to report on the plans prepared for the new architecture; their youth and youthfulness foundation, for instance, where monks fed buildings. Arthur James Marshall (1879 – was an advantage to the reception of ideas and clothed the needy, grew food in the 1955), who was assisting Solomon, collapsed that were not yet part of the architectural gardens and gave the dead a decent burial, from exhaustion at the volume of work. canon or dogma. versus that of a C18 panopticon workhouse, Early in 1920, Solomon wrote to Baker I add my own observations and these where the poor were beaten, half starved asking him for help. Baker sent out one pertain to our biology. We, in comparison and sent off after death for dissection i.e. of his own men, Charles Percival Walgate with most other mammals, are born Christianity versus Utilitarianism. (1886 – 1972), then working in London on naturally premature, in the parlance of Both the preceding persons had fathers the New Delhi project, who arrived in the biologists showing neonatalism or arriving as mentors and teachers, so their precocity Cape in May 1920. newly-born in a near foetal condition. It is is circumstantially explicable and, in turn, The first sod of the foundations was argued that this is so that we can have they served either as teachers or polemicists, turned in August 1920, in the pouring what Jacob Bronowski termed ‘The Long leading to their posterity. rain. Solomon, troubled by sleeplessness Childhood’, in order that we might learn Our next persons to consider are those and depression, contracted influenza. In to be adults. who lived locally, in South Africa. Two a state of ill health and nervous strain, he Architects by their very nature seem to come readily to mind. shot himself in his home at The Woolsack, require an even longer childhood, to ‘play’ Joseph Michael Solomon (1886 – 1920) leaving his wife and two young children. At at being architects so they may acquire, became an assistant in Baker & Masey’s the time, Solomon was engaged on work for develop and hone the necessary social, Cape Town office in 1904 which, by 1903, Lady Phillips at the house Vergelegen, and cultural, technical and personal skills that was in the hands of Francis Edward Masey. it is speculated that the demands made on the discipline requires. Solomon travelled through Europe from him by Lady Phillips added to his overload It however begs the question that, if 1911 to 1913. By about 1912, he had met of work. A sad end to a promising life. this is so, is the fact that it takes so long to with Edwin Lutyens (1869 – 1944) in Rex Distin Martienssen’s (1905 – educate and then have an architect mature London, who much impressed him; he 1942) pioneer role in promoting modern in the discipline partly the circumstance seems to have transferred his architectural architecture lay not so much in the of isolation from its culture in early loyalties from Herbert Baker (1862 – 1956) work he executed, but in his articulate childhood and formative adolescence? Are to Edwin Lutyens around this time. On his enthusiasm and polemical promotion in the cultural and educational constructs of return to South Africa in 1914, Solomon was writing for the Modern Movement of his society such that we deliberately keep the struggling for work and asked his patron, time. In 1939, Martienssen was elected culture and practise of architecture closeted Sir Lionel Phillips, to use his influence to president of the Institute of South African and concealed? obtain for him the proposed new University Architects; the revolutionaries were then Or is precocity inherently an oxymoron of Cape Town project, one coveted by many. in the palace. Between 1925 and his for the discipline of architecture? All pause In the interim, Solomon, ambitious and death in 1942, South African architects for thought.

52 ARCHITECTURE SA | ISSUE 71

End Piece_71.indd 52 2015/02/18 8:33 AM ECOBOXX 50 SOLAR SOLUTIONS FOR HOME & BUSINESS

Solar energy is an important factor in everyday life.

Take advantage of this natural energy source, convert solar energy into usable energy and substantially reduce your energy costs. ACDC Dynamics offers you our Solar Electric Systems for home and business. Reliable & Pollution free!

BSSJ10

BSSJ23

BSSJ03

RW-SLS003 RW-SLS002 RW-SF-03-4 Barber & Student Kit ECOBOXX Renew your energy sources today & create the building blocks for a greener tommorow! BSS7CLPL

www.acdc.co.za JOHANNESBURG Tel: 010 202 3300 CAPE TOWN Tel: 021 510 0710 PINETOWN Tel: 031 700 4215 GERMISTON Tel: 011 418 9600 RIVERHORSE Tel: 031 492 4800 http://acdc.co.za.php Distributors and Franchises throughout Southern Africa

Solar Solutions for home & business 210x275mm.indd 1 2015/02/17 12:14 PM _ToCheck_fcp.indd 2 2015/02/17 3:29 PM Untitled-2 1 2014/11/11 3:24 PM