Town · . Cape . of · l• · .. • " • ••.:,. · .'~ .,. :"::'f: · ·.. · · ' University REACHING the (un)restricted access: The Castle of Good , Robert Gubb GBBROB004 The copyright of this thesis vests in the author. No quotation from it or information derived from it is to be published without full acknowledgementTown of the source. The thesis is to be used for private study or non- commercial research purposes only. Cape Published by the University ofof Cape Town (UCT) in terms of the non-exclusive license granted to UCT by the author. University Town Cape of BREACHING the Walls (un)restricted access: The Castle of Good Hope, Cape Town Design Research Project APGSOS8S Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree • University Master of Architecture (Professional) By Robert Matthew Gubb October 2012 At most we gaze at in wonder, a kind of wonder which in iteself is a form of advancing horror, for somehow we know by instinct that outsize buildings cast the shadow of their own destruction before them, and are designed from the first with an eye to their later existence as ruins. W.G. Seabald, Austerlitz, p23, 2002 Town Cape of University Table of Contents INTRODUGIONINTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................... 2. BRIEF HISTORY OF THE CASTLECASTlE OF GOOD HOPE ............................................................................... 3 FUTURE MEMORYMEMORY:: YESTERDAY, I REMEMBER TODAY AND TOMORROW ......................................... 4 THE SOCIAL AND SPATIAL NATURE OF MEMORY ..................................................................................... ........................................................ ................................... ..... 4 SITES AND MEMORY ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................... .................................. 4 MEMORY AND IDENTITY ............................................................................. ................................................................................ ........................................................................................ 5 MEMORY AND POWER ............................................................................. .......................................................................... ................... ...... ......................................... ... .............. .............. 6 HERITAGE, MEMORIALS AND ARCHITECTURE ......................... ... .............................................................................................................................. ..... ..... 6 ((COMPLICIT" SILENCE: GHOSTS OF THE PAST, UNTOLD STORIES AND CHARAGERSCHARACTERS OF THE CASTlECASTLE .................................... 8 IDENTIFYING ADDITIONAL NARRATIVESNARRATIVES:: CREATIONIST MYTHOLOGIES ............................................ 9 TABLE MOUNTAIN/ HOERIKWAGGO - NUANCED FACES OF THE MOUNTAIN OF THE SEA ............................................... ............................... 9 TRADITIONAL AFRICAN MYTHOLOGY (NGUNI AND KHOIKHOI)KHOIKHOI) .............................................................................................................................................. 10 UMLINDi \.NEiviINGIZIMU,\NEMINGIZIMU, WATCHER OF THE SOUTH ................................................... .. .............................................Town.......... .......................................................... 10 EUROPEAN MYTHOLOGy ................................................................... .................................. ........... ................................. .......................... ....................................................................... 10 THE TITAN ADAMASTOR (UNTAMED) ...................................... ....................................................................................................... ................................................................... 10 THE DOUBLE-HEADED GOD JANUS .................................................. ...................Cape.................................................... ............ ................................................. ................................ 10 LANDSCAPE NARRATIVE ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 12. TECHNOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES BEHIND DESIGN,of CONSTRUGIONCONSTRUCTION AND RESTORATION ..................... 15 TH THE SCIENCE OF 1717TH CENTURY FORTIFICATION THE ADVENT AND REFINEMENT OF A REPLICABLE MILITARY TYPOLOGyTYPOLOGY .................................................................................. ..................................... ... 15 AN ARCHITECTURE OF COMMAND, COMPLIANCE AND COMPROMISE ............................ ...... .. ....................................... .......... ..................................... 16 Leerdam Bastion and Moat.. ... ........................................................................... .......... ............ .......................................................................... .............................. .... 17 The Cross-wall .............. o •••••••••••••••.............. ..................• ••••••••••••••• ••••••................................................... ..... ....................... ................ ..... ..... ... ............................... ............................ 18 BRITISH OCCUPATION AND "IMPROVEMENTS" ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 18 SOUTH AFRICAN OCCUPATIONUniversity AND THE THREATS OF MODERN CAPE TOWN'S RAPID URBAN DEVELOPMENT ................ .... 19 THE CASTLE: CHANGING VALUES AND MEANINGS .............................................................................................................................. .................................................. 19 THE SOUTH AFRICAN CONTEXT: CONSERVATION IN THE APARTHEID ERA .............................................................. .................................................... 19 THE RESTORATION AND CONSERVATION OF THE CASTLE OF GOOD HOPE, CAPE TOWN (1969-2002)(1969-2002) ................. 20 Recreation of the Lacunae at the Castle of Good Hope ................................................................................................................................ 20 Corporal's House - Contract 7 (1997-2000){1997-2000) ........................................................................................ ..................................... 20 Dolphin Pool, Bakhuys and "colonnade" building (Wapen Plaats)- Contract 4 (1984-1988)(1984-1988) ....... 21 TIMBER AND WROUGHT-IRON Entrance Gates ........................................................................................................ ..................... ....... 22 Reclining Statue of Neptune and Mercury on internal entrance Gable ............................................................. ..................... 22 Weathervane on top of Entrance Copula .......................... ..................................................... .............................................................. ............ 22 PRECEDENT STUDY - CONSTITUTIONCONSTITUTION HILL, JOHANNESBURG .............................................................. ..................................................................................... 23 IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROPOSED CASTLE OF GOOD HOPE ARCHITECTURAL INTERVENTION .. ............................. 24 SIEGE WARFARE AS AN INFORMANT OF BREACHING FORTIFICATIONS ..................... ..................... 25 DESIGN BRIEF AND APPROACH ...................................................................................................... 27 THEORETICAL BACKGROUND: CONSERVATION THEORy .............. ................ .............. .. ...... .. .. ........................ 27 URBAN ARCH ITECTURAL INTERVENTION ..... ....... ......... ..... ....... ................................... .. .. ....... ...................... 28 ARCHITECTURAL INTERVENTION : BREACHING THE WALLS ........................................................ ...... ................ 30 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................ .................. 32 Town Cape of University 1 INTRODUCTION At 346 years of age the Castle is the oldest colonial building in South Africa and its pentagonal architecture of defensive fortification is little changed. The geometric purity of its architectural form has defended it against rapid expansion ofthe city centre and changing politicai paradigms.paradigms. Indirectly, this has also allowed it to foster "past" memory, perhaps too well, limiting its engagement with the transience, fluidity, conflict and contradiction that are traits of the contemporary city. The land on which the Castle sits has been heavily impacted by the Foreshore reclamation, growing transport infrastructure, the architecturally inappropriate military barracks, programmatic neglect and complacency. These factors have limited critical engagement between the Castle and the