a j burgerhoff portfolio of selected works
04
PRIOR M.ARCH [04] FORMAL ABSTRACTION genesis of architectural forms [06] SENSUAL EXPLORATION a school for the blind in port nolloth [08] BESET DURBAN a photographic narrative of durban exploration [10] LOGISTICS + DWELLING a container renewal of lost space
[12] REPURPOSED + RECYCLED a waste picker’s centre [14] WORK IN PRACTICE salt rock all-suite hotel [16] THE SUNPATH BUILDING serialism and algorithm in architecture
18
4TH YEAR M.ARCH 01
32
MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE DESIGN PROPOSAL
[18] URBAN DESIGN PROPOSAL linking cato manor to warwick junction [20] MASIHAMBISANE let us walk together [22] PUBLIC BUILDING A network of learning, collaboration + discourse [28] URBAN DESIGN PROPOSAL - BLUFF green corridors + linkages of protected green spaces
[30] URBAN STUDY durban
EXAMINING THE POTENTIALITIES OF AN INTERCULTURAL CREATIVE FORUM AS A KEY DRIVER FOR PROGRESSIVE SOCIAL INCLUSIVITY
60
POST M.ARCH [60] WORK IN PRACTICE a natal midlands resort [62] WORK IN PRACTICE hawaan house [64] WORK IN PRACTICE interior office fit out [66] WORK IN PRACTICE a coffee bay retreat [70] WORK IN PRACTICE south coast estate : spa + wellness
CHRONOLOGY OF WORK [ 03 ]
FORMAL
ABSTRACTION
ARCHITECTURAL FORM IS FASCINATING. WHERE IT COMES FROM, WHAT IT COMES TO MEAN. WHAT STARTED AS A PASSION FOR MORPHOLOGY EVENTUALLY LEAD TO AN IN DEPTH EXPLORATION OF ICONIC FORM AND TYPOLOGICAL PERCEPTION DURING MY DISSERTATION AND DESIGN YEARS LATER. ADJACENT ARE EARLY SKETCHES OF ICONIC ARCHITECTURAL REPRESENTATIONS AS MORPHING FROM QUOTIDIAN HOUSEHOLD PRODUCE AS AN UNDERSTANDING OF PEOPLE CAN PERCIEVE, UNDERSTAND AND ULTIMATELY INTERPRET ARCHITECTURAL MORPHOLOGY.
GENESIS OF ARCHITECTURAL FORMS [ 04 ]
PERSONAL EXPLORATION [2007] [ 05 ]
SENSUAL EXPLORATION Schools for children with severe handicaps are based almost exclusively in the major city centres, resulting in children from a young age having to leave home to receive special training and general education, making life difficult for both the children and their families. There is a need for smaller schools situated near moderate sized towns to serve the needs of the local community. Local schooling provides a better environment for the child as well as allowing families to develop supportive structures on an incremental level. Basing my response on a prevalent desert typology of heavy structures and seclusionary, protective enclaves folloowing a subterranean design philosophy, the school melts into the landscape. The flora within the context is sparse, and so the enclave provides a potent botanical connection to the occupants within a defensive space.
jabba the hutt’s palace George Lucas, creator of the Star Wars trilogies, is an avid architectural fanatic, and for all the desert scenes he utilised the architectural principles utilised in vernacular Tunisian architecture: - extensive use of curves and domes - materials that blend in harmoniouslywith the landscape - a massive and heavy architectural language - small and minimal openings - oasis-like courtyard spaces, sunken into the ground
mongolian yurt construction The structural system used for the School for the Blind is founded on the central crown and ring beam to deal with tensile and compressive forces, with the battered wall enclosing the space and supporting the outer ring of the shallow domed roof structure.
local namib vernacular The Nama people inhabit the arid southern Namib desert and build temporary structures of timber frames and reed mat coverings which are versatile and lightweight, and arranged in circular forms that offers little confrontation to the harsh desert elements.
A SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND _ PORT NOLLOTH, NORTHERN CAPE [ 06 ]
HALL PLAN + SECTION
SCHOOL POD PLAN + SECTION
in situ concrete shell roof construction aluminium window frame with clear glazing reinforced concrete ring beam reinforced concrete column [background]
in situ concrete shell roof construction in situ concrete shell roof construction
loosely laid gravel to dispense rain water [in lieau of formal gutter] loadbearing in situ reinforced concrete battered wall
in situ concrete shell roof construction aluminium window frame with clear glazing concrete light shelf timber built-in cupboard storage space
POD ELEVATION
UNDERGRADUATE DESIGN _ 3RD YEAR [2014] [ 07 ]
intimacy #theconcierge
order #beerhall
sculpture as function #LIV
public discourse #UIA2014
containers of space #durbanism
formalised earth #backtothepoint
new-age rebellion #mindshift
age-old social catalyst #coffeetime
A PHOTOGRAPHIC NARRATIVE OF DURBAN EXPLORATION [ 08 ]
solitary tri-rise #pinetowndurbanism
coffee hub #streetsofdurban
sculpture as focal point #pixleykaseme
architects after dark #UIA2014archiball
rustic formalism #durbanism
concrete power #riverside
textural tectonic #backtothepoint
pedestrianate #pixleykaseme
BESETdurban [2013 - 2015]
[ 09 ]
LOGISTICS + DWELLING [ 010 ]
Full height cross flow cooling flowing through the open plan cells promotes airflow and passive cooling. The central atrium space is only semi-contained by permeable mesh barriers, which diffuse high winds, protecting occupants and maintaining good air quality within.
Ventilation Principle Light into the cellular units utilises north light on one end, and diffused light from the south at the other. Over the atrium is a polycarbonate convex barrel vault which diffuses direct daylight and spreads it further within the internal space [Snell's Law of light ray refraction].
Luminance Principle
Isometric View of Village
Third Floor Spatial Arrangement
10
10
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
5
4
3
2
1
2
1
8
15
5
4
3
Cross Section _ Block C Spatial Legend
Second Floor Spatial Arrangement
1 2 3 4 5
6 7 8 9 10
Primary Bedroom Secondary Bedroom Living Space Kitchen Space Entrance and Toilet
10
10
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
Suspended Access Walkway Void | Light Well | Ventilation Atrium Communal Ablutions Rainwater Harvestion Tanks Anti-Heat Gain Air Barrier
11 12 13 14 15
Communal Washing Drying Area View Platform | Vantage Point Vertical Circulation | Stairwell Major Commercial Amalgam Individual Minor Commercial Cell
10
10
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
10
10
10 9
8
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
13
14
First Floor Spatial Arrangement
orange
typical residential dwelling cell suited for 4 - 6 occupants
green
water harvestation cell geared for rainwater collection for greywater usage
blue
typical residential sanitation cell resident-access only shower facilities creche [existing structure converted] existing masonry structure and new cells utilised for childcare facilities
red
beerhall [existing structure converted] existing steel framed structure utilised for recreation
purple
Ground Floor Spatial Arrangement
typical commercial cell single cell for retail purposes
pink
typical commercial cell [amalgamation] multiple cells combined to create commercial anchors
olive
public lavatory and changeroom cell provision for public ablutions for village and field users
brown
circulation cell horizontal [corridor] and vertical [stairwell] circulation modules
grey
background information roof space of level below
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
9
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
8
10
9
8
13
15
13
15
15
15
9
8
14
3
3
13
Longitudinal Section _ Block C and Block B
10
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
10
10
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
7 2
yellow
3
13
13 3
10 3
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2 9
3
3
4
3
4
5
4 5
10
7
7
3
4
5 6
4
4
4
4
7
7
3
3
3
3
2
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
12
3
4 5
10
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
10
3
4
5
3
4 5
4
5
7
7
7
7
7
5
5
5
4
4
4
4
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
9
8
10
10
5 4
4
3
4
5
4 5
6
5
5
4 5
6
5
13
4
5 6
4
1
3
4 5
4
1
3
6
4
2
2
6
4
2
2 8
6
5
5
3
4
5
10
5
3
4 5
6
11
3
4
5
6
5
5
3
4 5
8
10
3
4 5
6
5
3
4
5
6
5
13
3
1 7
4
5
4 5
4
5
4 5
4
5
4 5
4
5
5
6
6
6
6
6
7
7
7
7
7
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
10
5
5
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
11
9
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
12
10
3rd Floor General Arrangement _ Block C and Block B
SELF-EXPLORATION [2014] LOGISTICS AND DWELLING [ 011 ]
container village | social node _ [ 03 ] GSPublisherVersion 0.0.100.100
synopsis: The core intent is to reverse the landfill mindset by creating a central hub for recycling both salvaged and newly disposed materials, as well as a facility for sustainable education and enlightenment. Flexibility and ancillary functions are incorporated through multi-use spaces. location: Bisasar Landfill site, in the uMgeni area, Durban opaque roof sheeting to disperse diffused light
brief: South Africans do not have an embedded culture of recycling waste material for further use. We are still a 'throw-away' society. In addition as a larger middle class appears we are a growing consumer society with a growing production of waste materials.
treated timber roof truss, painted charcoal
The usual method of 'disposal' is the landfill site which is simply a dumping ground. Bisasar is the largest landfill in Africa, and receives about 3500 tonnes a day. Most materials can be recycled butthe problem is in the sorting of the bulk waste into types such as paper, metals, glass and plastic. At the moment it appears that the prices of the various materials and the availability of waste does not warrant the establishment of large scale sorting and recycling plants.
barge board and fascia to roof edge with concealed gutters behind
There is, however, an opportunity to provide self employment to people who can sort and recover by hand directly from landfill sites. They can perform an important function and earn a regular income which gives them a sense of self worth.
Luminance Principle
Ventilation Principle
Light passes through the opaque sheeting and splays. Shade cloth blocks out glare and diffuses light
A permeable shade cloth allows air currents to pull the heat from the roof space out before the build up passes through into the container
shade cloth as ceiling, pulled tight and fixed to the truss soffit reduces glare, permits ventilation within the roof space, creates a creature barrier
The purpose is to provide a centre for these waste pickers, a batching/despatching facility, as well as an educatoinal centre to make the public aware of the squandering of resources
roof sheeting timber truss concealed gutter
palette: used shipping containers old train track timber sleepers timber screens gabions as retaining walls and foundation systems shade cloth translucent roof sheeting
standard shipping container stripped and retreated modular system and planning independent of roof structural system
fascia shade cloth
timber screen made of split hardwood planks, sanded down and treated allows for a measure of privacy without restricting airflow
description: Originally done as a project in third year, I have approached the project with a different design intent, yet with the same palette of materials. The project is designed to be two systems [ container + roof ] for flexibility in rearranging the spaces to better suit evolving needs. legacy: One of the ways I'd like to modify the brief is to provide the facility with greater flexibility and potential through a community-based sustenance centre. By providing spaces that can be cleared and expanded by sliding doors away, can create rentable function space.
timber column shipping container
flooring of reclaimed railway timber tracks, shaped and treated
railway timber sleeper as floor
gabion foundation | retaining system works in tandem with lightweight roof structure and container modules
railway timber sleeper as joist concrete foot gabion
roof supporting columns cast with concrete feet into gabion system, painted charcoal allows for containers to be placed | replaced | removed if need be
Generic Construction Methodology
And for the site to have some vegetation planted as there is currently none whatsoever, even though the site is atop a hill and still regular soil underfoot. I propose for fruit and veggies to be planted all over, especially as it is a north-facing slope. There is chance for an artisanal market to take place, between the fresh produce and the craft market, to allow locals a chance at selling their goods.
Assembled Section
Site Section A orange
bisasar landfill, with scheme site indicated
red
informal settlement | shack clusters
yellow
formal residential | small business zones
blue
logistic | light industrial | large scale commercial
black
major vehicular arteries
5
5
4
5
5
6
A
A 7
3
2
vehicular route to and from Kennedy road
14
bus stop
13
security command
12
recycling depot control room
11
recycling depot and waste pickers' facility access control
10
public recyling depot
9
recycling skip area
8
vehicle maintenance and servicing area
7
waste pickers' recycling facility
6
access to and from the landfill
5
grove
4
pedestrian route to and from Kennedy road
3
education centre and communal node
2
plaza
1
3 8 4
8
4 9 1
9
11
10 12
14
14
13
Site Context
A WASTE PICKER’S CENTRE WASTE PICKERS' CENTRE
[ 012 ] [ 04 ] _ independent development GSPublisherVersion 0.0.100.100
Site Layout
10m 6m 3m
Eastern Elevation
Northern Elevation
Southern Elevation 9 10
12
4 9
9
9
11
4
31 14
28
13
32
34
34
34
34
41
15 4
29
7
32
39
39
39
39
44
40
37
43
45
16
8
33
30
35
36 38
40
16 7
17
16
34
26
34
34
42
34
1
6 21 3
Lower Level _ Recycling Facility
18
23
22
25
26
1
2
46
19
24
5
46
2
Upper Level _ Education Centre and Communal Node 4 27
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
route to / from Kennedy Road informal settlement access from bus stop and parking area fresh produce and goods market grove of fruit trees reception waiting area lavatory facilities disabled lavatory facility route to / from landfill pickers' altar lecture venue / function space vantage point [landfill and sorting area] audio-visual room furniture and equipment storage book collection and reading room gravelled tree courtyard
17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32
general office space / function space furniture and equipment storage server room strong room dining area coffee bar and kitchenette back of kitchen [event facility] meeting space office [director] vantage point [recycling collection area] route to / from recycling depot control room office [manager] office [medical personnel] medical facility pickers' sorting and weighing area secure paypoint with built-in safe
33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46
pickers' storage space [foraged goods] 5000L water collection tank secure cash delivery bay canteen dining canteen kitchen clay oven change room facilities worm farm for vegetation nutrition generation artisanal workshop space service workshop space general workshop space workshop storage space [craft goods] vehicle servicing space to and from recycling skip area 10m 6m 3m
WASTE PICKERS' CENTRE SELF-EXPLORATION [2014] education centre | communal node | recycling facility _ [ 05 ] GSPublisherVersion 0.0.100.100
[ 013 ]
RECURRENCE Phase 01 [indicated in blue] was awarded a SAIA Award for Excellence in 2014. Phase 02 is indicated in red.
Following the SAIA award for the first phase of this popular all suite hotel set within a contemporary residential estate along the Kwa-Zulu Natal coastline, a second phase was commisioned. The objective was to expand on the original 20 units provided with a further 18 units of larger size, erstwhile emulating the design and concept. The author’s role in the project was baptism by fire, as the duties performed were wholely related to stage 6 - construction. This included but was not limited to issuing of construction documentation, attending site meetings, conducting site visits and inspections, liaising with consultants and contractors, as well as sitting in on minor conflict resolutions and contractual meetings. Practicsl completion was reached before the author returned to the university to further his postgraduate studies.
SALT ROCK ALL-SUITE HOTEL [ 14 ]
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
TYPICAL THREE BEDROOM UNIT
TYPICAL TWO BEDROOM UNIT
FOURTH LEVEL
FIRST LEVEL
GROUND LEVEL
SOUTH WESTERN FACADE
NORTH EASTERN FACADE
designworkshop : sa [2014]
[ 15 ]
SERIALISM AND ALGORITHM IN ARCHITECTURE FORMULATION THE FORM AND PLACEMENT OF THE BUILDING IS DETERMINED BY BOTH THE VERTICAL AND THE HORIZONTAL DIAGRAMS OF THE SUN IN RESPECT TO THE THREE KEY SEASONAL CYCLES NOTED AS RELATIVELY PARALLEL CURVES. THESE THREE CURVES INFORM THE BASIS OF THE PLAN REPRESENTATION WHICH THEN ELEVATE PARABOLICALLY IN RESPONSE TO SOLAR ANGLES TO GIVE A BUILDING FORM THAT IS INCREDIBLY SITE SPECIFIC TO THE EXACT LONGITUDINAL POSITIONING OF THE BUILDING, RESULTING IN A UNIQUE FORM, SYMBOLISM AND FUNCTION.
THEORY AND AESTHETICS LIGHTNESS BOTH IN TERM S OF PRESENCE AND CONSTRUCTION IS ESSENTIAL IN THE DESIGN. THE BUILDING HAS AN ARTICULATED HIGH-TECH FEELING TO IT, TOGETHER WITH ENVIRONMENTALLY RESPONSIVE DIMENSIONS. MATERIAL COMBINATIONS EXPRESS A MARRIAGE BETWEEN NATURAL, SUSTAINABLE AND ENGINEERED ELEMENTS - A SYMBOLIC MARRIAGE OF TECHNOLOGY AND NATURE AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN A FORM OF EQUILIBRIUM. NATURE INFORMS TECHNOLOGY AND THE INNER LOGIC OF NATURE IS EMULATED IN THE ARCHITECTURAL RESOLUTION. THE BUILDING AIMS TO BE A LINK BETWEEN THE GOLDEN SECTION GEOMETRY AND NATURAL PHENOMENA OF THE SUN PATHS, EXPOSING THE INNER LOGIC THROUGH GEOMETRICALLY RELATED STRUCTURAL FORMS AND EXPRESSIONS. ALGORHYTMS AND PROGRESSIVE SERIAL STRUCTURALISM ARE PREVALENT IN ARCHITECTURAL DISCOURSE, AND THIS BUILDING BORROWS SOME ASPECTS FROM THAT DISCUSSION IN AN ATTEMPT TO PURSUE THE POSSIBILITIES OF A NATURE BASED CLASSICISM. NATURE IS TO BE READ AS BOTH A HUMAN SOCIAL RESPONSE AND HUMAN UTILISATION CONTEXT THROUGH THE FUNCTIONING AND LOGIC OF NATURE ITSELF.
SUNPATH DIAGRAM FOR LATITUDE 30 SOUTH
INTERPRETATION OF SUNPATH DATA INTO ARCHITECTURAL PLAN`
KEY CONCEPTS HERMENEUTICS INTERPRETATION OF PRESENT INFORMATION SEMIOTICS STUDY OF SIGNS AND SYMBOLS SERIES DEFINES A GROUP OF INTERRELATED [BY DERIVATION] ELEMENTS WHICH FOLLOW ONE ANOTHER IN A PERCEPTIBLY SIMILAR MANNER DUE TO GENERIC ADHESION BY REPRODUCTION AND/OR VARIATION OF THE INFORMATION TRANSMITTED.
THE SUNPATH BUILDING _ A CENTRE FOR SUSTAINABLE BUILDING, RESEARCH AND DISCOURSE [ 16 ]
[ 17 ]
NETWORK ANCHORS URBAN INTENSIFICATION SHARED STREETS PEDESTRIAN STREETS
URBAN DESIGN PROPOSAL - LINKING CATO MANOR TO WARWICK JUNCTION [ 18 ]
INTERACTIVE COMMUNITIES THROUGH URBAN NETWORKS ENHANCE MOBILITY
intergrated transport for connectivity
URBAN INTENSIFICATION
livable communities with an attractive urban area
CHOICE FOR THE USERS
diversity of time, mode + proximity
DIVERSITY OF TRANSPORT NODES
balance between modes to promote sustainability
INTEGRATE BUILDING USE TYPOLOGIES
accessibility and connectivity by distributing amenities
REZONING AND DENSIFICATION
rezoning buildings to maximise financial incentive and social diversity
HUMANISE THE STREETS
encourage user participation through interaction
4TH YEAR [2015] [ 19 ]
The empirical manner used to undertake the Masihambisane project highlighted the possibilities of poetic methodologies and translations in architecture - of transcending rational restrain with explorative intuition - of approaching the idea of practice with an emotive agenda.
MASIHAMBISANE : LET US WALK TOGETHER [ 20 020] ]
4TH YEAR [2015] [ 021 [ 21 ]
A NETWORK OF LEARNING LEARNING, COLLABORATION + DISCOURSE [ 22 ]
i n t e r a c t i o n m
o
v
e
m
e
n
LINKING PEOPLE TO THE GLOBAL COMMUNITY THROUGH INFORMATION EXCHANGE AND KNOWLEDGE SHARING
t A LANDMARK AT THE HEART OF UNITOWN
c o l l a b o r a t i o n
THE PUBLIC BUILDING PROJECT BENDS THE TYPOLOGY OF A TERTIARY KNOWLEDGE NODE THROUGH IT’S MANIFESTATION AS A CENTRE FOR LEARNING, COLLABORATIVE THOUGHT AND DISCOURSE BY WAY OF INFORMATION EXCHANGE AND KNOWLEDGE SHARING.
ALL PERSONS HAVE ACCESS TO THE LCD CENTRE AS EQUALS. [PEOPLE TO SPEAK : PEOPLE TO LISTEN]
THE LCD CONNECTS PEOPLE TO THE GLOBAL KNOWLEDGE NETWORK.
EDUCATION | INFORMATION | KNOWLEDGE ENABLING AND EMPOWERING
GRASSROOT SOCIETIES + PUBLIC EXPOSURE [THE PEOPLE’S VOICE] CREATING A NETWORK FOR DIALOGUE
ANY ONE CAN SHARE KNOWLEDGE. ANY ONE CAN ABSORB KNOWLEDGE. INFORMATION AS ACCESSABLE RESOURCE
AERIAL CONTEXT
4TH YEAR [2015] [ 23 ]
A NETWORK OF LEARNING [ 24 ]
GROUND
0
1
2
3
FIRST
SECOND
THIRD
FOURTH
4
FULL
4TH YEAR [2015] [ 25 ]
A NETWORK OF LEARNING LEARNING, COLLABORATION + DISCOURSE [ 26 ]
SECTION A
SECTION B
BOULEVARD FACADE [NORTH]
PLAZA FACADE [EAST]
SECTION C
PARK FACADE [SOUTH]
“tree is leaf and leaf is tree house is city and city is house a tree is a tree but it is also a huge leaf a leaf is a leaf but it is also a tiny tree
in between: individual community global society
threshold + connector + transition
LCD as transitional space primary movement path through
LCD as reactional space primary interactive potential to
light: spectrum + form
a city is not a city unless it is also a huge house and a house is only a house if it is also a tiny city” aldo van eyck architect
4TH YEAR [2015] [ 27 ]
GREEN CORRIDORS AND LINKAGES OF PROTECTED D’MOSS AREA, PARKS AND OPEN GREEN SPACES [ 28 028] ]
Alleviating the transition from industrial to residential and to introduce the Bluff area as an area of ecological value, nature, and eco-sports destination in the form of both parks and the ocean. Enhance the existing green status of the area and to promote it as a green destination. To separate the industrial area from the residential area and to prevent industrial creep into the residential area. Linking the parks and green areas to create tourist destination value and promote unique and specific sport events destination that is green and environmentally orientated. To promote an environmental value conscientiousness of the area so that the residents can become custodians of the environmental value of the area and to contribute to its environmental enhancement of its status by being sensitive. The Bluff area is surrounded and fenced in by extensive and growing industrial zones that contributes to pollution, both environmentally and aesthetically and it is critical to enhance the green lung capacity to mitigate the effects of surrounding industries on the health, well-being of its residents and address the negative perception of the Bluff as an area that suffers from pollution and aesthetic degradation.
SELF EXPLORATION [2015] [ 029 [ 29 ]
DURBAN’S URBAN MASSING DURBAN’S URBAN FORM HAS AN INTERESTING ORIGIN STORY, IN THAT THE LAND PARCELS WERE ESTABLISHED QUICKLY AS WAS THE NORM FOR SECURING LARGE AREAS RAPIDLY. THE MAJORITY OF THE BUILDING MASS IS ESTABLISHED IN A ‘T’ FORMATION ALONG THE PRIMARY CENTRAL ROADS OF DR PIXLEY KASEME + MONTY NAICKER + ANTON LEMBEDE AND ALONG THE BEACH FRONT. INITIALLY THE CITY’S FOCUS WAS ALONG THE HARBOUR’S EDGE TO FOLLOW THE MARITIME TRADING, BUT SOON THE CITY’S STATUS AS A TOURIST DESTINATION GREW ALONG THE COAST LINE.
URBAN STUDY : DURBAN [ 030 30 ] ]
PERSONAL EXPLORATION [2017] [ 031 [ 31 ]
Durban is a multicultural city that produces low levels of dynamic interaction between cultures; it has high levels of their-space with highly fractured and politically charged spatialities that detract from the potential that they hold for each other. There is a need for the rich yet rigid multicultural resources to mature into a creative and intercultural dimension that is evolutionary; a challenge that faces the country as a whole. The site itself is a place of collision between fluidity and rigidity. Fluid and organic energies in the form of curvilinear slip roads, cultural varieties, railway lines, the subterraneous wetland and harbour water contours, all emerging to juxtapose the rigidity of the city grid. The building is both placed to negotiate and find its form and purpose in the tension from being wedged in between these opposing forces. These energies and constructs within the peripheral inner city site are symbolic of the challenges that a multicultural to intercultural progression would work with. The architecture is not that of response, but acknowledgement of the given energies and presences. It becomes a manifestation of these forces. The building typology acts as a precinct typology that functionally suspends the parallel dynamics of fluidity and rigidity to facilitate evolution and growth; culturality is continuously dis-entangled and re-entangled through the medium of creativity towards generating a vibrant intercultural interchange. The arts are an ideal incubator medium to negotiate realms of multiculturality as it stands at the threshold to the soul and the boundaries of growth. The nation suffers from language barriers between cultures, making linguistic engagement an obstacle. The pragmatic bridge is a sensory and emotional engagement. The arts as a medium holds the key to demystifying the politics from identity; creativity is a language on top of a language, with communicable attributes that can deal with the risks of devaluing dynamic culture. The project suggests an extrovert architectural nature, a more joyful and ecstatic architecture. Something not strict, elegant nor austere, but is unfinished and flexible, with a looser and more open framework that could stimulate the space within us. The design accommodates ideas, relations and blended conditions that create an experiential space. The design intention is a move towards finding a renewed and revitalised vocabulary for human life in the city, simultaneously evolving through democratic, scientific and artful aspects. In contrast to some Deconstructivist buildings that are sharp-edged expressions of conflict, the building offers a subtle expression of the existing elements overlayed, layered and entangled together. An art centre by its very nature allows for a whimsical freedom through the artistic typology to approach the architecture as an artwork, using ambiance and light, breaking up the surfaces and leaving impressions open to many interpretations. The flowing lines create pool and flow, generating a form innate to the concept to contain and pool cultures, differences and ideas. The curvilinear gives rise to a poetry that influences life and transforms Albert Park through an explicit spatial dimension. The successful integration of mutually evolving societies begins where differing idioms are laminated into a threshold architecture. This does not represent a compromise, inherent to our uncertainties, but as a dynamic ecological logic within our differences and reciprocation of ideas – emanating from the rich cultural capital pool, from which our architecture could begin to reinvigorate its social paradigm. There is the potential for us to absorb those everyday experiences, affective and sensual, which continuously remake the urban space.
MASTER’S DESIGN ABSTRACT IN ARCHITECTURE [ 32 ]
“In order to build the future, it is necessary to accept the fact that major changes will be taking place in the near future, due to the information revolution, and that this revolution will affect every level of humanity. The world is [continuously] waiting to be [re]built, innovation is the source of every project; we live in a state of permanent creation. The hybridisation of cultures, natures and processes, leads to greater complexity of proposals and opens up new lines of action. We are talking of processes, rather than occurrences; of open forms, rather than closed designs; of operating strategies, rather than finished products. Individuals are defined one by one, not as a mass. Where hierarchies exist, they produced by knowledge, rather than by norms. The world is built by the coming together of multiple individual persons; the traditional hierarchies of business and politics will disappear in the coming years. People must be valued for their qualities, not their quantities A city is built inwards, it does not grow indefinitely; it is re-informed and protects its own environment. Sustainable development, on a global and a local scale, calls for urban and territorial ecosystems that must [ought to] function for centuries. We have to act locally and globally at the same time; cultures have to adopt dynamics of their own and interact.” Vicente Guallart, cited in Gausa, et al (2003:35) [author’s note]
MASTER’S IN ARCHITECTURE : PROJECT ABSTRACT [ 34 ]
A threshold architecture : In short, this limit is neither at the side of nor beyond : it is a boundary between the two. - Deleuze and Guattari Since the Industrial Revolution, the way cities have been thought of and planned has changed dramatically. Everything is understood as a component of a greater whole, compartmentalised for ease of understanding and engagement. The persisting division and ordering of how the South African city was planned and how it functions today has contaminated other spheres such as social existence; as functional typologies are separated and concentrated, so too are Durban’s diverse populations. Creatively thinking about the city of Durban raises potentialities from a diverse society that exists in the city. In order to understand how to experience this difference, an understanding of different spaces and an understanding of different people needs to be achieved by studying how people produce, rationalise and experience the space that they occupy and social differences that they experience. What this dissertation sets out to achieve is an architecture that brings Durban’s creative diversity together through the energies of people and the medium of exchange : an architecture free of association; an architecture for the imagination. By examining the potential of the creative industry to bring people together with a common interest, the development of a possibility for an intercultural future comes to the fore, where differences are not distinguished as barriers but provide opportunity for growth towards Durban’s society becoming more vibrant and inclusive.
PARK FACADE EXPERIENCE [ 35 ]
INTRODUCTION Durban’s society, as a key city within South Africa, in spite of twenty years of democracy, endures a lack of spatial and social cohesion through persistent ethnic and economic stratification, ever-present class struggle, symbolic multicultural celebration, and more radically, the recurring xenophobic incidents. Interaction and appreciation between ourselves remains limited and minimal through a lack of theatres available in the public realm to facilitate this. Cultures in Durban are differentiated through race, lifestyle, language, aesthetic, and value systems. This latent cultural class capital however possesses a great potential to be integrated in an attempt to mutually enhance creative capital dialogue among the various social components and move toward a more vibrant Durban society. The dissertation examines and offers tools and methods to promote multicultural to intercultural vibrancy and production in Durban’s society.
Dealing with inclusion in Durban’s social landscape means having to address two key factors of social identity : class and culture. People struggle with these intertwined threads simultaneously, determined by levels of economic standing and branches of culturality. The successful integration of our mutually evolving societies begins where differing idioms may be laminated into a threshold architecture. This does not represent a compromise, inherent to uncertainties, but as a dynamic ecological logic within our differences and the reciprocation and appreciation of ideas - emanating from the rich cultural capital pool, from which our architecture could begin to reflect upon its inclusion of this social paradigm. The exciting point where a number of differing cultural modalities meet through dynamic interactions sparks the opportunity for evolution, expressed in the parti sketches below.
This suggests achieving an intercultural arts precinct to act as an interventionary platform where intercultural artistic dialogue and vibrancy is facilitated, acting as a generator for innovation and excellence by capturing the broad vocabularies inherent in multicultural capital, sustaining imagination and flow.
MASTER’S IN ARCHITECTURE : PROJECT INTRODUCTION [ 36 ]
S I T E C R I T E R I A SELECTED SITE An adequate site needs to meet key criteria for a successful project, as informed by the research and conclusions of Part I. The criteria are as follows, in order of priority: Accessibility - The site should be highly accessible to the population, narrowing down the options to that of Durban’s inner city as the most accessible destination in terms of public transit, with a major transport interchange at the western edge of the inner city.
The selected site is a city block directly opposite the northern edge of Albert Park, selected for its visual and accessible prominence. It is immediately along a prime corridor into the inner city, offering dramatic facades and soft introductory edges; with three strong, public facades, and two that can present a gentle progression from the current city form. The visual connections of the site present a strength in terms of branding for the creative industry.
Human capital - The Centre should establish itself within a dense human concentration of a residential area. The inner city only offers two possible locations, the Albert Park district in the west and the Pickering/South Beach district in the east.
Albert Park not only has a high concentration of residential typologies and thus a high number of people throughout the day, but the Park itself also has a proposal for more mixed use typologies to greater intensify the human factor of the area.
Multicultural capital - Together with the interdisciplinary arts, multicultural capital is a key constituent in the intercultural dialogue. This disqualifies almost every other neighbourhood outside of the inner city, save perhaps the Bluff or Queensburgh, the latter two being rather inaccessible.
The intent of the design is to search for a new typology that can accommodate the multicultural capital, inherent to Durban’s society, within an experimental architecture that can facilitate an interdisciplinary programme. The site has prerequisite properties for a site of experimental architecture:
Land Use context - A finely grained distribution of building functions and typologies provides a good basis for establishing micro-economies and growing a quality urban environment for a human scale. Key typologies are residential, business, and educational. Urban decay - An area that is derelict possesses the potential for rejuvenation through an architectural intervention. Creative connections - Creative capital and potential links to existing creative cores that can be built upon to develop a more sustainable creative industry that represents the identity of Durban.
It sits at the edge of the city fabric with two edges that are open, allowing a new form to develop, emancipated from the histories of the urban grid but not without engagement. The architecture should be joyful, a folie, but not to the extent that it dominates the existing. It maintains strong visual connections to the south (park) and west (rail and freeway), allowing the architecture to act as a billboard with undertones of landmark qualities. The immediate west is physically separated from the city by transit networks, and is categorised typologically.
SITE SELECTION [ 37 ]
vvvvv
ESSENCE OF THE DESIGN Access and exposure to the creative industry should be a possibility for all extents of Durban’s society; the creative industry can incubate diversity towards a new form of interculturalism. The underlying principle of the design is developed around individual perception and interpretation. Each person has throughout their life developed a way to perceive physical space base on personal factors, and so creating their second and third spaces. The architecture presents a new allegory for Durban’s human energy, both disconnected from existing ideologies yet engrained in the fabric of existence.
MASTER’S IN ARCHITECTURE [ 38 ]
The vlei has a strong geo-historic connection to the site, and maintains a strong presence as a conceptual informer to the design process, and a romantic metaphor to the form of the building. To understand the flow of water as a metaphor for human energy is to understand the environment within which the water flows to be a simile for human construct. The strong visual of the radial column grids is indicative of reed clusters, as the floor plates represent the pooling and flowing of water by shaping spaces and activity accordingly.
THE URBAN GRID
E N TA N G L E M E N T Entanglement is a concept that is used to understand the integrated and dynamic nature of social and cultural relationships, opposing the traditional paradigm of binary thinking. This engages lightly with the same conversation had between multiculturalism, where cultures exist largely isolated in adjacency, and interculturalism, how cultures relate to each other together. Entanglement is a condition whereby different cultures are twisted together, entwined, and involved with each other, yet restricted by social contractualities. It speaks of an inherent intimacy gained from being in close proximity, even if this intimacy is resisted, ignored or uninvited. It indicates a system of social relationships that are complex and ensnared, but also implies human foldedness. It is driven by both the difference and the sameness of humanity, but also the moment in which the limits and predicaments occur. Yet besides it being relational, entanglement is also conceptualised as spatial in nature. Within these spaces discourses, beliefs, and images are incorporated by those who operate within them and contribute to their creation, through individual and collective actions and processes.
Durban’s environment, its territory, and inner city architecture can be defined as a set of nets or webs that are superimposed and entangled so as to give sense and meaning to certain spaces and/or locations. The city generates this through a grid, rendering them as highly artificial, as nature doesn’t work with straight lines. The webs created and established are alive and incredibly variable. They are both shapeless and shaped by what it holds, inversely to the form that fluids adopt from their container. The grid is synthetic, simultaneous and synchronic with the architectonic object and vice versa : the constructed environment that is inseparable from the notion of the grid or the grid itself, it materialises in such a way that tensions and relationships are created by the grid, drawing and severing links. A grid is a mapping of densities and when locations are orthogonal to one another with similar densities, like a system of points, it is a Cartesian grid. But in the spatialtemporal realm, where mass densities induce a gravitation as a function of location, the ‘grid’ becomes a mathematical set of probabilities. When rewritten into tensor notation, the arrangement of the grid then transforms into an array of a matrix with both horizontal and vertical dimensions. The matrix is simply an overlayed grid as a simultaneous event graphic, with the entities of the matrix devoid of if preference or autonomy : each point is interdependent within the systemic whole. People act as water currents, hitting the edges of the inner city like mixed currents, becoming gridded up in the setting of the city. The organic-ness of the proposed architecture interrogates the grid in a physical way, in a joyful way through a foldedness that entices discovery. It captures the flowing energies and ameliorates it back into the gridded nature of Durban’s inner city environment.
MASTER’S IN ARCHITECTURE : PROJECT INTRODUCTION [ 40 ]
“Entanglement is driven by both the difference and the sameness of humanity; it has inherent intimacy gained from being in close proximity to one another.�
ARCHITECTURE flow around
flow through
people as energy flow between form
movement as energy captured into city grid
The design works with a flow of energies for reinvigoration. The curvilinear patterns infers itself to the metaphor of water flowing through a reed bed, indicative of the vlei that once occupied the land beneath one of Durban’s oldest residential neighourhoods. That flow is inherent of a new form for people as water flowing around and through the built environment; the elegancy of water flowing over rocks. Fluid forms deal best with the friction.
To what degree will the project broadcast branding, to what degree is it innovative, to what degree is it conservative?
energy flow as mechanism for spatial generation
[ inspiration ] The Fold as described by Gilles Deleuze
The architecture then begins to model and insert itself as an integrated co-participant of mobile flow within an environment that is settled by differential forces of lure and flow that define directional tensions. These tensions can be conceived of as shapes, emerging from social processes that perform spatially, able to materialise yet susceptible to fluctuations. Square shapes offer up tensions that are delicately resolved, a preset. Flowing lines allow for a waterfall effect, creating pool and flow, generating a form innate to the concept to contain and pool cultures, differences and ideas. The curvilinear gives rise to a poetry that influences life and transforms Albert Park through an explicit spatial dimension.
MASTER’S IN ARCHITECTURE [ 42 ]
PARK ELEVATION [ 43 ]
S PAT I A L I T Y A ‘spatial turn’ has occurred in the social sciences and humanities, rising from a variety of theoretical and practical incursions. The identified effect is being viewed as a constantly expanding entity of spaces and territories of differing inhabitations. This shift is of an enduring impact because it interrogates the presumed categories such as ‘life’, ‘material’, and ‘intelligence’ by emphasising the materiality of our world. The study of space is evolving to accommodate this fact, the corporeal process that a material philosophy outlines. (1) Everything is spatially distributed and interlinked, not just produced as a consequence of other spaces but lived because they become connected. This goes beyond the simple concept of complexity, rather to refer to insights of Tarde, of how the lesser can be as complex as the greater, and become the more crucial entity within the relationship, transcending scale. (2) Boundary does not exist: spaces are permeable to an extent, connected and flowing. (3) Space cannot be static nor stable, it is constantly moving despite otherwise attempts. Space is a shifting of vectors which pluralise themselves through the expressions of their own energies, constantly reconfigured. (4) There is no one kind of space. Space may be perceived as a place to meet, to be scaled, to emerge, to translate. All of these exist, and all don’t, synthetically.
MASTER’S IN ARCHITECTURE : SPATIALITY [ 44 ]
CROSS SECTION [ 45 ]
DESIGN APPROACH The design intention is a move towards finding a new vocabulary for human life in the city, simultaneously evolving through democratic, scientific and artful aspects. This tends to imply that rather than a city designed for efficiency and planning for general distribution of basic systems as if urban quality can simply be gridded up as a resource, but rather creating a focus on hotspots as nodes of insipient and potential that commits itself to sensory, vivid phenomena - like ripples in a pond from dropped pebbles - through new facilities, popular events or new monuments. By revising place, image, modes of and uses of monuments in Durban’s inner city, intercultural ideas can be generated through a building that acts as an icon, a logo; a mascot, for change. As a new concept of monument, the intercultural precinct could mark a point in Durban’s social history, to keep the vibrant charisma of place and infuse energies to create fresh growth. The building is not an end in itself, but by mutually creating energy for its surroundings, injecting mutual functions, kinetic qualities and proactive spaces into it. To design is to hope : what are we hoping for?
“To really get the most out of any city, not only do you need to plot it in your mind, but to play in it as a means to occupy it, to find your voice, you need to be alert to its many voices. Your confidence grows with your willingness to immerse yourself.” - Nigel Coates
MASTER’S IN ARCHITECTURE : DESIGN APPROACH [ 46 ]
LONGITUDINAL SECTION [ 47 ]
MASTER’S IN ARCHITECTURE [ 48 ]
EXPLODED AXON [ 49 ]
MASTER’SFLOOR GROUND IN ARCHITECTURE PLAN [ 50 ]
BUILDING PROGRAMME [ 51 ]
MASTER’S IN ARCHITECTURE [ 52 ]
GROUND FLOOR AXON [ 53 ]
MASTER’S INLEVEL BASEMENT ARCHITECTURE : CULTURAL MUSEUM MODULE [ 54 ]
DANCE + FINE ART PARTIAL MODULES : LEVEL 2 [ 55 ]
MASTER’S LEVEL 9 : HOSPITALITY IN ARCHITECTURE + EVENT MODULES [ 56 ]
HOSPITALITY + EVENT MODULES : LEVEL 10 [ 57 ]
MASTER’S IN ARCHITECTURE [ 58 ]
TECHNICAL ASPECT [ 59 ]
A NATAL MIDLANDS RESORT [ 60 ]
[2017] [ 61 ]
A HOUSE IN THE FOREST An extremely private client with a highly acute architectural appreciation and a love of clean lines acquired a prime site within an exclusive estate. The design calls for a family home fit for a single male. The projects core concept lies within the juxtaposition of mass and materiality, using a solid and void manipulation to take advantage of views whilst maintaining seclusion. The project was taken from concept design to design development phase by the author, with the project paused by the client. Progress is set to continue in mid-2018.
HAWAAN HOUSE [ 62 ]
FIRST
ROOF
GROUND
LOWER GROUND
SPATIAL LAYOUTS
NW
NE
ELEVATIONS
SECTIONAL PERSPECTIVES
EXPLODED AXONOMETRY
[2017] [ 63 ]
MANIFESTATION OF ETHOS Representing the ethos of a company through the physical environment is a critical branding tool. The vision for this interior project is to not only represent what the company values, but also their attitude and professional personality: caring + fun The resolution of the project is set on sustainability of material used and a whimsical atmosphere to exist in.
The project was taken from concept design to construction phase by the author, with completion set for mid-2018. [ Tender portfolio is available on request ]
EXPLODED AXONOMETRY
INTERIOR : OFFICE FIT-OUT [ 64 ]
GROUND LEVEL AXONOMETRY
FIRST LEVEL AXONOMETRY
[2017 - 2018] [ 65 ]
RONDAVEL
The site is nestled within a rugged terrain that holds vast and untouched wild beauty, tucked into a secluded bay along the Wild Coast. For many years this has been the retreat for fisherman and explorers alike. Over time, the site has developed an eclectic collection of architectural forms through sectional ownership of the various portions within,
NEW UNIT TYPE
CLUB HOUSE
DUPLEX
BUNGALOW
HEXA HOUSE
HOTEL
ARCHITECTURAL UNITY
THE ARCHITECTURAL LANGUAGE PRESENT
A COFFEE BAY RETREAT [ 66 ]
The client posed a simple question-brief:
“This is what we have, its beautiful. But we want to make it better.� The challenge lies in unifying the architectural identity and reconciling the layout to reflect a holistically owned resort. Breaking the project down into phases allowed for a clear progression through the development, starting with the demolition of the existing club house and building anew. The next move was to develop a light weight prefabricated unit that could be assembled on the dauntingly steep and empty slope. Both new architectures bare common elements that can then be translated to the existing structures on the site in the future, primarily through the development of comfortable outdoor spaces. The project was taken from concept design to design development phase by the author, with a construction date yet to be set.
SITE LAYOUT
CLUB HOUSE _ FIRST FLOOR LAYOUT
CLUB HOUSE _ GROUND FLOOR LAYOUT
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32
FOYER RECEPTION OFFICE STRONG ROOM SERVER ROOM POOL PUMP + GARDEN STORE LINEN + SUPPLY STORAGE LAUNDRY REFUSE KITCHEN FREEZER ROOM COLD ROOM PANTRY UNISEX BATHROOM FIRE CUPBOARD WAITING COFFEE STATION / BAR LIGHTWEIGHT STEEL STAIR DUMB WAITER BAR UPSTAIRS PAVILION DECK INFINITY POOL POOL RIMFLOW PATIO PATH STREAM POND BUILDING APPROACH OPEN PARK GAS CYLINDER STORAGE GOLF CART PARKING
CLUB HOUSE _ EXPLODED AXONOMETRY
[2017-2018] [ 67 ]
UNIT TYPE 1A
UNIT TYPE 1B
[WITH DECK]
LAYOUT
ELEVATION
A COFFEE BAY RETREAT [ 68 ]
SECTION A
SECTION B
[NO DECK]
LAYOUT
ELEVATION
SECTION A
SECTION B
UNIT TYPE 2A
UNIT TYPE 2B
[NO DECK]
LAYOUT
ELEVATION
SECTION A
SECTION B
[WITH DECK]
LAYOUT
ELEVATION
SECTION A
SECTION B
[2017-2018] [ 69 ]
RELAXATION + WELLNESS Serenity and harmony are incredibly vital when pursuing rejuvenation. Such pursuit inspires forms that respond : organic + soft. The design completely removes the user from the outside world and harbours them within a lowered enclave that sinks into the ground. Function revolves around a strong symbol for life and healing : calm water. The tensile roof covering brings a lightness and flow to egress through the garden.
SOUTH COAST ESTATE : SPA + WELLNESS [ 70 070] ]
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
RECEPTION ADMINISTRATION GUEST AMENITIES ENCLAVE ENTRANCE KOI POND LARGE TREATMENT SMALL TREATMENT STEAM ROOM SAUNA BATH HOUSE STUDIO GARDEN
LAYOUT
SECTION
[2018] [ 71 ]