BUSANG MAKHELE
ARC HIT E CT URAL P O RT F O L IO M ASTERS TREATISE
A B S T R A C T The post-apartheid city is an unfinished product. It is simultaneously being made and unmade. South African urban environments reinforce and reflect urban segregation and inequality. They are characterised by the remanence of the apartheid city defined by sprawl, placelessness and monotony. Nowhere else has this reality been truer and more visible than in township settlements. Townships settlements are the polar opposite of suburbia. They are typically situated on the outskirts of urban environments with unpleasant living conditions characterised by the lack of public facilities and spaces, adequate resources and under-utilised left-over space. The poor urban conditions in township settlements is where this treatise has decided to position itself. The treatise will use both primary and secondary data resources collected from site visits, observations made, analytical maps and diagrams. The secondary data, includes books, precedent studies, articles and academic journals. The findings indicate that in order for the design intervention to be appropriate and successful, it is important that principles which improve urban qualities and a sense of place and belonging are engaged with and understood, in order to cater to the needs of the community. In conclusion, the intention of this treatise is to design a Community Sports Centre in Alexandra Township, Johannesburg as a means of improving the urban quality by restructuring and reframing public and community space in the township.
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t h e t h e
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This section introduces the multi-layered study into the physical context of the treatise. The urban structure and spatial challenges of the context will be discussed through several map scales, resulting in the constraints and informants map that defines the spatial issues of the site, which will ultimately inform the design intervention.
The province of Gauteng in South Africa
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The City of Johannesburg (C the province
CoJ) municipal region within e of Gauteng
Alexandra Township
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c o n stra i n ts + i n f o r m a n ts
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Panoramic view of the existing community facility on the selected site. The perspective further shows how Thusong Youth Centre lacks public interaction and moreover the lack of street definition along Ring street
Panoramic view of the existing soccer field and additional sporting spaces, showing the surrounding spaces and the relationship the site has with the rest of the context
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Panoramic view of Thusong Youth Centre, showing the disconnection between the centre and the sporting spaces which has created a separation between the two public facilities
Panoramic view of the sporting spaces which further shows the lack of public interaction the space has with its surrounding. Additionally, the view further shows the conditions of the street edge Restructuring and Reframing Public and Community Space in Townships
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A
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Section A-A The section across the site shows the high school boundary wall which creates an edge to the left over-space and additionally shows how boundary walls have been used to separate the sporting spaces from the youth centre and the residential units. Furthermore, the section diagram shows how the existing sporting spaces have been carved out of the landscape
Section B-B The section across the site shows the various spaces separated by boundary walls and the landscape. In addition to this, it also shows how the sporting spaces have been carved out of the landscape
s e ct i o n
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s e ct i o n
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d e s i g n d e v e l o p m e n t This section of the document provides a graphic overview of the translation of intervention intentions, into the design of a Community Sports Centre in Alexandra Township through the aid of sketches and diagrams. It also includes the urban framework and design strategy and the development process.
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The following map highlights the most important roads in the context. This is done to establish levels of access in and around the site. Additionally, it shows areas in the community with the largest concentration of people and the intention for this is to establish movement of people and where activity generally happens. Node These are potential nodes where movement routes meet and therefore provides the potential to intensify energies Secondary vehicular movement route (Alfred Nzo Road) This road also connects to the entry points into Alex from East bank and the commercial and industrial areas on the west. Taxi rank | School | Resource centre | Police department Schools High school and Primary school institutions Main vehicular movement route (M40 road) Tertiary movement route (13th Avenue) The busiest pedestrian route. This route connects areas with the most concentration - The taxi rank and schools. u rba n
f ra m e w o r k st rat e g i e s
TVET College
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Sit e
S trat e g i e s
The existing sporting facilities are enclosed by boundary walls and a fence, decreasing the level of publicness and interaction with the public. The first strategy is to remove the boundary walls and fences. The walls separate the sporting spaces from the community centre that currently exists on the site. Once the boundary walls are removed, the site will be able to open itself up completely and emphasizes its publicness while allowing for a better relationship with the existing community infrastructure. The final strategy involves assessing the valuable infrastructure on site, which will determine what is kept and repurposed and what will be demolished. This will help establish and create the potential relationships within the different buildings and spaces.
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D e s ign
S trat e g i e s
The design strategies, parallel the organisational strategies. The design ideas developed from the re-organisation of the site. The primary driving idea in the intervention is the consolidation of the different spaces and the various buildings that are separated by boundary walls on the site. Once the boundary walls are removed, it is important to establish the valuable infrastructure so that they are conserved and repurposed to fit the intentions of the intervention. As a result of the process, it is concluded that the community centred buildings are valuable infrastructure that already possess particular energies and so, the idea is to enhance those energies and the energy from pedestrians by concentrating it in a defined public space edged by public infrastructure. By doing so, space and edges are defined resulting in more legible and quality urban space.
d e s i g n st rat e g i e s
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01 design development page
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02 design development Restructuring and Reframing Public and Community Space in Townships
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f i n a l d e s i g n c o n c e p t
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r e s o u rc e
fac il it y
s p o rts
fac il it y
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F i n a l d e s i g n This section presents the conclusion of the research, analysis and conceptual realisation of the project in the use of final illustrations.
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S p at i a l Urba n Fra m e w o r k The intention of the framework is to enhance and improve the existing energies in the context in order to create quality urban conditions in the township. Industrial Buildings The industrial sector in Alex is idle and what is left is decaying buildings that are remnants of the past. The framework includes the regeneration of the buildings resulting in the restoration of the industrial sector in order to create employment, while re-purposing some of the buildings as residential housing. This aids in addressing two of the most prominent issues in the community. Commercial Precinct Opportunity exists for the development of a commercial precinct because of the existing high concentration of energy around the taxi rank area, so this is where commercial activity would be more feasible. Mixed-use Buildings The proposal of mixed use buildings is intended to create better street edges that accommodate pedestrian movement. Sport and Resource Precinct
u rba n f ram e w o r k
The final proposal is a sport and resource precinct. Currently existing are sporting spaces and community centred facilities that present great opportunity. In addition to this, is the opportunity for a public square and urban park because of the need for public space in this community and so, the intention is to provide a space where people can come, meet and socialise. This public space connects to and from other supporting spaces by pedestrian orientated streets.
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u rba n f ram e w o r k
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The final design comprises of a consolidated site of community and public space. The design is made up of two components, the Community Resource facility and the main building, the Community Sports Facility. The image of the left (figure 177) is the site plan of the final design showing the where both components of the design are situated. The two spaces edge the streets and activate the public square through maintaining visual continuity and the fluidity of public outdoor to indoor space.
Community Resource Facility This building is the re-use and extension of the existing building which was intended to provide adequate resource spaces that are needed in the community by a diverse range user groups.
Community Sports Facility This building is made up of indoor sports spaces for recreation and competitive events. The intention through the chosen sport disciplines was to provide sporting that could positively impact and change the lives of all participants, by teaching life skills (swimming), promoting healthier lives (public gym) and a sense of discipline (boxing).
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f lo o r
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Busang Makhele 2022