15(X) Radical Landscapes
University of Johannesburg Graduate School of Architecture Unit Leaders: Finzi Saidi Doreen Adengo Unit Tutors: Absalom Jabu Makhubu Valentina Manente
15(X) Kampala 2018
The word ‘radical’ implies a drastic shift from the conventional way of doing things. In Unit 15(X), it is used to suggest that designers of the environment in our context have to fundamentally change their approach to design in response to unique African challenges. Unit 15(X)’s interest in the wetlands of Kampala stems from the fact that such places haven’t been designed, yet vibrant communities that are integrated and resilient do exist within them.
Map: major waterbodies in Uganda in relation to temporary farmlands.
Year program RL001. Place, Border, Boundary RL002. OppoSite
Q1Review RL005. Home and away
RL009. Aluta continua RL010. Aluta continua II MYPR RL011.
RL003. Visit to Kampala RL007. Radical Possibilities Ecological connections RL006. RL004. Altered states Latent potential Jan 2018
Feb Quarter 1
Mar
RL008. Radical Representation
Apr
May Quarter 2
YOU ARE HERE
Gsa Summer Show
Acupuncture Jun
Jul Winter Recess
Aug Quarter 3
Sep
Oct Quarter 4
Nov
Dec 2019
15(X) siting SITE 1
SITE 2
The settlement of “Soweto�
Gulf in Kitintale
developed within the 30
is characterized by its dense
meter railway reserve and
mix of commercial, agricultural
the Nakivubo Channel.
and residential land use.
The oldest part of Soweto
Narrow
is located close to the local
staggering passages cut
taxi rank and market:
through family homesteads
as time goes by it expands
with thresholds that define
towards the wetlends using
spaces used for
the railway as spatial regu-
socializing and cooking.
lating device.
Further down the slope,
The main activities within
evidence of flooding and a
this area include farming,
collection of sewage
production in situ and
and waste start to become
trading.
a prominent sight, which
The main challenges are:
the residents deal with by
flooding, health and sanita-
adapting the
tion, and overcrowding.
negative spaces and configuring their homes.
600 mt radius
SITE 3 The site is located in Kirombe C in Butabika, along the wetland, downhill from Butabika hospital. This brick-makers yard is characterized by youth employment and strong community ties. There is a stark contrast between the rich and the poor, but many Kirombe dwellers work for the rich, especially in the construction industry. Innovation is very prominent in the community where people make charcoal from clay, control floods using rubbish, and dig their own sand from the wetland. The people of this community are very resourceful, handson and they treat their land with the utmost respect.
By selecting the Kitintale and Namuwongo settlements located in the Kampala Wetlands, Unit15(X) 2018, challenges students to explore sites that are ecologically dynamic in terms of human and environmental relationships. The three selected sites are important transitional settlements that demonstrate people’s resilience, innovation and creativity in terms of providing housing, food security, jobs, material harvesting, religion, recreation, and a sense of common identity. These settlements are vital in contributing to the social, economic and political fabric of the City of Kampala. The collaboration between fourth-year architecture students from the University of Makerere in Kampala and the masters students of Unit 15(X) from the Graduate School of Architecture in University of Johannesburg, is an important pedagogical experiment that brings together future young minds with architectural and landscape backgrounds to tackle historical and contemporary urban challenges through new lenses that will transform the African cities landscape in a responsive and creative manner.
15(X) students 01
05
02
06
03
07
04
08
09
10
11
12
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14
15
16
01
Dickson Adu-Agyei (M2)
02
Veronica Chipwanya (M1)
03
Nina Coe (M2)
04
Juan Du Plessis (M1)
05
Ndeshipanda Iita (M2)
06
Nthabiseng Mabena (M2)
07
Nomalanga Mahlangu (M1)
08
Nkoane Makutu (M2)
09
Karabo Malope (M1)
10
Elao Martin (M2)
11
Atusaye Msiska
 (M2)
12
Shaldon Nel (M2)
13
Yolisa Nqonqoza (M1)
14
Denver Smith (M1)
15
Jody van Aswegen (M2)
16
Alexandra Wunderlich (M1)
Unit 15 (Dickson)
Dickson Playscapes This project looks at two main ideas about the wetlands that emerged from the stories of the place as narrated by the actors on the site. Firstly, the wetland is a machine that sustains its people. It is also a space of play for the children within it. My major design project investigates possible ways to protect the wetland by educating the children within Kirombe of the importance of preserving wetlands through play. The project proposes a number of programs that enables children to use play to learn, train and protect the wetlands using the existing
Playscapes speculations
infrastructure, urban form and the in-between spaces. Furthermore, the project proposes play as a connector, a mediator between the existing (infrastructure) and the new (programmes). Through play, children will experience and learn about the ecological systems vegetation systems and production systems. Play thus becomes an essential part of the new conservation educational systems that work together to sustain the wetland. Play, work and learning then become part of one system within the wetland of Kinawataka.
Playscapes reinterpretation
A child centered approach Interactive pop-up book
Movements within the common spaces: volumetric exploration
Unit 15 (Veronica)
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RL006.
59
Waste as resource: model and photo montage
Veronica The other side latent potential
Waste as resource: photo alteration
Borders and perceptions
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Aspiration, dreams, high risk, entrepreneurs, creative chaos, labyrinth, insect like manifestation: Namuwongo is the driver of Kampala. Most informal settlements(Arrival Cities) within Kampala replicate this consuming culture at a smaller scale. There is a general expectation for the government to lone aid to ‘slums’, while in reality they seek to completely eradicate such ‘illegal’ developments. It is preferred that they disappear altogether. The ‘cancerous’ developement growing at the edge of the city is disregarded. but, what if what is seen as waste was in fact gold? ... will a changed perspective influence how the landscape is treated? In Namuwongo I experianced the other side of slums, which cointained substance that led me to imagine a different narrative. I seek to challenge slum perception by rewriting the Narrative of Namuwongo, not hoping to change the landscape, but to radically assist and encourage it. If waste was a valuable resource, could this affect the economic drive of the settlement? Spatial systems such as crop farming, waste and water reticulation and trade exist and are specific points of intervention.
RL004.
14
altered state
Waste as resource: collage interpretation
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Waste as resource: model interpretation
The 9 km stretch of rail line connects from Kampala’s City centre, through the Namuwongo settlement into an agriculture sector and ends at Port Bell, where goods are exported and imported from Tanzania and Kenya. However, the Ugandan Railway usage has substantially declined after a collision in 2004 until a grinding halt in 2006 (Burley,J:2014). This has directly impacted the trading economy of Kampala. Cargo ships are docked semi-permanently, only transporting goods monthly. Tourism mainly operates from Entebbe Harbour, where ferries are used by tourists to travel to nearby islands
(Biryabarem,E:2010). Research indicates that the fishing industry has reduced by more than fifty percent, and the limits placed on the amount of fish caught leave the Port Bell fishing market a tough industry to succeed in. The fish caught by the locals are sold or cooked to feed their families (Abdallah,H:2017). The residents homes of Port Bell are made from locally sourced materials Clay, reed and stone. In-between the housing of Port Bell waste and polluted water collects in the makeshift drainage systems.
Unit 15 (Nina)
The potential of Port Bell as an economic node is one that needs to be re-established into a vibrant port that sustainably supports both the human and natural environment View of Port Bell
nit 15(x)
Port Bell Views
( Nina Coe)
Nina Revitalising Port Bell Unit 15(x)
View Master Disc
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Tourism in the future of Port Bell
The dissertation attempts to reconnect Port Bell as a point of interaction with Tanzania, Kenya and the rest of Uganda by means of multi-modal transport, focusing mainly on water and rail. The design speculates on creating new spatial arrangements on the Port that brings the experiences of fishermen, environmentalists, tourists and tour operators, and businesses in symbiotic relationships that will engender economic viability. The design concept is informed by three principles for revitalising waterfronts: re-composition; regeneration; and the restructuring and restoration of existing buildings and structures (Smith,H, Ferrari, M.S. 2012, Bruttomesso: 2001). These principles will be assessed in conjunction with a number of case studies to inform the regeneration and recovery of Port Bell and its surrounding wetlands in order to formulate a context-specific conceptual and design response (Desfor, G: 2011). The major design project explores a series of new public spaces that will include markets, the docklands and the dwellings of the fisherman in
order to revitalise Port Bell. Multimodal systems will connect Port Bell with Jinja, Entebbe, and Kisumu in Kenya, Musoma and Mwanza in Tanzania via water channels. The revitalisation of Port Bell will become an urban scheme where fishermen, locals and travellers all interact with the port and the surrounding wetlands.
Port Bell plan and interconnections
Structure development
Unit 15 (Juan)
( Juan Du Plessis )
Structural investigations
Unit 15
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3. Lack of political will as well as political interference 4. Lack of knowledge about wetland and their value
Juan Productive contaminant
The goal is to implement regenerative development that can improve living and working conditions for the natural and human communities. The Namuwongo wetland is an urban wetland that is under threat by rapid urban development. The identified intervention point is the entire wetland landscape that stretches from Port Bell, to the Namuwongo district. The current urban development ignores the hidden value of the natural systems. Instead of engaging
with the existing energies of the wetland, it is slowly smothering and contaminating it instead. The proposed intervention is a mass scale, regenerative, urban development that can be described as a productive contaminant. The aim of the intervention is for it to work with the existing logic of the area and not against it. It will be formed by tall vertical structures that will embody multiple urban systems such as housing, education, public parks and market
spaces. Each living platform focuses on not being a negative contaminant that enters the wetland but rather aims to form a symbiotic relationship with the existing natural systems and to assist with the rehabilitation of the wetland.
“Accupuncture points�
5. The wetland policy remains too broad and does not have specific laws to protect it Proposed site plan for the Ugandans should embrace sustainable city development without suppressing the natural heritage and uniqueness. interventiom
The government should borrow a leaf from developed city that have maintained their rich natural heritage in their cities like Switzerland, china, Holland and Dubai. Instead of allowing continued degradation of wetland, we should maintain, develop and improve on their uniqueness in order to realize the long-time lost golden value in them! This will be an extension of the repaired 1240km long railway from Dar-es-Salaam to Mwanza, which connects to Port Bell through Lake Victoria. The strong focus on this multi-modal trade route could spawn more political will & interest into the Nakivubo Wetland and ideas for better and more sustainable development could proposed alongside the new transport development. The revival of the railway could be adapted to accommodate the Namowongo slum and ways to implement infrastructure that can help improve the settlement which will ultimately allow the rehabilitation of the currently suffering Nakivubo wetland.
( Juan Du Plessis )
Structural assemblage
Productive Contaminant.
What if a contaminant could be altered and implemented in a way that makes its existence p
07.
means a business is unregistered and not protected by state and does not contribute to tax. The actors in the informal economy do not have access to retirement or any other form of social beneďŹ ts that will otherwise be available to them had they been employed within the formal economic system. This means that they
Unit 15 (Ndeshipanda)
registration to their names, decreasing any sense of job security making the actors in this economy very vulnerable. Due to the lack of formality in how money works in these communities, the actors have no access to credit.
The state of fact
Informal connections
The informal state of the economy of the Kitintale isolates this settlement and acts as a cap on its socio-economic growth ecosystem
Ndeshipanda Informal Economies
al Possibilities
ge depicts the existing economic s in and around Kitintale exploring possibilities related to money
transfers and safety in the community.
This project will aim to design an informal small scale 21 bank 1 along the social spaces in Kitintale. The bank will support economic activities and facilitate the movement of money through the transactions which are a result of the different money making activities provided by the ecosystem services found in the Nakivubo Wetland. Investigating the movement of informal money provides an understanding of the existing financial landscape and this information could be used to design effective financially active public spaces, which apart from accommodating the financial transactions around the trading of goods sourced from ecosystem services, can provide spaces for banking activities as well.
Informal banking revealed
The final design will speculate on what a building which accommodates banking services in this environment, and is responsive to Kitintales informal financial activities could look like. This informal bank could be used to create a stronger links to the formal economy of Kampala and create spatial relationships between areas of high economic activity and areas that harness potential for economic gain in Kitintale. The project holds the potential to become a blueprint for spaces in which the transition from poverty occurs.
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23 1
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Connections: interpretative collage Unit 15 (Nthabiseng)
Different layers of connections: site study
匀琀漀爀洀 眀愀琀攀爀
mic g Page) nections
䌀漀洀洀甀渀愀氀 匀瀀愀挀攀猀
刀漀愀搀猀
刀愀椀氀眀愀礀
䄀挀琀漀爀
䌀漀洀洀甀渀椀琀礀
一漀爀琀栀
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Nthabiseng Invisible Connections Namuwongo Informal settlement to other environments. This Major encroaches on the protected Design Portfolio (MDP) proposes wetlands of the Nakivubo channel the design of a node along the that serves as a natural drainage revitalised railway line that will zone for the city of Kampala to facilitate and connect the economic the Lake Victoria. Cultivation of activities of Namuwongo to Kampala the Nakivubo wetlands by the city centre and the Port Bell. This inhabitants of Namuwongo and the MDP explores the design of a node resultant dumping of waste into which intersects the ecological, the wetlands draws criticism from cultural and infrastructural systems city officials and environmental of Namuwongo through, maps, authorities who are concerned that models, drawings, vignettes, the water-cleaning functions of sections and diagrams. wetlands are compromised. City Following Kevin Lynch’s (1960) officials’ solution is to remove reading of the place of a ‘break in all settlements that encroach on transportation’, I would argue that wetlands, but many urban theorists this ‘break’- discussed here as the argue that these settlements are node, has compelling importance the first point of entry for migrants for the inhabitants of Namuwongo. to cities in the developing world The revitalising of the railway and therefore need to be improved line will benefit the city and the (McGuirk: 2014, Saunders: 2011). new node station in Namuwongo According to the Center for Transit will enhance existing economic Oriented Development (CTOD) activities and challenge the negative (2011) cities with stronger transit perceptions of the informal are generally more efficient and settlement. The new node aims to productive than those repair Connections the environment around it Fig 30 lacking Namuwongo in transit, and anand increase in by creating viable connections that movement transit presence increases labour allow the Namuwongo settlement productivity. I argue that the to contribute to the greater society improvement of Namuwongo’s of Kampala. informal economy relies on efficient transport connections Informal montage: The slum as an horizontal skyscraper
匀椀琀攀 䰀愀礀漀甀琀
䌀漀洀洀甀渀愀氀 一漀搀攀猀
倀漀琀攀渀琀椀愀氀 吀爀愀椀渀 一漀搀攀
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䌀漀渀渀攀挀琀椀渀最 洀漀瘀攀洀攀渀琀猀
Unit 15 (Nomalanga) Unit 15
( Nomalanga Mahlangu )
( Nomalanga Mahlangu )
Site representation: Suspending all reductionist architectural representational conventions
( Nomalanga Mahlangu )
Nomalanga Permanent temporary 56
This project is centered around the community of Kirombe C, in the wetlands of Kampala Uganda. The aim of this study is to understand the significance oftemporariness of African vernacular architecture in the modern context. Through these three interrelated concepts of, birth - life - and death and their intricate relationships with colonization – culture – environment and tradition. What this means economically and its impacts on the ecosystem. The secondary aim is to unpack the quote: “Architecture of place should be more important than the architecture of time” by Gunnar Asplund. Temporality is mankind’s relationship to time and so should architecture. As time surpasses this generation, there should still be opportunities for the coming generation to design and create
what is ideal and sustainable for the centuries to come. Because as the famous architect Norman Foster says “As an architect you design for the present with an awareness of the past, for a future which is essentially unknown”. This thesis will also question the misconception of vernacular building materials being inefficient, only used by the poor and outdated. Once people (especially the community of Kirombe C) see the beauty and practicality of African vernacular architecture, they might just start appreciating it and once something is cherished there is value placed on the item.
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Society should encapsulate communal and personal history without permanent structures that leave scars on the earth’s surface ) ugnalhaM agnalamoN (
Table game investigating connections between traditional african divination and place-making
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51 tinU
Unit 15 (Nkoane)
Assemblage of the train as a moving building
Namuwongo
Train as a moving building: Space activation
Nkoane Perpetual Infrastructures Activity and fluxes around a train stop: composition
This Major Design Project proposes a railway node in Namuwongo, creating an international connection through the railway line andRL007_RADICAL Port Bell, linking Uganda and Kenya. This transport node will offer the people of Namuwongo the POSSIBILITIES opportunity to trade foodstuffs grown locally in the wetlands. Using principles of Transit-Oriented development(TOD), which advocates for designing more efficient, sustainable, and equitable communities (The City Fix 2015: [sp]). The node proposes a series of speculative programmes that include accommodation, social and retail spaces. The proposed nodal development can be assembled and used in multiple ways which plug onto the train and in the surrounding landscape, allowing residents of Namuwongo opportunities to shape and direct the future of their settlement. Following AbdouMaliq Simone’s reading of ‘people-as-infrastructure’ (Simone, 2014:241-246), the proposal intends to use the diverse connections, exchanges, negotiations and movement patterns of the settlement to shape my architectural response.
Time and Space: how the presence of the train influences the surroundings at specific times of the day 48
LATENT POTENTIALS 49
a place speaks to its mean for you and provide provid environment.
“Until the Lion ( Karabo Malope ) learns to speak, the tale of the hunt will always glorify the hunter”
Unit 15 (Karabo)
( Karabo Malope )
Thomas Sankara
Karabo The tale of the lion
“ The tale of the Lion” Performance
Rose Mbowa was a theatre artist in My project proposal aims to Uganda. A feminist, an activist, and aknowledge and support perfomative “Until the Lion speak the of talethe of the hunt, will always glorify the hunter” African Proverb” spaces in the settlement of Kitintale. writter, shelearns wasto the head theatre In 1894 Uganda became a British protectorate. The Christian missionaries discouraged the traditional The preliminary studies show that program in Makerere University. indigenous performance arts, they labelled traditional ways of performance pagan and uncivilized. are several performance related She made her mission (Mbowa) Harry Johnstone was at the time was the colonialthere administrator opposed the popular baganda wedding dance that it was “Profoundly immoralin and exceedingly indecent” (Roscoe 25) Church spaces including churces, cinemas, to defend freedom of speech members where threatened with suspension should they be found performing the dance (Mbowa) assembly AsUganda. Ngugi says “Drama has origins in the human struggle with nature andpoints. with others”(Decolonising 36) Rose in her book Theatre and Political repressionThe in Uganda states developments that “the punitive actions further of my SheMbowa later developed a forum of the colonialist did not completely obliterate the customs for they are embedded in the traditional project will involve the called “theatre for development” patterns of life of the indigenous people and saturated their whole life cycle” This repression leddesign to people living a doubleto life, develop practicing Christian believes inof church and in theand eyes ofdevices people, meanwhile spaces that can which aimed the inner behind closed doors people continue to practice their traditional ways of living, the so called accomodate and support public perception of communities. “Unchristian” practices. Wycliffe Kinyigi is the first dramatist writing in Luganda, dramatized this conflict colonization, colonizers in During his play Pio Mberenge Kamuli. The play is based on theperformances experience of a chiefand called enhance Pio Mberenge,social a Christian convertto who in addition to perfoming Christiancohesion practices had to fulfil his traditional role in in informal contexts. referred traditional outdoor 37 four wives. Christianity became his day the community, the latter included his conjugal duties to his theatre as primitive time public church and socialtheatre; activities, while behind closed doors he fulfilled his commitment to his people’s way ofin life. however contrast , the spontaneity of traditional theatre which took place where there was an empty space, allowed every to perform and create theater.
“ The tale of the Lion” Stage props
Public spaces and informal performances: collage
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from the side of the settlement to represent what the wetland claims back from the settlement which is often man made waste In order to win, one must capture all their opponents seeds to either densify the Kitintale settlement, or to fill the voids left in the wetland with clay
Unit 15 (Elao)
Elao Reimagining brick making
In this image, I link the opportunities for making in Kitintale. There are many hidden potentials in the way people make, and central to this, is the brick making process that shapes the wetland through its deconstructivist extraction of clay, as well as the building of houses using the clay block.
RL 007. Radical Possibilities. Table game that engages players with the concept of building
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Elao Martin
Thirdly, the redesign of the firing process can create the opportunity to turn the wood used for the fire into charcoal. Removing clay soil to create areas of bare soil can become the first design process in turning these scarred into areas of play and congregation during this two day process. This will introduce a radical shift from as wellofasbrick the service product it By identifying making locally, wastage canthe beconventional reduced in method The firing of the clay the brickbrick is a two day process that makingand as well as the provides to the Kitintale. process as a point of acupuncture, the wetland. Secondly, water storage presents hidden potential to turn the making of clay bricks service and product it provides to the Kitintale. the aim with of the project is to devices could be integrated into Currently, the characteristic scene of into a method more than just thedesign clay brick as the final interventions in from the the method of bethe firing of the kilns, which would smoke rising from a firing kiln not only product. Firstly, the heat firing can used to melt The characteristic scene of smoke rising from a firing kiln mining clay as wellthe as the firing of providewaste the community with boiled represents a growing community, plastics by introducing methods of plastic can represent more than just a community growing, the the to bricks which introduce as hot water it also represents the depletion recycling make somewill of the plastic more productsdrinking used inwater the as well the process and the depletion of wetland resources, and the pollution of the functionality, and harness the kilns for the homes around the firing of of resources and pollution of the community locally and reduce waste in the wetland. landscape wetland. It can represent communal activities and project wasted heat energy. bricks. the redesign of towetlands. Secondly, imagine integrating water storage the devices intoThirdly, services coming life and aHowever, communitythis thriving, all looks at the latent potential within Theoffiring of the clay would brick isprovide a two thethe firing process through can create the the firing the kilns, which community the brick making process. day process presents opportunity with boiled drinkingthat water as well hidden as hot water for theto turn the wood used the brick making process, and how it homespotential around the of the bricks.of clay for the fire into charcoal. Removing can respond to the threats that the to firing turn the making bricks into a method with more than clay soil to create areas of bare soil relationship between Kitintale and just the clay brick as the final product. can become the first design process the wetland faces, to create a scene Firstly, the heat from the firing can in turning these scarred landscapes in which communal activities and be used to melt plastics, and by into areas of play and congregation services come to life around the brick introducing methods of plastic waste during this two day process. This will making process. recycling to make some of the plastic introduce a radical shift from the products used in the community conventional method of brick making 40
Informal production cicle: brickmaking in the wetlands
Unit 15 (X)
( Atusaye Msiska )
Mapping: allocation of territories to the different Bugandan Gods
Unit 15 (X)
( Atusaye Msiska )
Unit 15 (Atusaye)
Atusaye A shrine to the forgotten Guardian EARTHQUAKES
PHYSICAL HANDICAPS GOOD HEALTH
FERTILITY WEALTH
THE LAKE
WAR LONG LIFE DEATH THUNDER MARRIAGE HARVEST
“Lubaale mbeera, nga n’embiro kw’otadde (Pray for deliverance from danger, but start running too)” RL007. 43
This dissertation Unit 15 (X) investigates the reintroduction of the Lubaale- Guardian spirits of wetlands - as spirits to family growth of urban intercede and counter theThe destructive development. The aim ofstructure this Major and Design Project is to design landscapes imbued in spiritual meanings so powers of the that the permeable borders between the landscape and human settlements will beLubaale respected in order to preserve the wetlands. In this way the landscape will restore the traditional belief that saw human as being in the service of the land. The project will use the symbolic taking back of Walumbe to Ggulu (Heaven) by the Guardian Kaikuzi - The Digger as a design concept for a shrine that restores the integrity of the wetlands and claims them as sacred landscapes. The design Inexplores a ritual to venerate Kaikuzi- The the nineteenth century, “the However, the colonial perception is of the Lubaale decreased that The Africansprimary have no understanding Digger- as apower Lubaalea Guardian. functional as that of the Kabaka (King) or spiritual connection to nature. principal ofgrew” the (Buganda’s Lubaale“for their spirits to intercede Indigenous Instead, colonialists viewed the Religion [sa]). “By the end African’s conservation and protection favourably during national affairs”will be applied of the reign of King Mutesa I of nature as a dread uniform waste. to in 1884to thebecome influence of a the This is seen in contemporary cities, allow the shrine center of social and welfare Lubaale in national matters was where urban development takes (Buganda’sthe Indigenous preference the development activity, thusgone” restoring spirituality ofover the wetlandsof and Religion [sa]). Coincidentally, spiritual landscapes. the continuous intervention the downfall of the Lubaaleof the Lubaale (Buganda’s coincided with the coming Indigenous Religion [sa]). and influence of colonialism. POWER
Buganda Mythology: Family tree 44 ( Atusaye Msiska )
EARTHQUAKES
PHYSICAL HANDICAPS GOOD HEALTH
FERTILITY WEALTH
THE LAKE
WAR
LONG LIFE DEATH
THUNDER
MARRIAGE HARVEST POWER
Radical possibilities
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LIFESTYLE
PHYSICAL HEALTH
WEALTH
PHYSICAL HANDICAPS
HARVEST
MARRIAGE
GOOD HEALTH
EARTHQUAKES
WAR
FERTILITY
THE LAKE
POWER 50
LONG LIFE
THUNDER
DEATH
NATURE
Buganda Mythology: Properties and Powers
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There needs to be a reconciling of the extreme perspectives, which exist as pre-colonial ideals and as post-colonial ideals 53
L CO
Unit 15 (Shaldon)
Nature and the same sp Adapting Li
Shaldon Channel-City Convergence
Provocation: Water and City co-extistence
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Designing Ecological Responsive City Channels in Kampala
The aim of this MDP is to discover a new aesthetic that foresees a lifestyle in which the wetland landscape and the city of Kampala become interconnected along the Nakivubu channel. The proposal begins with a series of questions: what if this connection can encourage new trades and new economies along a reviving wetland corridor? How can the introduction of small community interventions and public spaces within the wetland become a facilitator for broader economic activity in Kampala, and how might this MDP set a precedent for a reinvention, which looks at a wetland as an abundant natural resource that over time can lead to the re-examining of wetland ecosystems. This project
Intervention locations at different scales in the context of Kampala’s topography
Wetland platforms are introduced
reimagines the existing Nakivubu channel in terms of new wetland infrastructure that is sensitive to the context and over time, will create a hard-working public amenity for water filtration, energy creation, business and recreation (Charlesworth: 2011). The MDP has three main ‘acupuncture’ points: Kampala City, the Namuwongo informal settlement and Lake Victoria. The proposed points or platforms – are intended to inspire a public conservation framework, based on a 10 - 25 year timeline. By ensuring the adaptability of the platforms, it is envisaged that they will become co-dependant within their context. These platform
structures will be designed to preserve and rehabilitate the wetland and filter water along the channels that have been created. These platform structures will be designed to adapt to varying contexts. This intervention will inject additional retail, social and educational programs necessary for the successful link to the city of Kampala, the Wetlands and Lake Victoria. This project will develop design principles for re-vitalising wetland channels that integrate commercial activities, protect wetlands, filters storm-water, enhances vegetation and provides recreational open space, at strategically placed public crossing points.
(Yolisa Nqonqoza)
Unit 15 (Yolisa)
Site plan
Rl008.
Potential acupuncture for design intervent
Radical Representations II
Water well near the Car Wash.
Drawings, Persuasion, Politics Site interpretation “Drawings provide a way to describe the world The current conditions of Kitintale. as it is, and that kind of description is the first Medium: Collage through collage step towards a discussion of what might be.” Jane Wolff
Yolisa Filtration processes as a design driver 36
The intention of my game is to create possible combinations of the site which can formulate discussions between the community and the state officials who which to completely remove settlements in the wetland.
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The game consists of 4 boards and 30 cards:
Wetlands fundamentally function as natural sponges that filter pollutants from surface water, rain, groundwater and flood water. Be that as it may, there are existing ecosystems within the wetland, which means that they need to coexist. Sanitation and drainage was evident upon our site investigation through our actor. Drainage from the top flows down to the bottom of the site which makes living at the bottom very unpleasant. My design intervention, just like the natural intention of the wetland, whishes to create a system or systems that will act as filtration of the drainage to better the living environment of Kitintale.
- Current state of the wetland. This is represented by 4 different boards which look at the immediate environment of the wetland, the life of my actor, Port Bell Road which has trade areas and Potential areas in the wetland where my interventions could take place. - The cards consist of 3 categories, namely: These could be a combination of Ÿ Different filtration methods(Seperation, man-made and natural systems.chemicals, filtration, oxydation, spirituality) Ÿ The Officials mandate for the wetland I have identified the water well near Ÿ What the possible future may look like
the car wash in Site 2 as my potential intervention site as it is a common point of gathering in the site. It has the potential to become more than just a place where people in the community collect water. By spatially unlocking this site, it will release latent energy that will ripple into new potentials in the site.
Site analysis
(
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Radical Po
W fun th
groun Be ex th th
San
in acto flow the s the b
My like
Table game: Visual filtration through images and patterns
Sectional filtration analysis 40
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cre that w dra e These o
Unit 15 (Denver)
The language: changing the narrative of the kids......... ( Denver Smith) from the brick pyramids building the settlement Listening to the landscape - bringing filtered water down to on top of the Water (Wetlands) New attractions, possibilities in new income. Public spaces and movements ( Denver Smith)
Unit 15
RL007. Radical Possibilities Radical ‘characterised by a departure from tradition’ Produce a drawing/a series of drawings/ model/s that explore the complexities of your conceptual ideas (plural) for your current project. Suspend all reductionist architectural representational conventions (plans, sections, perspectives) in your representation and rather explore radical drawing representational techniques. You must be self-indulgent, be critical, complex, methodical innovative and express your views about the place as a wetland, the actor, the connections, the OppoSite, the latent potential and your radical ideas. Layer your drawings, let every line have meaning, consider line weight, tone, colour and texture. Explore structure, systems and relations in your drawing. Draw the speculation, the questions and the radial possibilities latent in your sight and site.
Denver Public rooms My project investigates the latent potential in public spaces within the settlement of Kirombe within the wetlands of Kampala. The on site study engaged with recording the fluxes that were being channeled through Kirombe’s main road and its unfoldings through a series of interconnected public spaces. This first study was the inspiration for an interpretative study plan that starts to engage with the tridimensional nature of space and questions interaction between volumes and human actions.
Public spaces and movements
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Sectional volumetric explorations 31
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I intend to reveal the spiritual dimension of the wetlands in Kampala by narrating East African mythologies through architectural interventions
Unit 15 (Jody)
Topography Water Wetland Route of exploration
Site reading through natural forces
RADICAL POSSIBILITIES
By narrating Baganda mythology and folklore this dissertation will propose and architectural intervention which will rehabilitate the wetland whilst reminding people of their spiritual heritage.
Jody Water purification through Mythology In Kirombe, an informal settlement on the Kinawataka Wetlands, a history of forced removals, paired with an uncertainty of the future, has resulted in a sense of paranoia and sometimes aggression towards outsiders. The residents have invented ways of production through intimate interactions with the earth. Bricks are made of compacted earth, straw, water and stone. River sand is mined and delivered by a boat relay team, which is then physically rinsed, dried and sorted before exported as cement plaster. These residents congregate regularly around the existing well-water system, queuing to attain unfiltered water for consumption and production. This dissertation suggests ways to improve the existing well-water system by
means of architectural installations that translate ancient spiritual beliefs. This dissertation explores the design of organic wastewater treatment systems that are embedded with spiritual meaning in the informal settlement of Namuwongo, to assist in decreasing the level of toxicity of the water. In Kirombe C, my installations will be designed to improve the purification and access to the existing well-water system through spiritual sanctity. Drawings will be used to show new relationships of water-purifying processes and their spiritual meaning in the wetlands.
Purification sites: first visualisations
ombe C - Well ation Garden God: N/A he Heart Clan stellation: Leo ow (Folklore)
My architectural installation is to address issue of wastewater entering into the wetland. My architectural installation will make the attempt to lessen the toxicity of the water whilst allowing for the collection and recycling of waste products. 105 SAMPLE 108 URBAN
My architectural installation is to improve the existing well water system, and to stand monument to the importance of the wetlands. 111 URBAN SAMPLE 106
URBAN SAMPLE 112 113
URBAN SAMPLE 114
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Unit 15 (Alexandra)
Alexandra Borders and Edges Unit 15(X) Radical Landscapes in 2018, will engage students in projects that challenge student’s thinking about architecture and landscape. The word Radical- a drastic shift from the conventional way of doing thingsis used to suggest that designers of the environment in our context have to fundamentally change their approach to design in response to unique African challenges. Unit 15x’s premise, is that, in order to change the practice of design, change has to start with the transforming how it is
Top view of wetlands
gutters and streets are synonymous
gutters and streets are synonymous
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toilets are expensive and unsanitary
toilets are expensive and unsanitary
streets are also play areas, lounges, gardens, schools and laundries.
streets are also play areas, lounges, gardens, schools and laundries.
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RL006. Latent Potential
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that provide18 opportunities for housing, food farming, landscape planting, material harvesting and recreation. Unit 15(X) Radical Landscapes in 2018, will engage students in projects that challenge student’s thinking about architecture and landscape. The word Radical- a drastic shift from the conventional way of doing things- is used to suggest that designers of the environment in our context have to fundamentally change their approach to design in response to unique African challenges. Unit 15x’s premise, is that, in order to change the practice of design, change has to start with the transforming how it is taught.urban designer or planner- yet there exists vibrant communi 18 in wetlands stems from the fact that, Unit 15X’s interest nothing in the wetland has been designed by an architect, landscape architect, urban designer or planner- yet there exists vibrant communities that are integrated and resilient. These wetlands, which can be viewed as Radical landscapes - transitional spa food farming, landscape planting, material harvesting and recreation. interest in wetlands stems from the fact that, nothing in the wetland has been designed by an architect, landscape architect, urban designer or planner- yet there exists vibrant communities that are integrated and resilient. These wetlands, which can be viewed as Radical landscapes transitional spaces between ecosystems, that provide opportunities for housing, food farming, landscape planting, material harvesting and recreation. Unit 15(X) Radical Landscapes in 2018, will engage students in projects that challenge student’s thinking about architecture and landscap
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large drainage channels traverse the settlement which are open and polluted
large drainage channels traverse the settlement which are open and polluted
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the railway line has become an urban pedestrian corridor spanning all the way into the cbd.
the railway line has become an urban pedestrian corridor spanning all the way into the cbd.
the nature of intervention soft infrastructure 25
Namuwongo patterns the Nakivubo channel is used as a dumping ground for human as well as material waste.
the Nakivubo channel is used as a dumping ground for human as well as material waste.
Water filtration devices analysis
taught.urban designer or planneryet there exists vibrant communi Unit 15X’s interest in wetlands stems from the fact that, nothing in the wetland has been designed by an architect, landscape architect, urban designer or planner- yet there exists vibrant communities that are integrated and resilient. These wetlands, which can be viewed as Radical landscapes - transitional spaces between ecosystems, that provide opportunities for housing, food farming, landscape planting,
Namuwongo views
Unit 15 (X) Radical Landscapes
Finzi Saidi Doreen Adengo Absalom Jabu Makhubu Valentina Manente
finzis@uj.ac.za doreen@adengoarchitecture.com jabum@uj.ac.za valentinamanente89@gmail.com
