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` Figure 1: Abstract design impression of the proposed community cultural Centre in Oukasie (Author, 2021)
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BRIDGING OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH THE DESIGN OF A COMMUNITY CULTURAL CENTRE IN OUKASIE
Co Supervisor: Mr MJV Mokaba November 2021
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Figure 2: Heritage function taking place on Tsakane 6|Page Road (Main Road) on June 16, 2021. (Author, 2021)
ABSTRACT
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ABSTRACT Oukasie Township, in North-West Province, South Africa, lacks a dedicated socio-cultural space where culturally oriented recreational events are held. While community facilities such as a public park and community hall exist in Oukasie, these are not fully utilised by the community. Instead, informal spaces are used for multiple social programmes. However, using
these spaces creates challenges such as obstructing main road thoroughfares. This study investigates the reasons that certain spaces in the township are used and, on these grounds, proposes a community cultural centre for Oukasie as a collaborative community space dedicated to the dominant cultures of the township and the role players
behind them. Role players are identified as performers, vendors, and community audience members. Design decisions are influenced by the physical context and traditions. The study aims to stitch two close communities together to expose lessrecognised township skills and cultures to allow people from different communities to collaborate.
Keyboard: Collaboration, Opportunities, Socio-Economic Township Cultures, Township socio-economic Roll Players, placemaking. 8|Page
TABLE OF CONTENT 1. INTRODUCTION (P11-22) • Design Problem Statement • Design-led Research Objective • Design-led Research Questions • Design-led Hypothesis • Design-led Limitations and Delimitations • Design Methodology 2. BACKGROUND (P23-40) • Amapiano Pop Socio-culture • Current used social spaces in Oukasie • Oukasie community Hall and Park • Cultural centres as a bridge to opportunities 3. DESIGN OBJECTIVES (P41-51) • Urban Intervention • Materiality and structure • Needs identified in Context 4. PRECEDENT STUDY (P52-60) • Tambillo Cultural Centre • Lycée Schrorge Secondary School
5. CONTEXT ANALYSIS AND APPRAISAL (P61-80) • Brits Town • Oukasie • Climatic Condition • Existing Spaces with Similar Programs • Immediate Urban Fabric • The Site and Importance • Site investigation 6. CONCEPT AND DESIGN PRINCIPLES (P81-85) • Design Concept • Materiality • Site Restrictions and Opportunities 7. DESIGN DEVELOPMENT (P86-109) • Client • Environmental Systems • The Collaborative Experience • Zoning • Rationale • Design Principles • Resolved Design 8. CONTRACT DOCUMENTATION AND SPECS (P110123) • Specification posters • Contract Documentation 9|Page
9. CONCLUSION, REFERENCES AND LIST OF FIGURES (P124-131) • Conclusion • References • List of figures
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1.INTRODUCTION 1.1
Design Problem Statement
1.2
Design-led Research Objective
1.3
Design-led Research Questions
1.4
Design-led Hypothesis
1.5
Design-led Limitations and Delimitations
1.6
Design Methodology
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1.
Introduction
This chapter sets out the objective of this research investigation through the identified design problem inspired by the author’s personal socio-cultural experiences in the context of Oukasie. The chapter discusses how the identified design problem statement led to the generation of the research questions that are used to guide the investigation process to satisfy the research objective using design hypothesis and methodologies as stated in this chapter (Nkoana, 2019).
Figure 3: Image of Amapiano dancer (2020) dancing in the middle of Tsakani Road, with people watching from the roadside while a car drives by. (Author, 2020)
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1.1
Design Problem Statement
This research investigation was inspired by the researcher’s experiences in the socio-cultural industry of the township of Oukasie. The functions and events in the community of Oukasie take place throughout the year, with the aim of strengthening and celebrating local culture, to enhance a sense of identity in the community. There is also the hope that it will increase the chances of tourism and other associated economic benefits. Oukasie experiences high unemployment and most unemployed youth in the community find themselves looking for opportunities in the weekly and monthly social events and functions in their neighbourhood. Stone (2011) writes that socio-cultural events bring with them positive economic, social, cultural, political, and environmental impacts and benefit. Some of the unemployed youth in Oukasie explore sectors such as event organising and coordination, event marketing, dance performance and music, informal/mobile retail. While these avenues are explored as a way of fighting unemployment, they have
the benefits of positive local impact, enhanced community identity, image, cohesion, well-being, improved quality of community life, individual pride through participations and shared ideas in the community (see Stone, 2011). This research explores how a designed space can contribute to the economic wellbeing of disadvantaged township and informal-settlement residents through creating socio-cultural and economic opportunities by responding to a community’s culturally specific needs. This will be achieved by designing a community cultural centre and venue for social events.
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14 | P a g e Figure 4: A performing stage being set-up on Tsakane Road (the main road of Oukasie) on 5 December 2018 (Author, 2020)
1.2
DESIGN-LED RESEARCH OBJECTIVE
1.2.1 PRIMARY OBJECTIVES • • • • • •
Provide a collaborative space for musicians, dancers, and audience (community). Provide a venue for socio-cultural events/functions. Provide a space for amateur event/function creators to use. Provide facilities for amateur dancers and musicians to practice their skill and produce music. Provide a space for choreographer and music distribution advisors. Provide ad hoc dance performance space.
1.2.2 SECONDARY OBJECTIVES • • •
Create formal and informal spaces in which dancers and musicians can interact with one another. Create a building that activates the immediate surrounding context through social experience. Create an environment to inspire amateur dancers, musicians, and creative people to pursue their creative careers in dance, music, and event creators.
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1.3
Design-led Research Questions
The main research question of the study is:
social culture and to tackle poverty within rural communities?
1. How can a community cultural centre be a potential contributor to creative economic growth in rural areas?
It is anticipated that the cultural centre will solve the issue of roads being blocked by dense rural communities forming the audiences of events in small venues, which is also a limitation in terms of the size of programmes that can be held.
It is expected that the diverse sociocultural creative activities and ideas by end-users in the cultural centre could lead to traffic (tourism) from surrounding communities to the centre, an increase of and demand for local transport, the creation of jobs, demand for local street vendors to sell food and refreshments, and the involvement of more local stakeholders in social events. In support of the main research question, the following subquestions are posed. 2. How can the proposal of a cultural centre address spatial challenges to enable growth in
In addition, functions that occur in non-formal venues, with no spatial or surrounding control, or control of attendees, and with a lack of security do not receive full funding/sponsorships and/or recognition from neighbouring communities. Cultural centres can be formal venues to assist event stakeholders to receive more and better opportunities and funding, with a space that allows for growth in terms of audience and participants.
3. What type of spatial design methods will enhance collaboration between role players in the community? Existing informal venues such as taverns and carwash venues (see Figure 5) are transformed during social events, to allow participants to collaborate, by creating interlocking spaces that allow participants to recognise each other’s crafts. Imitating and bettering the existing common layouts that are used by the community by creating interlocking spaces has the potential to enhance collaboration between participants such as musicians and dancers. Spaces linked by a common space can allow viewers, the community or audience to gain a better view of and connection with the dancers and musicians. This could lead to better support and shared ideas within the community 16 | P a g e
4. What are the objectives of socio-cultural events in a community that can be
accommodated by a community cultural centre? Community socio-cultural events, according to Sharpley and Philip
(2011:353), promote community cohesion, enhance community identity, or image and encourage
Figure 5: Parti-diagram illustration of how the Ladies car wash venue is used during a social function, achieving interlocking spaces to allow for a collaborative function amongst participants (Author, 2020)
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1.4
Design Hypothesis
The design hypothesis is influenced by the research findings of Sharpley and Philip (2011) that socio-cultural events have the impact of promoting community cohesion, identity, and wellbeing. The design also builds on the research questions and their hypothesised solutions, as set out in 1.3 above. The centre is designed to become a space and venue for socio-cultural events, with the assumption that this will provide opportunities by generating benefits such as building the local economy through attracting inward investment, new businesses or increased tourist visits and expenditure. The centre is also designed to celebrate and
strengthen local culture, on the assumption that this will enhance a sense of identity amongst the local communities.
neglected the community to better see the opportunities of the community and of the community members.
Fundamentally, the objective is to propose a venue that is designed to meet the spatial needs of sociocultural events in the community of Oukasie. The centre’s site is at the main entrance of the township, which is at the centre of two neighbouring communities: Brits and Elandsrand.
The centre is located at the beginning (centre of the three communities one of them being Oukasie) of the main road through the township, also becoming a gateway to the community with its main programme of accommodating and presenting socio-cultural programmes. The centre is planned to become a good symbol of the township’s identity.
It is hypothesised that the centre will stitch these close communities together with the community of Oukasie, to better expose township skills and allow those who have
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Figure 6: Map of the three neighboring communities, with the site’s location close to the centre between all three communities (Author, 2020)
1.5
Design Limitations and Delimitations
•
Oukasie as a township consists of three sections, Vuka, Greenside and an area called “Di phase”. The research is mainly based on socio-cultural venues or hubs and spaces in Vuka and Greenside sections.
•
The information obtained is not based on interviews but general observation in Vuka and Greenside.
•
The investigation is conducted in informal settlements of the township that are not popular and
have not been well explored and observed before. •
•
The investigation aims to identify relevant social needs in the township with the intention of improving youth participation and growth in the socio-cultural space, particularly in dance and music. The research is restricted to providing an architectural response (solution) (see Nkoana, 2019:7). The aim of this research is to fulfil the partial requirements of an academic qualification.
As a result, the timeframe and budget limit data-collection methods. The research, therefore, relies on existing data and statistics, with public participation restricted to a great degree. •
The hypothesis set out in this study, informed by studied literature, precedent studies, the researcher’s experience, and participation, is not tested through the response of the affected demographic. Instead, it is evaluated academically by a panel of examiners (see Nkoana, 2019:7).
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1.6
Design Methodology
The qualitative visual research methodologies (Noble & Bestley, 2007) described below were selected to investigate the main design-led research question and the research sub-questions.
Table 1: Qualitative visual research methodologies to design-led research questions.
Design Sub-questions of Question: How can a community Design Methodology cultural centre be a potential contributor to creative economic growth in rural areas? How does the absence of a cultural centre/social venue Context study or observation (naturalistic): the researcher’s affect the lives of township residents and the personal participation in the township during socio-cultural roleplayers/stakeholders of socio-cultural creations? events. The researcher’s working relationship with role players and stakeholders of socio-cultural events. How can architecture play a role in remedying the socio- Architectural design process: brief development, design cultural challenges facing Oukasie with a solution that can proposal, design iteration, design development and be adopted by other townships across the country? technical resolution.
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How can the proposed Cultural Centre act as a catalyst to Design evaluation: reflective analysis etc. enhance the informal economic sector in townships to promote socio-cultural participation amongst the members of the community?
Conclusion The chapter gives a brief background to the project, identifying how the author relates to the research project at a personal level. The objectives, research questions, design hypothesis and design limitations are influenced by the authors personal experiences of the issues identified. The objective is to create a collaborative space.
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2.BACKGROUND 2.1 Amapiano Pop Socio-culture 2.2 Currently Used Social spaces IN Oukasie 2.3 Oukasie Community Hall and Park 2.4 Cultural centres as a bridge to opportunities
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2.
BACKGROUND
This chapter looks at the background that provided the motivation to explore this research and was used as building blocks to understand the concept of a cultural centre. The intention of the chapter is to build a solid foundation of knowledge about the cause of the design problem to prepare a suitable response to this problem (see Nkoana, 2019).
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2.1
Amapiano Pop Socio-culture
Amapiano is a style of house music, which is a style of high-tempo, electronic dance music that originated in Chicago in the early 1982’s (Simon, 202). Derives its sound from already existing genres of music popular in South African townships. This began in the townships of Johannesburg and is one of the fastest-growing music genres in South-Africa. In around 2016, Amapiano became an accepted mainstream genre. It is slowly penetrating other African countries and may eventually the entire world (Mitchual, 2020). The music genre was able to create a trendy social scene that influenced other creative industries to grow and develop. It was able to generate and expose more and more artist from disadvantaged backgrounds and communities, who had the skill to penetrate the Amapiano space. That exposure led to recognition and growth
Amapiano as a social culture, mostly in the entertainment industry, has a unique style that is identifiable and found in mainly music and dance. Art plays a supporting role, as artists in creative art entertainment industries collaborate with singers in the Amapiano music and dance scenes, allowing the industry to grow and involve artists from different spectrums. Mphoza, an influential Amapiano dancer in the community of Oukasie, with more than eight years of dancing experience, has been able to adopt the styles of Amapiano and increase his recognition in the community and neighbouring areas through dance. The issue for him and other artists is the lack of a formal/suitable space where they can collaborate, create, and sell their skills, by entertaining mainly through social and dance-music event programmes.
The current informal spaces (see figure 8) these artists perform in, do not allow a larger audience, in terms of new members or supporters outside the community that could offer better opportunities. Supporters might be new partners/stakeholders that could invest their time, money, and support, opening new opportunities to other stakeholders. The dance and music events could generate income for themselves and other participants such as other creative artists (e.g., vendors who sell art), enabling collaboration and social recognition digitally. Collaboration with neighbouring communities could also allow the dance and music social culture of the community to be better recognised. Architecture in the Amapiano culture plays an important physiological role for the event attendees of a space; thus, good architecture benefits all participants.
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Dj Maphorisa, a well-known artist in the Amapiano space and culture, involved architects in the design of his social entertainment space in Centurion, in the Tshwane municipality, which mainly accommodates Amapiano or pop-culture programmes. The space allows participants and stakeholders to work together at local-impact level with a global impact in mind. By merging and linking spaces physically and visually, members of different industries with the same intentions can collaborate, and influence growth among themselves and others. The opportunities provided by those architecturally designed spaces for participants to collaborate have brought recognition and networking for participants in those spaces. This has been shown to be true for most of the participants in the Amapiano cultural space (Chiothamisi, 2021) A company called Homecoming Events, that deals with the promotion and creation of pop-culture events and participants in those industries are situated in an office location (Gauteng) with an interior and exterior space that allows for a mixture of creative economic programs, practicing, sharing, and performing for audiences (Rhest, 2020). The HomeComing Events’ offices consist of visually connecting spaces that allow for a mixture and extension (size) of social events. Building 2 in Figure 7 houses offices, storage, open spaces for indoor events and a refreshment bar. The ground floor of building 2 opens up to courtyard spaces 1 and 3, visually extending the activities and space to the exterior of the building. Courtyards 1 and 3 allow for a variety of functions. Courtyard 1 consists of grass, allowing attendees to sit on the floor surface in picnic and market-like social events. Courtyard 3 is paved and currently accommodates benches, tents, and stage equipment. These surfaces reduce the surface maintenance of the courtyard spaces. This office structure serves as a precedent study for the proposed cultural centre. Figure 7: Exterior Space analysis of Home-Coming events office located In Pretoria central on Helen Joseph. (Author, 2021)
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2.2
Currently Used Social Spaces in Oukasie
Effective public spaces are those places where celebrations are held, social interactions take place, such as friends running into each other, and cultures mix. These public spaces are accessible and comfortable, offer engaging activities, project a good image, and promote a sense of community (Wulfhorst, 2016). The following spaces support the criteria presented by Peter Wulfhorst regarding what makes a good public space. Analysing these spaces shows why role players and community members continue to support and create social events in those spaces. The commonly used social venues in Oukasie are. • Ladies’ car wash • Mighty’s tavern
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Figure 8: Map of existing socio-cultural venue/spaces in Oukasie. (Author, 2020)
2.2.1 Ladies car wash The Ladies car wash, a well-known car wash in the community of Oukasie, established in 2016, operates as a small car-wash business with two car-wash bays. Usually, car owners wait for their cars besides the car-wash bays or under a tree, which is in front of the yards of the neighbouring houses. The owner of the car wash has obtained the consent of the neighbours to allow this activity, where car owners wait and socialise in front of the neighbours’ yards. In about 2018, social-event creators in Oukasie began to set up deals with the car-wash owner to use the space after business hours to create social events. This is because of the easy accessibility of the space, and the fact that it is well maintained, promotes the involvement of unemployed youth, and can provide shelter for equipment at social events. The following figures display images of the car wash, indicating the usage of space during social events.
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Figure 9: Ladies car wash on Tsakane Road. (Author, 2020)
Figure 10: Space-analysis poster of Ladies car wash on Tsakane Road with two vehicles in the car-wash bay and with vehicle owners waiting beside the bays (shelter) (Author, 2020)
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Figure 11: Space-analysis poster of Ladies car wash during a social event (shelter) (Author, 2020)
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Figure 12: Space-analysis poster of Ladies car wash during a social event (shelter) (Author, 2020)
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Figure 13: Space-analysis poster of Ladies car wash during a social event (shelter) (Author, 2020)
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2.2.2 Mighty’s tavern Mighty’s tavern, established in around 2008, has been a social hotspot mainly for adults, where patrons buy refreshments or drinks, play pool, and watch soccer and other big sports shows. In about 2016, the tavern began to accommodate small social events, with an issue that the interior sitting areas could not accommodate more than a certain number of attendees at social events. The tavern owner and social events stakeholders started closing off the street in front of the tavern to build temporary structures to accommodate more people. The structures were usually steel barricades that were erected to manage the audience, creating access points for better security. Figure 14 below presents an aerial image of a cultural/heritage function that took place in front of the tavern. Organisers of the event booked the tavern to use its interior space to accommodate equipment and storage and used the street space in front of the tavern for the main activity, where the audiences were involved. Certain disadvantages identified from this event provided a motivation for this research. Disadvantages included a negative physical-context impact, where the programme interfered with day-to-day transport routes and pedestrian movements, and the inability of investors outside the area to invest in the programme for safety and health reasons, as the spaces did not comply with Madibeng municipality (Brits) event requirements and guidelines.
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Figure 14: Space analysis of Mighty’s tavern during a social event (Author, 2020)
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2.3
Oukasie Community Hall and Park
The community of Oukasie has two public facilities – the community hall and park – that cater for recreational programmes such as social and cultural events or functions. The facilities are currently not used for these programmes, which Is one of the identified issues that led to this research.
2.3.1 Oukasie community hall Community centres or community halls are public locations where members of a community can gather for group activities, social support, public information, and other purposes (Trasler, 2011:2). There is a need for cultural centres that provide services that are specific to their communities’ dominant cultures. Currently, in the context of Oukasie, only one community centre (hall) exists, and it is rarely used for cultural programmes. Instead, as Trasler (2011) states, the “… underlying reasons for the implementation of community centers is to bring government services closer to people and to provide the community with the opportunity to communicate with government” (Trasler, 2011:25). While Trasler (2011) concedes that “Community centers also offer, a place for all-community celebrations at various occasions and traditions” (Trasler, 2011:26), they often do not take the necessary measures in working with members of cultural groups in communities.
Figure 15: Sectional analysis of Oukasie community hall, not designed to human scale (Author, 2020)
Figure 16: Drone image of Oukasie community hall, depicting small exterior space for outdoor functions and a recently built clinic in the community hall’s yard. (Author, 2020)
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2.3.2 Oukasie community park The Park of Oukasie was officially launched in 2018. The facility/park is barricaded to protect it from vandalism and easy management of the public entering and exiting the park. The Park consist of two entrances, where only one is currently used, for enhanced security protecting those using the space to be easily monitored when entering and exiting. The Park is also established to accommodate community recreational events and functions, to allow neighbourhood residents to interact with each other and meet new people. It turns out parks are a crucial part of any community. They have a significant impact on the development of children and the happiness of everyone in the neighbourhood. (Casandra, 2016). Oukasie’s community park plays a good role in achieving a space that allows children to play on soft ground, as most parts of the community consist of gravel areas.
An article by Casandra (2016) for green building professionals lists out reasons on why parks are important, the list assists the development of the pocket park integrated in the proposal of the community cultural centre, forming a collaborative linkage with the existing recreational activities that the centre offers. The article has the following advantages and importance’s on community parks points: • • • • • • • •
Storm water collection Reduction of urban hear island effect Centre of community Clean air Mental health boost A place for physical activity A place for kids to be outside Protect natural ecosystems
Oukasie’s community park is currently (2020-2021) falling apart due to noneusage and maintenance of facilities, due to the lack of usage of the facilities from the community’s youth and other
members of the community. This seems as if the park was not for the community, and the members of the community not feeling like it’s one of their own. The Park consist of two main facilities: a basketball court and a swimming pool. Neither of the sports facilities are for existing dominant sports that already exist in the community. The local authority seems to have failed in including the community members during the planning stages of the park. Missing and neglecting the needs of the community. One of the needs is a venue/space that accomodates the social functions and events that occur on a weekly basis. The Park in Oukasie is a great place, especially, for kids to play, but the lack of facilities does not accommodate other functions or programs and community cultural functions etc.
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Figure 17: Drone image of Oukasie community park, during a social event on Heritage Day. (Author, 2021)
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Figure 18: Space-analysis sketch, illustrating the space of Oukasie community park and hall (Author, 2021)
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2.4
Cultural Centres as a Bridge to Opportunities
The topic of this study, “bridging opportunities through the design of a cultural centre”, is inspired by the current issue that the community is facing, which is the need for a socio-cultural venue. Bridging opportunities implies creating a link with the existing skills and socio-cultural qualities of the community and other external stakeholders that can propel those existing skills and qualities to a higher level, where better opportunities can present themselves. As Lyn (2021) states, “bridges make connections not just in physical space, but also between ideas, concepts, and emotions. Their main task is to overcome barriers” (Lynn, 2020). A bridge becomes a powerful visual metaphor of connection between communities and culture. In Oukasie, the identified socio-cultural industries of dance, music and art are made up of role players that are stagnant in terms of growth in their respective creative fields. An article by Creative City South (CCS, 2018) states that … whether we are talking about open spaces such as parks, or community facilities such as halls, bringing people together in space is not enough, their exchange needs to be activated, and therefore special spaces for engaging with culture is necessary. The cultural centre becomes a special space, not necessarily for special cultures, but as a response to the cultural resource needs of the community. To address sustainability challenges, by thinking globally and acting locally. (CCS, 2018) According to the research design, the existing spaces in the community do not become competitors with the proposed cultural centre. Instead, the cultural centre becomes a space where local government is involved in terms of ongoing funding that allows the centre sufficient capability to attract further financing for production and education. Capacity building is encouraged to provide a range of “training and technical support to stakeholders at the local level to realize the policy” (CCS, 2018).
39 | P a g e Figure 19: Diagram of thesis bridge concept. (Author, 2021).
Figure 20: Diagram of issues identified at social spaces. (Author, 2021).
The sketch above is an abstract illustration of some of the issues identified at existing social spaces. Issues include: •
•
Noise pollution – where residents’ homes are in close range to the social events Obstruction to transport routes
Figure 21: Diagram of thesis objective with the proposed Oukasie cultural centre. (Author, 2021).
The sketch above is an abstract that illustrates a design objective of blurring the invisible thick line between the township and the neighbouring suburbs. The cultural centre should enable social cohesion, participation, and exposure of existing skills in the communities. It should facilitate partnership and workmanship to enforce and strengthen community relationships.
Figure 22: Diagram of thesis objective with the proposed Oukasie cultural centre. (Author, 2021).
The sketch above is an abstract that illustrates a solution/design objective of enabling easy access and visual connection to the cultural centre’s activities, users, and spaces.
The sketch above is an abstract that illustrates a design objective. Shopfront is used as a metaphor to signify the activities being easily exposed to users of the space and people outside the cultural centre.
40 | P a g e Figure 23: Diagram of thesis objective with the proposed Oukasie cultural centre. (Author, 2021).
3.Design Objectives 3.1 Urban Intervention 3.2 Materiality and Structure 3.3 Needs Identified in Context
Chapter three discusses how the research can involve the community, by illustrating and selecting visual elements that will link the cultural center with the community. This is to achieve a space that fits into context and becomes one with the community.
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3.1
Urban Intervention
The approach to the urban intervention adopted in this study is influenced by Nkoana’s (2019) approach to creating an economic hub by proposing infrastructure for the formalisation of the existing and emerging informal economic activities. With the cultural centre, the infrastructure formalises the existing creative economic activities, which are the socio-cultural dance and music activities. The intervention also supports the emerging of further creative skills that will move radially outwards from this core in spines towards the community. The creative hub also aims to enable the development and expression of creative skills and bring educational freedom to the community surrounding the proposed cultural centre
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3.2
Materiality and Structure
When designing a building in an informal settlement, neglecting, or ignoring facilities or building the structure without considering the community’s needs could lead the project to failure. In contrast, proposing a structure with materials that respond to the context, and integrating elements and materials that the locals use can result in a building that is one with the community. “Contextual architecture” refers to architecture that reflects the forms, details, and regional qualities of a building’s surrounding landscape. It means relying on that setting to create a building that fits into its environment, not building something that contrasts and feels out of place (Olsen, 2021). The project design took into account the above principle in its materiality and structure. Massing is one of the contextually responding elements that was considered. Massing considers the shape and size of the elements and how they relate to one another (Olsen, 2021). Figure 24 illustrates approximately how the massing of the cultural centre responds to the surrounding context to “create a composition that is visually interesting and not too geometric, one which flows into its surrounding environment” (Olsen, 2021).
Facebrick/Exposed brick pattern from RDP (Reconstruction and Development Programme) houses and corrugated sheeting from surrounding tin houses are the common visually identified materials around the site used by residents and local vendors for their structures. Using these materials allows the buildings to be acceptable to the community. They are low maintenance and affordable yet aesthetic. In addition, they keep the building and the community’s carbon footprint to a minimum.
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Figure 25: Contextual analysis of surrounding resident’s houses and materials. (Author, 2021).
3.2.1 Building system (materiality and structure) The building system responds to the site and context by using site resources, which are mainly mountain stones. The stones are also used by residents and the informal vendors on site. The following posters display the use of the mountain stones found on site, as well as how the stones become a reflection of site quality and give back to the cultural centre.
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Figure 26: Building system poster 1. (Author, 2021)
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Figure 27: Building system poster 2. (Author, 2021).
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Figure 28: Building system poster 3. (Author, 2021).
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Figure 29: Building system poster 4. (Author, 2021).
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Figure 30: Building system poster 5. (Author, 2021).
3.3
Needs Identified in Context
With the information obtained through observation and the researcher’s experiences in the community, the researcher agrees with Carson (2021) that creativity “brings people together and can nurture skills in teamwork and cooperation” (Carson, 2021). Nurturing the natural dance and music skills of members of the community, especially the youth, could promote the growth of the creative economy of the community. The concept “creative economy” refers to economic systems in which value is obtained from creative and imaginative qualities instead of traditional sources such as capital, land, or labour (Sikobi, 2019). From his observation of the community, the researcher established that the stagnation in the growth of the dominant creative skills in the community (mainly dance and music) was caused by a lack of facilities and accompanying supportive programmes. A symbiotic relationship could be generated between new third-party companies that could bring the following benefits. Inputs: • •
The local municipality could fund third parties in creating workshops with the aim of employing locals Third-party companies specialising in dance and music workshops could employ locals to assist in presenting these dance and music workshops
Outputs: • • •
Dance and music participants could receive training in their creative industry, to further develop their creative skill and learn ways of selling it to generate income The local municipality could encourage participation in the creative economy, where creative industries are positioned as an untapped growth engine (see Skobi, 2019) Third-party companies could use the content produced through dance and music workshops to generate revenue through social media and the creation of their business profiles
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3.3.1 The client-user relationship An analysis of the information gathered, and research conducted reveals that a symbiotic relationship could be created between small- and large-scale entities. This amalgamation would exist between dance and music participants, the municipality and a thirdparty company and could create sustainable economic empowerment opportunities, with the focus on influencing community participation in the creative economy. The relationship would be formulated to ensure the inputs and outputs listed in Section 3.3 above.
Dance For all An example of a third-party company that could provide creative dance skills for the community is Dance for All. Dance for All is a choreography company that provides dance classes to children from challenging and low socio-economic communities for their enjoyment, empowerment, and the promotion of self-esteem. In this way, it also identifies talent and trains dancers. (Phill, 2018). The company’s main objectives that relate to the objective of the current research are to reveal, nurture and create opportunities for the wealth of talent and ability that exists. The company also aims to grow audiences for dance in disadvantaged and rural communities through recreational programmes. The company is supported by the National Lotteries Commission and collaborates with government agencies in fighting youth unemployment through the promotion of skills development.
Conclusion The chapter discusses elements that will allow the community to accept the project as their own, by responding to the immediate context and importantly using and celebrating materials found on site. The materials identified are common throughout the community especially on the main road (Tsakane), where most street vendors and residents are using the material. The site of the proposed cultural center is situated at the entrance of the township, enabling the center to best represent a consistent visual identity of the community and merging it with new technology to educate the locals of the potential of the materials.
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4.PRECEDENT STUDY 4.1 Tambillo Cultural centre 4.2 Lycée Schrorge Secondary School
The chapter focuses on projects that informed the project’s design process in terms of form, materials, and program. The projects represent spaces that enable social cohesion, enable growth amongst the users and represents the community’s qualities.
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4.1
Tambillo Cultural Center
The Tambillo Cultural Centre is a centre dedicated to the artistic tradition of marimba music in the Afro-Ecuadorean town of Tambillo in Ecuador. The centre consists of a performance and meeting hall (1), two multi-use classrooms (4 and 3), rehearsal space (5), an artisanal instrument workshop (1) and ecologically friendly public bathrooms (2) (Lynhc, 2016). (See Figures 31 and 32.) 4.1.1
Massing
The massing is designed in a cluster layout to create interactive spaces between the buildings. Reducing the effect of a main entrance to the cultural centre enables the activities in the centre’s spaces to be experienced radially in all directions by the residents around the centre. The exterior edge of the centre that faces the street introduces a stepping sub-structure. This creates a space for sitting, selling, and resting. The main performance hall opens on three sides, which enables interaction and participation and reduces curiosity. The architectural interventions in the Tambillo Cultural Centre are useful models for the design decisions of the Oukasie cultural centre, as the aim of the Oukasie centre is to enable township creative skills and programmes to be practised in a space that activates creative activities. 4.1.2
Materials
The materials used in creating the Tambillo Cultural Centre allow the building to fit into the surrounding context. This enables residents to accept the centre psychologically. The use of locally sourced materials supports local hardware stores and local construction ventures. The maintenance of the centre continues to employ local skills, solving issues of unemployment and uplifting local skills.
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Instrument workshop
Public Bathrooms
Performance and Meeting Hall Interactive and Transitioning space
Multi-Use classroom
Multi-Use classroom
Rehearsal space
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Figure 31: Precedent study massing analysis. (Author, 2021).
Figure 32: Precedent study massing analysis. (Author, 2021).
Exit/Entrance Exit/Entrance
Exit/Entrance
Interactive and Transitioning space
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Figure 33: Precedent study, exterior space analysis (Author, 2021)
Stepping Substructure
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4.2
Lycée Schrorge Secondary School
The Lycée Schrorge Secondary School is a school located in Koudougou in Burkina Faso. It is designed by Architect Diébédo Francis Kéré. In designing this school, Diébédo Kéré has developed innovative construction strategies that combine traditional materials and building techniques with modern engineering methods (Michalarou, 2021). The use of locally sourced material becomes an inspiration to the community, by showcasing locally sourced building materials in an innovative and modern way. The locally sourced materials of laterite stone and wood sticks are used on the exterior fabric of the school to immediately display and celebrate these materials. This architectural design decision has been used as an inspiration for the design of the Oukasie cultural centre.
4.2.1
Form
The form of the massing creates a “village” like condition, an inspiration taken from the local residents’ house layouts around the school. The form creates a public courtyard, where the classrooms become protective barriers from wind and dust. The courtyard space is a gathering space, a transition space, and a central meeting point for users of the school.
4.2.2
Architectural approach
The architecture functions as a marker in the landscape and shows how local materials combined creatively and collaboratively can be transformed into something important and lasting (Michalarou, 2021). Kéré uses the concept of collaboration with the development of those innovative construction strategies, which is a design objective for the Oukasie cultural centre.
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Figure 34: Precedent study Massing Analysis. (Author, 2021).
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Classrooms
Locally sourced materials • •
Wooden reeds Laterite Stone
Open entrance to courtyard.
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Figure 35 Precedent study massing openings analysis. (Author, 2021).
Courtyard space • • •
Gathering space Meeting point Transitioning space
Raised platform emphasising formal pathway between classes and sitting areas on the edges of the platform.
Figure 36: Precedent study, courtyard space analysis. (Author, 2021).
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5.CONTEXT ANALYSIS AND APPRAISAL 5.1 Brits Town 5.2 Oukasie 5.3 Existing Spaces with Similar Programs 5.4 Immediate Urban Fabric 5.5 The Site and its Importance
This chapter illustrates the location of the site, showing its surrounding qualities and illustrates and discusses the conditions of the community. 61 | P a g e
5.1
Brits Town
“Di plaaseng” is a vernacular term currently used to name the town of Brits, situated within the Madibeng area in North-West Province, South Africa (see Figure 37). The name “Di plaaseng”, which is derived from the Afrikaans word “plaas”, which in English means farm, is given to the town as it is situated in a fertile citrus, vegetable, and grain-producing area. The Brits area consists of a lot of farms, which are irrigated by the waters of the Hartbeespoort Dam. The origin of Brits was a small town associated with a railway station that was built in 1906 a few kilometres away from the developing farming areas. Residents putting up small businesses on the southern side of the railway station and in 1918 a steam-driven roller mill was built west of the station to serve the farming community of the area. This caused the community to grow and led to the development of a small town near the roller mill. Today, Brits is about 30 minutes’ drive away from the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality in Gauteng, which includes Atteridgeville, linked by the R514 road. Other nearby cities are Sandton, to which it is linked by the R511, and Randburg, which it is linked to by the R512 road. The Rustenburg and Brits district contribute to South Africa’s mining industry, with more than 90% of South Africa’s platinum coming from this district. Oukasie was the first informal residential area to emerge near Brits, with Mothotlung, Lethabile and Oukasie residential townships that developed later.
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Figure 37: Map illustration by author, showing location of Brits in South Africa. (Author, 2021).
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Figure 38: Aerial image of entrance to Brits. (Junkmail, 2021)
5.2
Oukasie
Oukasie, as one of the few residential areas that developed during the growth of Brits, is an informal residential area. Oukasie was one of the first squatter camps dominated by the black population to spring up around Brits in the late 1960s to house servants and domestic workers. With the growth of industry and the increasing population of Brits, Oukasie continued to expand. In 1985 Oukasie residents experienced forced removal by the apartheid state owing to political decisions influenced by assumptions that crime in residential areas in Brits Town was caused by people living in the township of Oukasie. The relocation of the residents of Oukasie led to the new settlements of Lethabile, Damonsville and Mothotlung. Those who stayed behind refused to move because there were fewer work opportunities in other areas outside of Brits (Steve, 2013). The Oukasie squatter camp is adjacent to the town of Brits but still faces issues of community infrastructure development. It has several schools, one being a high school and the rest being middle and primary schools. While it has a recently built community park directly next to the community hall, the community still faces poor service delivery such as water contamination, non-maintenance of streetlights and solar lighting and poor economic development interventions to fight unemployment. The township consists of 48–58% young adults. From the researcher’s observations, some of these young people participate in individual growth programmes, such as dancing, singing and other creative art programmes in the community itself, while others hunt for jobs in Brits town and the surrounding communities (Statssa, 2020).
64 | P a g e Figure 39: Drone Image showing urban fabric near site (Author, 2021)
Figure 40: Drone Image showing urban fabric near site (Author, 2021)
Figure 41: Map illustration, showing location of Oukasie in Brits, NorthWest (Author, 2021)
65 | P a g e Figure 42: Drone image of Oukasie community park, during a heritage function in 2021 (Author, 2021)
5.2.1 Climatic Condition The proposed site in Oukasie is situated within the Brits region and is influenced by the climate conditions of this region.
Figure 44: Average rainfall & rainy days (Weather-forecast, 2020) Figure 43: Day and Night temperature (Weather-forecast, 2020)
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Figure 45: Average windspeed (Weather-forecast, 2020)
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Figure 46: Population chart (Statssa, 2020)
Figure 47: Sex and Age distribution (Statssa, 2020)
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5.3
Existing Spaces with Similar Programmes
The township of Oukasie consists of multiple social spaces that host socio-cultural programs/functions. Members who create sociocultural functions usually select social spaces to host their functions based on availability or when the owner of the space, such as a tarven, dance club, carwash and entertainment spaces does not have any other functions on the day that the member planned to do the socio-cultural function. Some of the criteria would be based on size of the venue in relation to the program the booking community member or social events stakeholders would like to create. 80% of the social spaces exist on Tsakane Road (Main Road) a road that links the two main entrance and exists of the township, used by all public transports, and consist of mostly business spaces and informal/formal vendors. This has led to spaces situated along Tsakane road to be good business spaces or developments that could attract residents of the community or potential business owners etc. Some of the advantages that the spaces hold are easily accessible, easily exposed to new residents and visitors, easy access to public transport and is usually at the fore front of urban or street maintenance which has a beneficial impact on the business and the business sites street facade. Table 2: Existing social venues capacity.
Name of venue
Commonly used space (%)
1. Sporos lounge
Estimate capacity of people on site 180
2. Mighty’s tavern
150
15%
3. Ladies carwash
150
25%
4. NFJ tavern
400
20%
5. Rio car wash
50
5%
6. Pax tavern
500
15%
15%
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7. Ko di container
500
5%
Table information gathered during Authors participation in dance music event organizing.
The Ladies’ car wash is one of the few venues that uses its public space to create a space that fits different social programmes in terms of the size of the function and the number of people the function needs to accommodate. This was initially caused by an increase in function participation, with more income, but with the main disadvantage of interfering with public space and flow. It also interferes with public transport, which is forced to use another route and has a negative impact on other neighbouring businesses. With the ability to be flexible, the Ladies car wash invites stakeholders of different social programmes to host their functions at the venue and choose the car wash over other venues. Spaces that are designed with the intention of accommodating different programmes and different numbers of people are used more than those that are designed for a fixed programme. This is evident with the Ladies car wash.
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Figure 48: Map illustrating locations of venues with similar programmes in Oukasie (Author, 2021)
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5.4
Immediate Urban Fabric
The term “urban” relates to settlements and cities of high population and infrastructure density. Fabric is the physical form of those areas. Immediate urban fabric in the context of this research is the physical form of the surrounding areas around the site within a selected 2.5 km radius from the site. This is the distance from the site to the furthest end of the township of Oukasie. In the research, physical characteristics, and textures such as of streetscapes, buildings (formal and informal), soft and hard landscaping, lighting, roads, and other infrastructure are considered and have a positive influence on the massing and design of the proposed Oukasie cultural centre. The site is currently occupied by informal vendors, with structures made from gumpoles and PVC nylon shade with an approximate height of 2.1 m. There are three active vendors along the street edge of the site with the same structures facing the existing paved pedestrian walkway. The mountain stones in the area are also used by the vendors to balance their structures, creating an example of how the site gives to the occupants and how the occupants can give back to the site by keeping it clean. 72 | P a g e Figure 49: Sketch illustrating a vendor on the street edge of the site, emphasising the materials used to build vending structures (metal sheets, gumpoles and PVC nylon) (Author, 2021)
East of the site, across Tsakane Road, is an informal residential setting, with unplanned streets and layouts. There are two types of houses in the residential setting: tin houses and brick-and-mortar houses, with gravel throughout this informal setting. The shape of the surrounding houses influenced the proposed cultural centre into incorporating similar shapes, such as the single pitched metal roof. The design response does not necessarily embrace the current housing conditions, but the centre becomes a symbol that incorporates contextual characteristics.
`
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Figure 50: Drone image of South view of site, showing urban fabric and context (Author, 2021)
South of the site, across Magaliesberg Road, is the community of Elandsrand, which is a formal suburban area that consists of homes built out of brick and mortar and has a tar road throughout the neighborhood. Some of the homes are built using mountain stones as the area on site and near the site contains a lot of mountain stones. Some see an opportunity to use the durable material in parts of their homes. This shows how surrounding residents embrace and reflect the good elements of the community’s land.
74 | P a g e Figure 51: Image showing a residential house near site with a substructure built with locally sourced mountain stones, also found on site (Author, 2021)
5.5
The Site and Its Importance
One of the objectives of the Oukasie cultural centre is to act as a gateway into the community, becoming a symbol that represents the joyful socio-cultural qualities of Oukasie. The site sits at the centre of three neighbourhoods: Oukasie, Elandsrand and Brits, becoming a collaborative for the residents of those neighbourhoods. This will blur the thick invisible line that exists between the communities, reducing negative myths and allowing for participation in socio-cultural functions hosted in the centre as it becomes a public space not just for Oukasie but also for the surrounding communities.
Figure 52: Map illustrating site and neighbouring community (Author, 2021)
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Figure 53: Drone image of Site and context (Author, 2021)
Figure 54: Drone image of site, showing urban fabric and context (Author, 2021)
.
Informal vendors on site
Entrance to Oukasie
Site
Magaliesberg Road
Informal settlement
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Tsakane Road
Figure 55: Image of east view (2) of site, showing urban fabric and context (Author, 2021)
The surrounding residential homes are singlestorey structures, requiring sensitivity when designing the height of the cultural centre, to continue the light that each yard receives and allowing for a structure that is designed to a comfortable human scale and for placemaking results.
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EAST VIEW (2)
Figure 56: Image of south street view of the site, showing urban fabric and context (Author, 2021)
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SOUTH VIEW (3)
Figure 57: Image of north street view of site, showing urban fabric and context. (Author, 2021)
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NORTH VIEW (2)
5.7 Site investigation The site investigation indicates the different types of activities and usage of spaces around the site. Most importantly, it indicates the different functions between the neighbouring communities, particularly of Elandsrand and Oukasie as direct neighbours.
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Figure 58: Map illustrating site and neighboring community. (Author, 2021).
6.CONCEPT AND DESIGN PRINCIPLES 6.1 Design concept 6.2 Materiality 6.3 Climate 6.4 Site restrictions and opportunities
The chapter discusses the concept of the design objectives, influenced by the site’s context and qualities to compile more layers of information to best allow the centre to fit into its urban fabric. 81 | P a g e
6.1
Design Concept
The figure above illustrates the social issue in which space/architecture plays a role. Three roleplayers in a social programme such as a dance-and-music social event are identified: 1- Vendor, 2- Social-event Stakeholder and 3Audience/Community.
The figure above illustrates the design approach and concept, which is collaboration, bringing participants together. Architecturally, this involves creating a space where people can collaborate and work together.
The arrows and lines illustrate opportunities that are not realised. These are opportunities to create a community socio-cultural identity, opportunities to attract tourists, opportunities to encourage skills’ growth and development, and opportunities for recognition
Figure 59: design concept illustration diagram (Author, 2021)
The figure above is an illustration of the possible results of the proposed cultural centre. The figure becomes a massing concept where participants can work together, create, and grow in a space that also becomes a platform and stage on which to perform and display the results.
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6.2
Materiality
The materials extracted from the site become part of the structure’s building system. The aim is to respond to the surrounding context of the building by reflecting the importance of the traditional construction methods that the current vendors on site are using to build their structures. The components will be used in the main street façade and given the same importance as the existing vendors’ materials and components. This will reflect a response to context and allow for an easier engagement with the locals. The up-skilling of the labour force and the creation of a collective pride and ownership will be encouraged by reintroducing ancient Bantu stone-masonry construction skills, which were lost with colonial suppression (Lebethe, 2020). Easily available materials will be used to produce building components by local labourers. The following sections describe the main materials, mountain stone and recycled PVC nylon fabric and gumpoles, that will be incorporated into the cultural centre’s structures 6.2.1 Mountain Stones
Metamorphic stones are found on site and local sites around the township of Oukasie.
Skilled local labour is used to select the correct size and shape of the stones and a stone is chipped off where necessary.
Figure 60: Design concept illustration diagram (Author, 2021)
Skilled local labor is used to correctly construct the building component
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6.2.2 PVC nylon and gumpoles These two-materials form part of the vendors’ structures; re-using the materials and incorporating them into the cultural centre embrace the value of the materials. The materials do not act as structural components but rather as aesthetic features that are designed to embrace the materials used. The PVC nylon fabric and gumpoles used by vendors will be merged with new PVC nylon fabric and new gumpoles to show endless possibilities by merging traditional material and construction skills with modern technical knowledge and materials.
PVC nylon fabric
Gumpoles
Figure 61: Vendor structure analysis and inspiration (Author, 2021)
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6.3
Site Restrictions and Opportunities
The site, which is 0.3 ha in size, does not have primary access points. The site has a visible diagonal slope from the southernmost to the northernmost corner. Currently, the site contains a large number of mountain stones and has several existing trees, of which some will be preserved for use in the design of natural evaporative cooling systems for the site. Some of the trees are planned to act as sound absorbers for the cultural centre’s dance-and-music functions that will be held outside. The design accommodates pedestrian paths, and visual connections. The proposal facilitates social functions and social cohesion.
Figure 62: Aerial image of site (Author, 2021)
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07.Design Development 7.1 Client, Job creation and Design focus 7.2 Environmental systems 7.3 The Collaborative Experience 7.4 Zoning 7.5 Rationale 7.6 Contextual response 7.7 Client and accommodation
The chapter experiments with architectural design as a response to the social issues stated in chapter 1. The design is explored to create a resolved design that becomes a solution to address the socio-cultural issues of the community and become a cultural symbol that represents the community’s socio-cultural qualities and its participants. 86 | P a g e
7.1
Client
7.1.1 Proposed client The aim of the design is to promote South African Township dance and music socio-cultures and strengthen the township creative industry and its economy. It is proposed that the socio-cultural members of the community, mainly those experienced in dance, music and retail will occupy the cultural centres offices, and the facilities of dance and music occupied by mainly those participating in creative socio-cultural industries of dance, music, and retail. 7.1.2 Job Creation The design’s primary focus is to create a platform and space that the township needs for its creative socio-cultural participants of dance, music, and retail. The platform is a formal space for the individuals to practice, create, collaborate, and sell their craft to the community and neighbouring communities. It is an official space for functions of dance and music, attracting communities to participate and thus leading to profits being made by function/event creators, dance music artists and retailers. 7.1.3 Design focus The building will host functions such as dance music functions, markets, and other community festivals.
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7.2
Environmental systems
7.2.1 Site excavation for localised earth construction The many mountain stones on the site will be used to build the sub-structure of the buildings. This means that the materials are sourced sustainably and can be returned to the site when the building has reached the end of its life. Using the site’s resources and materials embraces and gives back to the site, but also has a positive educational impact on the locals by providing them with the opportunity to witness, learn from and
adopt construction technologies that they can use offsite as employment opportunities and to apply in their homes. 7.2.2 Maximum north light exposure North light will enable passive light and heat to penetrate deep into the enclosed dance and music spaces providing natural illumination and heating in winter. This will enable continues usage of facilities throughout all seasons. The spaces are designed to reduce corridors to enable more natural illumination and ventilation.
88 | P a g e Figure 63: Friendly Environmental impact concept (Author, 2021)
Figure 64: Maximum Light exposure concept (Author, 2021)
7.2.3 Evaporative cooling The trees on site not only will they absorb sound from exterior courtyard music functions they will assist in reducing heat by creating an evaporative cooling system. This will ensure coolness in summer and passive heat accumulation in the building elements in winter. (Lebethe, 2020).
7.2.4 Gravitational water management systems A natural system where water flows from the highest point of the site to the lowest point. This system is used to reduce human energy for gardening and cleaning of exterior floor surfaces and to save water cost. The system contributes positively to the site’s ecosystem by capturing water and storing it on site through various mechanisms.
Figure 65: (Author, 2021)
Figure 66: Roofs capturing rainwater to be stored in water storage tanks (Author, 2021)
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7.2.5 Solar energy with kinetic energy
7.2.6 Water harvesting
Energy will be generated via solar panels mounted on roofs that are facing north with their slopes, ensuring continuous availability of energy for the centre’s facilities. Using solar energy is also expected to avoid the township issues of electricity cut offs caused by the township being neglected and the electrical facilities and services not being continuously maintained.
Harvested water can be used by the carwash bays for washing vehicles especially during community crises of electricity or water outage and cuts due to maintenance and other common issues.
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Figure 67: Solar Panel location illustration (Author, 2021)
Figure 68: Roof capturing rainwater (Author, 2021)
7.3
The collaborative experience
The collaborative concept is influenced by the existing workmanship in the community of Oukasie along with their environment where they practice, create, and execute their creative crafts. The objective is to place both elements at the core of the design development of the cultural center with the aim of engraining positive memories, encourage participation and collaboration on site and stimulate off-site community conversation regarding on-site activities. -
Dance and music o The project focuses on dance and music as the communities’ common socio-cultural activities, creating spaces that consider the two elements as one by providing spaces for artist of dance and music to practice, create and execute their work Infront and next to each other. o The spaces merge the arts to encourage collaboration as dancers usually create body movements according to musical notes and beats and musicians being the creators of the music notes and beats. o Encouraging collaboration between end-users of the space especially from the community, allows the users to create original work from the community that will create a unique community culture that could lead to curiosity and participation from neighbouring communities and further.
The spaces designed are re-imagined from the existing social spaces that dancers and musicians participate in. Through observation the continued order of those social spaces layouts to achieve collaboration but being affected by an informal undeveloped environment that reduces participation from neighbouring communities.
7.4
Zoning
The cultural center is divided into five zones, namely: zone one: The core, which is the center of the site, the center of all activities and the center between all buildings. This is the zone that encompasses the concept of collaboration, being the collaborate core that encourages teamwork, 91 | P a g e
encourages participation, encourages viewing and experience, and becomes a flexible space designed with community activities in mind. Zone two: Dance Building, the most visually recognizable building due to its height and kinetic façade skin that uses locally sourced material from current on-site vendors to celebrate their traditional material and using the flexible material to represent the elements of dance one of them being flexibility. Zone three: Retail building, the building offers informal vendors a formal space to sell their products to encourage continuation in their business and continuous production of their craft. Allowing the retail building to function continuously even when dance and music activities are not in progress. Zone four: music building, the building consists of facilities that allow for bettering skills of existing musicians of the community Zone five: the car wash bay forms part of the retail building in terms of creating a space for employment. The space is a symbol of common township business cultures.
Pocket Park
Zone One
Zone Four
Figure 69: Massing concept illustration (Author, 2021)
Zone Two
Zone Three
Zone Five
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7.5
Rationale
The design will create a platform on which dancers, music and vendors can interact with each other and the public. As a result, the dancers, musicians, and vendors will become more skilfully developed and confident with their craft and performances. The community socio-cultures will become more recognised by its members and neighbouring communities.
The figure is an illustration of a dance and music festival being held at the cultural center. The illustration shows the dance facility as a backstage and the façade facing the courtyard space becomes a stage where the steel shade structure reduces costs of hiring a stage (columns and beams) to hang sound and light equipment. All buildings facing the courtyard space consists of a steel shade structure that can be used as a stage like system. The courtyard space houses the audience and viewers. The edges of the courtyard center can be used as sitting for the audience. The courtyard will be paved using site sourced mountain stones as a durable material but as a form of sustainable usage of material.
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Figure 70: Abstract illustration of research objective (Author, 2021)
7.6
Design Principles
7.6.1 Contextual response and influence The massing of the cultural center response to the sites curved edge, allowing the massing to merge with the site. The massing reflects a common layout of local informal settlers, where some of the residents’ layouts illustrate a center where tenants come together, and their structures face one another to enhance security on their premises.
7.6.2 Encourage participation The massing is opened to create pockets that allow for easy access, visual connection, encouraged usage of inner spaces and participation from the community.
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Figure 71: Site response illustration (Author, 2021)
Figure 72: Collaborative core experience concept illustration (Author, 2021)
7.6.3 Pedestrian inclusion The existing pedestrian pathway feeds pedestrians to the vendors on the edge of the site. The approach remains the same as the building facing the existing pedestrian path faces the path with the same importance as the existing vendors on the site. The pockets in the massing maintain the visual connection from the entrance of the township throughout the journey entering the township. Creating an un-interrupted flow and connection one has when entering the township and viewing the activities etc.
7.6.4 North facing The main zones/buildings face North. Dance and music activities form part of the cultural centers main programs. allowing the buildings to face north, allowing for continuous usage of spaces, leading to activated public spaces.
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Figure 73: Pedestrian inclusion concept illustration (Author, 2021)
Figure 74: Landscape objective illustration (Author, 2021)
7.6.5 Collaborative core The massing creates a center space which becomes the collaborative core, consisting of multi ad flexible activities and function. The center space becomes the performance core where musicians and dancers can practice, create, and perform their arts. The vendoring building faces the center to allow for a diverse distribution and selling of products to users of the center space and of the exterior spaces facing the public street edge.
Dance Building/facility
The performance core becomes easily accessible by the public, visually presents activities, and can be used by the community for community functions such as weddings and funerals. Continuing the concept of collaboration between community and culture.
Retail (Vendor) Building
It’s an intimate space that does not discourage the public from exploring the spaces between the buildings.
Music Building/facility
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Figure 76: Performance core visual connections illustration (Author, 2021)
The figure is an illustration of a dance and music festival being held at the cultural center. The illustration shows the dance facility as a backstage and the façade facing the courtyard space becomes a stage where the steel shade structure reduces costs of hiring a stage (columns and beams) to hang sound and light equipment. All buildings facing the courtyard space consists of a steel shade structure that can be used as a stage like system. The courtyard space houses the audience and viewers. The edges of the courtyard center can be used as sitting for the audience. The courtyard will be paved using site sourced mountain stones as a durable material but as a form of sustainable usage of material.
Steel shade functions
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Figure 77: Illustration showing functions of steel shade during a social event. (Author, 2021)
Figure 78: illustration showing visibility of performance core to exterior spaces (Author, 2021)
7.6.6 Integration of building landscape design The landscape plays a huge role as an acoustic/sound absorber reducing negative contextual impacts. The existing trees and rocks will be places in a manner that reduces the acoustic/sound from the performance core.
98 | P a g e Figure 79: Landscape as sound absorber illustration (Author, 2021)
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Figure 80: Sketch of Site Plan SCALE 1:200 @ A1. (Author, 2021)
1. Male Ablutions 2. Female Ablutions 3. Facility Office 4. Lobby 5. Dance Studio 6. Dance Studio 7. Reception 8. Performance Platform 9. Public Sitting Area 10. Food Vendor 11. Vendor 12. Public Kitchen 13. Carwash Bays (x3) 14. Security Reception 15. Facility Office 16. Recording Studio 17. Recording Booth 18. Performance Platform 19. Wiring Equipment Storage 20. Equipment Storage 21. Pocket Park
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Figure 81: Sketch of Ground Floor Plan SCALE 1:100 @ A1. (Author, 2021)
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
A
Kitchen + Eating area Male Ablutions Female Ablutions Balcony Open Studio Facility Office
B
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Figure 82: Sketch of First Floor Plan SCALE 1:100 @ A1 (Author, 2021)
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Figure 83: Elevations and Detail illustration SCALE 1:100 @ A1 (Author, 2021)
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Figure 84: Section A-A in Dance Building, 1:50 @ A1 (Author, 2021)
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Figure 85: Section B-B in Dance Building, 1:50 @ A1 (Author, 2021)
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Figure 86: Perimeter Detail in Dance Building, 1:100s @ A1 (Author, 2021)
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Figure 87: 3D of Dance building front façade facing performance core, 1:100s @ A1 (Author, 2021)
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Figure 88: Tsakane Road facing 3D (Author, 2021)
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Figure 89: Aerial perspective/3D View (Author, 2021)
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Figure 90: Aerial perspective/3D View (Author, 2021)
8.CONTRACT DOCUMENTATION AND SPECS 8.1 Specification posters 8.2 Contract Documentation
The Dance building/facility is selected, and documented t show the technical resolution of the design with the selected materials. The materials were selected to respond to the context, to educate the community and to celebrate the sites resources and have a positive impact on the earth.
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Specification Posters
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CONTRACT DOCUMENTATION
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Figure 91: Contract Documentation @A1 (Author, 2021)
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Figure 92: Contract Documentation @A1. (Author, 2021)
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Figure 93: Contract Documentation @A1. (Author, 2021)
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Figure 94: Contract Documentation @A1. (Author, 2021)
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Figure 95: Contract Documentation @A1. (Author, 2021)
9.CONCLUSION, REFERENCES AND LIST OF FIGURES 9.1 Conclusion 9.2 REFERENCES 9.3 LIST OF FIGURES
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9.1 Conclusion The architectural thesis is the design a community cultural center in the township of Oukasie. The facility is an actual need as there are no facilities that cater for socio-cultural activities. The cultural center becomes a hub and a space for sociocultural growth to create a solid cultural identity for Oukasie. The center metaphorically becomes a shopfront of the existing socio-cultural activities, skills, and creativity of the community, exposing and displaying those qualities to the community, neighbouring communities, and visitors. The cultural center consists of dance, music, and retail facilities to assist stakeholders and participants to further explore their skills, grow with others and the center becomes a space to show and perform those skills. The research is an important component as it investigates the qualities of the existing the workmanship in those cultural spaces father investigating the qualities of the concept of ‘collaboration’ and emphasising the need for a hub to allow those qualities to take place and the participants to benefit and grow. Architecturally the research embraces the existing socio-cultural spaces/venues in the community of oukasie, further including the elements that allow for collaboration to occur in those spaces, and thus becoming an inspiration to the design decisions of the cultural center.
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9.2 Reference Benjamin, F. 2017, The Science Behind the Growing Importance of Collaboration [Online] Available from: https://insight.kellogg.northwestern.edu/article/the-science-behind-the-growing-importabce-of-collaboration [Accessed: 02 October 2021]
Bhasin, H. 2020. Observation Methods – Definition, Types, Examples, Advantages. [online] Available from: https://www.marketing91.com/observation-method/ [Accessed: 02 October 2021]
Chawlwa, N., 2021. How to do effective audience planning at events? [online] Everything Experiential. Available at: <http://everythingexperiential.businessworld.in/article/How-to-do-effective-audience-planning-at-events-/15-01-2020182096/#:~:text=The%20reason%20why%20audience%20targeting,t%20have%20the%20desired%20impact.> [Accessed 14 July 2021].
Charles, S. 2017. Sense of place: architectural design for the multisensory mind. [Online] Available from: https://cognitivesearchjournal.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s41235-020-00243-4 [Accessed: 05 October 2021]
Du Bois, W.E.B. 2018. Society and culture [Online] Available from: https://www.sparknotes.com/sociology/society-andculture/section6/ [Accessed: 01 October 2021]
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Bhasin, H. 2020. Observation methods. [Online] Available from: https://www.marketing91.com/observation-method/ [Accessed: 02 October 2021]
Jones, B. 2017. The science behind the growing importance of collaboration. [Online] Available from: https:///insight.kellog.northwestern.edu/article/the-science-behind-the-growing-importace-of-collaboration [Accessed: 02 October 2021] Lynn, A. (2020). Building Connections: Bridge as form and idea. [Blog] Tufts University Art galleries, Available at: https://artgalleries.tufts.edu/blog/news/2020/02/03/building-connections-bridge-as-form-and-idea/ [Accessed: 20 November 2021]. Lebethe, KT. 2020,’ The design of an Agri-tecture preschool in Kgabalatsane View, North West Province, RSA’, Architectural Master’s thesis, Tshwane University of Technology, pp. http://tutvital.tut.ac.za Unknown photographer. (2018) Vacant Land North West. Available at: https://www.junkmail.co.za/property/vacantland/north-west/brits/vacant-land [Accessed: 08 October 2021] Unknown photographer. (2019) Property for sale. Available at: https://www.remax.co.za/property/for-sale/southafrica/north-west/brits [Accessed: 09 October 2021] Planview. 2013. What does collaboration mean. [Online] Available from: https://blog.planview.com/waht-doescollaboration-reallymean/ [Accessed: 28 June 2021]
Phooko, M. 2020, ‘The design of a Micro-Scale Enterprise Market in Jane Furse Town, Limpopo Province, South-Africa’, Architectural Master’s thesis, Tshwane University of Technology, pp. 26. http://tutvital.tut.ac.za 127 | P a g e
Rabali, H. 2005. The role of multi-purpose community centre (MPCC) service and information providers towards improving quality of community life – a case of sebokeng. Unplished B.A. Hons thesis. Mafikeng. North-West university (Vaal)
SA Department of Arts and Culture. 2017. White paper on arts, culture, and heritage (3rd draft). [online] Available from: https//www.dac.gov.za/sites/default/files/Revised%203rd%20Draft%20RWP%20ON%20february%202017_0.pdf Sageglass.2016. Seven principles of biophilic design. [Online] Available from: https://www.sageglass.com/en/article/seven-principles-biophilic-design/
Suvanajata, R.2001. Relations in Architectural space. Unpublished PhD. London. The Bartlett, University College London.
Singh, S. (2021). Relevance of community development and architecture in under-developed regions. [online] RTF | Rethinking the Future. Available at: https://www.re-thinkingthefuture.com/designing-for-typologies/a3710-relevance-ofcommunity-development-and-architecture-in-under-developed-regions/ [Accessed 19 Jul. 2021].
9.3 List of Figures 1. Abstract design impression of the proposed Community Cultural Centre in Oukasie (Author, 2021) 2. Heritage function taking place on Tsakane Road (Main Road) on 16 June 2021. (Author, 2021
3. Image of Amapiano dancer (2020) dancing in the middle of Tsakani Road, with people watching from the roadside while a car drives by (Author, 2020) 4. A Performing stage being set-up on Tsakane Road (Main Road of Oukasie) in December the 5th, 2018. (Author, 2020) 128 | P a g e
5. Parti-diagram illustration of how the Ladies car wash venue is used during a social function, achieving interlocking spaces to allow for a collaborative function amongst participants (Author, 2020) 6. Map of the three neighbouring communities, with the site’s location close to the centre between all three communities (Author, 2020) 7. Exterior space analysis of HomeComing Events’ office located In Pretoria central on Helen Joseph (Author, 2021) 8. Map of existing socio-cultural venue/spaces in Oukasie. (Author, 2020) 9. Ladies’ car wash on Tsakane Road. (Author, 2020) 10. Space-analysis poster of Ladies car wash on Tsakane Road with two vehicles in the car-wash bay and with vehicle owners waiting beside the bays (shelter) (Author, 2020) Space analysis poster of Ladies car during a social event (shelter) (Author, 2020) 11. Space-analysis poster of Ladies car during a social event (shelter) (Author, 2020) 12. Space-analysis poster of Ladies car during a social event (shelter) (Author, 2020) 13. Space-analysis poster of Ladies car during a social event (shelter) (Author, 2020)
14. Space analysis of Mighty’s tavern during a social event (Author, 2020) 15. Sectional Analysis of Oukasie Community Hall, not designed to human scale (Author, 2020) 16. Drone image of Oukasie Community Hall, depicting small exterior space for outdoor functions, and a recently built clinic in the community hall’s yard. (Author, 2020 17. Drone image of Oukasie community park, during a social event on Heritage Day. (Author, 2021) 18. Space analysis sketch, illustrating the space of Oukasie Community Park and Hall. (Author, 2021) 19. Diagram of thesis Bridge concept. (Author, 2021) 20. Diagram of issues identified at social spaces. (Author, 2021) 21. Diagram of thesis objective with the proposed Oukasie cultural centre. (Author, 2021) 22. Diagram of thesis objective with the proposed Oukasie cultural centre. (Author, 2021) 23. Diagram of thesis objective with the proposed Oukasie cultural centre. (Author, 2021) 24. Sketch of Radial Creative influence. (Author, 2021) 25. Contextual analysis of surrounding resident’s houses. (Author, 2021) 26. Building system poster 1. (Author, 2021) 27. Building system poster 2. (Author, 2021) 129 | P a g e
28. Building system poster 3. (Author, 2021) 29. Building system poster 4. (Author, 2021) 30. Building system poster 5. (Author, 2021) 31. Precedent study massing analysis. (Author, 2021) 32. Precedent study massing analysis. (Author, 2021) 33. Precedent study Exterior space analysis. (Author, 2021) 34. Precedent study Massing Analysis. (Author, 2021) 35. Precedent study Massing openings analysis. (Author, 2021) 36. Precedent study, courtyard space analysis. (Author, 2021) 37. Map illustration showing location of Brits in South Africa. (Author, 2021) 38. Aerial Image of entrance to Brits. (Junkmail, 2021) 39. Drone Image showing urban fabric near site. (Author, 2021) 40. Drone Image showing urban fabric near site. (Author, 2021) 41. Map illustration showing location of Oukasie in Brits, North-West 42. Drone image of Oukasie community park, during a heritage function in 2021. (Author, 2021) 43. Day and Night temperature. (Weather-forecast, 2020)
44. Average rainfall & rainy days. (Weather-forecast, 2020) 45. Average wind speed. (Weather-forecast, 2020) 46. Population chart. (Statssa, 2020) 47. Sex and Age distribution. (Statssa, 2020) 48. Map illustrating locations of venues with similar programs in Oukasie. (Author, 2021) 49. Sketch illustrating a vendor on the street edge of the site, emphasising the materials used to build the vending structure (metal sheets, gumpoles and PVC nylon). (Author, 2021) 50. Drone image of South view of site, showing urban fabric and context. (Author, 2021) 51. Image showing a residential house near site with a substructure built with locally sourced mountain stones, also found on site. (Author, 2021) 52. Map illustrating site and neighbouring community. (Author, 2021) 53. Drone image of site and context (Author, 2021) 54. Drone image of site, showing urban fabric and context. (Author, 2021) 55. Image of East view (2) of site, showing urban fabric and context. (Author, 2021) 56. Image of South Street view of site, showing urban fabric and context. (Author, 2021) 130 | P a g e
57. Image of north street view of site, showing urban fabric and context. (Author, 2021) 58. Map illustrating site and neighbouring community. (Author, 2021) 59. Design concept illustration diagram (Author, 2021) 60. Design concept illustration diagram (Author, 2021) 61. Vendor structure analysis and inspiration (Author, 2021) 62. Aerial image of site. (Author, 2020) 63. Environmentally friendly concept (Author, 22021) 64. Maximum Light exposure concept (Author, 2020) 65. Sketch illustration Evaporative cooling. (Author, 2021) 66. Sketch illustrating Gravitational water management system. (Author, 2021) 67. Sketch illustrating solar energy and panels. (Author, 2021) 68. Sketch illustrating water harvesting. (Author, 2021) 69. Sketch illustrating Zones. (Author, 2021) 70. Abstract sketch of sketch. (Author, 2021) 71. Sketch illustrating massing approach. (Author, 2021) 72. Sketch illustrating massing configuration for permeability. (Author, 2021) 73. Sketch illustrating Pedestrian inclusion. (Author, 2021)
74. Sketch illustrating north facing massing and accessibility to pocket park. (Author, 2021) 75. Sketch illustrating collaborative core concept. (Author, 2021) 76. illustration showing functions of steel shade during a social event. (Author, 2021) 77. Illustration showing visibility of performance core to exterior spaces (Author, 2021) 78. Illustration showing landscape as noise/sound absorbers. (Author, 2021) 79. Resolved Site plan. (Author, 2021) 80. Resolved Ground Floor Plan. (Author, 2021) 81. Resolved First Floor Plan. (Author, 2021) 82. Elevations. (Author, 2021) 83. Section A-A. (Author, 2021) 84. Section B-B. (Author, 2021) 85. Perimeter Detail. (Author, 2021) 86. 3D’s of dance building front façade facing performance core, 1:100 @ A1. (Author, 2021) 87. 3D perspective. (Author, 2021) 88. Aerial perspective 3D view. (Author, 2021) 89. Aerial perspective 3D view. (Author, 2021) 90. Contract Documentation @A1. (Author, 2021) 91. Contract Documentation @A1. (Author, 2021) 92. Contract Documentation @A1. (Author, 2021) 93. Contract Documentation @A1. (Author, 2021) 131 | P a g e
94. Contract Documentation @A1. (Author, 2021)
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