Introduction

“Transformation is the opportunity of doing more and better with what is already existing. The demolishing is a decision of easiness and short term. It is a waste of many things-a waste of energy, a waste of material, and a waste of history. Moreover, it has a very negative social impact, For us, it is an act of violence.” (Lacaton,2021)

“Good architecture is open-open to life, open to enhance the freedom of anyone, where anyone can do what they need to do. It should not be demonstrative or imposing, but it must be something familiar, useful and beautiful, with the ability to quietly support the life that will take place within it.” (Lacaton,2021)

The second chapter describes how a site was selected for the study, outlining the criteria used for the selection. It then presents an overview of the selected site’s current status. The historical strata of the site are examined in order to determine the planned architectural intervention. Owing to ongoing site development and COVID-19 delimitations, the author was unable to conduct a site visit and the

C H A P T E R

T W O SITE CONTEXT

study-collection methodologies involved collecting secondary information about the site. The chapter then provides an urban analysis, with the author’s urban vision for the site aspiring to realise the site’s potential as a catalyst for the growth and sustainability of the urban fabric. The chapter ends with an analysis of the site, which presents the strengths, weaknesses and opportunities for the site, an analysis of the existing ruins on the site and the materials on site.

2.1 LOCATION 2.2 SITE SELECTION

2.2.1 Site criteria 2.2.2 Delimitations 2.3.2 Site and Context 2.3.3 Context Analysis 2.4.1 Pretoria development

2.3 URBAN ANALYSIS

2.3.1 Urban vision

2.4 SITE HISTORY

2.5 SITE ANALYSIS

2.5.1General site analysis 2.5.2 Analysis of Existing Structures 2.5.3 Materials on Site

2.6 SITE POSSIBILITIES