SITE CONDITIONS AND ELEMENTS

2.4 SITE CONDITIONS AND ELEMENTS

The site features a few key components and features that separate it from most of Atteridgeville while still containing elements that hint at a past dominated by the NE51 housing scheme. The site protrudes from the main suburban block and is situated across from a park split by Nyusela street. Most of Atteridgeville is laid out on a grid system where most of the suburbs are placed in a rectangular fashion, thus having this nook of a site makes it unique in the way that it protrudes from the street edge. The Ebenezer church is a typical NE51 house with a small extension on the North-Eastern side. To an ordinary pedestrian, this might look like another home and not a place of spiritual worship. Other elements on site are the demolition of the housing scheme mentioned above that took place on-site during the late 1990s. Scattered zinc sheets, piles of concrete cinder blocks and the remnants of concrete slab rubble in corners of the site. Minor, more intangible elements of the site are the anchors of what once was a perimeter fence, now demolished with only the dust that gathers around these anchors left behind. The site also falls from East to st slightly but not enough to warrant excavations or earthworks to be performed to create a suitable space for the project.

Figure 9a: The Site - Location - Uses Figure 9b: The Site - Remaining Elements

The site is situated on the corner of Sehloho street and Nyusela street. The photograph depicts the remnants of the failed housing scheme that was initially populating the area and the Ebenezer church. The site, as shown above, has ample greenery growing on and close to the site. The concrete slabs that serviced the on-site zinc housing as ll as some remaining units.

Figure 9c: The Site - The Church

The image above shows the materiality and condition of the existing Ebenezer church that was reformed in the old NE51 housing scheme. Figure 9d: The Existing

The existing elements on site are the remnants of the housing scheme and their concrete platforms. It opens up the opportunity to reuse these elements in the new architecture and keep the heritage of the site and keep in context with its surroundings. Figure 9e: The Residential

The site photography shows us a need for safety on an individual level, with the previous perimeter fence demolished and security applied to the units themselves. It also shows the readily available materials on site to be used in the new architecture. 30

In certain parts of Atteridgeville, it is evident that the NE51 housing scheme has not fully dissolved into the urban context as in some of the more densely populated areas of Atteridgeville. In a typical street of Atteridgeville, residents try to mimic sound design principles and aesthetic ideas into their homes. It is also visible how the houses have adapted from the NE51 scheme into what see today. Atteridgeville, hover, has its more and less affluent areas that spread over the suburban landscape. More affluent areas lend themselves to being a neater and greener version of those housing typologies and geographies in less affluent areas.

Figure 10d: Larger Atteridgeville - Access and Roads

Atteridgeville is a suburb laid out almost as if it was turning its back on the city and the other adjacent suburbs. Primary access is located alongside WF Nkomo street or the R501 and access to the highway via Transoranje/Quagga street. Figure 10e: Larger Atteridgeville - Public Transport

Atteridgeville has various public transport opportunities in the immediate vicinity. The two major nodes are the Atteridgeville and Saulsville train stations. These are located alongside the major roads and highways in the area. Figure 10f: Larger Atteridgeville - Public Areas

Atteridgeville, as a suburb, seems to be struggling from an outsiders perspective. Hover, the area boasts a major central hub with legislative and public services and public spaces that increase the quality of life, such as the community centre and the stadium located in central Atteridgeville.