architecture student magazine 2016
Katie Klemp Carmen van Staden Xander Cilliers Linka Bitzer Marc Makeka
From the Editor
Marc Makeka
The UFS Department of Architecture has for many years cultivated some of the most creative and hardworking students in the Free State and country at large. It is with publications like the A Magazine that these deserving individuals get their moment in the spotlight where their best work is showcased and celebrated. The 2016 A Magazine has our department’s most exceptional work from the first year students through to fifth years. It also encompasses other thought-provoking articles from professional architects such as this years’ Sophia Gray Laureate, Pr. Al Stratford, and a recreation of some historic photographs of Bloemfontein by Dr. Hendrik Auret. There is also an interesting feature on our special lectures. I would like to acknowledge and thank everyone that helped make this publication possible; the staff of the UFS Department of Architecture, to the sponsors, the Silverrocket Creative team, the editorial team (A5) and last but not least the rest of the UFS architecture student body. A special thank you to all students and personnel that provided us with the astounding contents of this magazine. With that said, please enjoy the 2016 A-mag and all it has to offer.
From the ADH
contents Letter from the ADH
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Reductive Innovation in Architecture
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1st Year Student Work
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2nd Year Student Work
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3rd Year Student Work
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4th Year Student Work
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5th Year Student Work
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Bloemfontein 170
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Sketch like an architect
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Special Lecture Series
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Metal Musings
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Henry Pretorius
The thing about dreams is that they are arcane. We all have them, but not all of us know what to do with them. What is particularly challenging is to differentiate between vision and delusion, and even more so, trying to articulate the hidden desires of the intuitive mind. Words, however, are deceiving things that can betray the message of the veiled truth.
I find comfort in those who succeed in expressing their imaginings. Martin Luther King’s ‘I had a dream’ speech on 28 August 1963 united black Americans in their plight for equality and freedom. John Lennon’s best selling song of his solo career, ‘Imagine’, sent a strong political message calling for peac,e and the haunting melancholy in Fantine’s song ‘ I dreamed a dream’ in the musical Les Misérables transcended meagre words to convey her lamented anguish. Such talents escape me, albeit true that I am not the only one who finds words limiting as the only means of expression. But still, I too have a dream and, once again, I am convinced that I am not the only one to believe that everything we dream can come to pass.
Sketch detail: Christo vd Westhuizen
I share in the poet Patti Smith’s dream that the people have the power to redeem the work of fools. So, dream.
architecture student magazine 2016 | department of architecture, university of the free state
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SOPHIA GRAY MEMORIAL LECTURE
Al Stratford Pr. Arch
Reductive Innovation in Architecture I
t gives me great honour to be chosen to present the 28th Sophia Gray Memorial Lecture this year. In researching her work and life I have become aware of the one thing that her and I share… she never had a formal architectural education. She applied herself driven by a sense of commitment to the cause; I humbled by her example, also lacking a formal education, trust that what I have done over the years will further the discourse and evolutionary trajectory of architecture. How then, shall we now build? For me, this is the question that is my constant companion. It is the question that stands next to me when I look at what we have built in the past, what the client wants, what the stretch of land wants, what the materials want and what the climate, with the sun, wants to build. It is the question that challenges me when we see depletion of the rand, skills, ozone layer, rule of law, sense of community and the onslaught of poverty and epidemic. It is the question that excites me when I see a young couple with a baby, an entrepreneur with a new product, a city with a vision and a nation looking for Renaissance. When I was 23 years old I resigned my draughting job and went out to design and build houses. 30 years later, building Stratfords Guesthouse gave me the opportunity to answer some of these questions (and in so doing raise new ones). Charles Jenks, in his book, Le Corbusier and the Tragic View of Architecture, refers to how Corb “burned what he loved” in his own process of finding the answer. Stratfords Guesthouse has not been razed but out of the integrated process of designing and building, I have learned, to some extent, what I should love and what I should burn. Mies said “Architecture begins when you lay one brick neatly upon another.” We have retreated from our role as Archi- tekt (which in the original Greek simply means Chief Builder) to slaves with designer stubble (men only please!) driven by the whimsical dictates of our stylish clients and their sentimental nostalgic notions of; how then, should we build. In building Stratfords, as the architect, builder and client, I had to guard against my own whimsical notions fed by the glossies. I had to come to grips with the reality, of not only the end in mind, but more than ever, with the process of getting there.
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architecture student magazine 2016 | department of architecture, university of the free state
In modernist archi-jargin we speak glibly of “clipping this on and slotting that in”. All in terms of vainly trying to assemble buildings out of imagined machine age components. In reality the Eurocentric precision for this is blown away on site by a cheap imported tape measure and by the ageing foreman who can’t even see the bubble on his level. Surely we need to take a reality check here at the southern tip of Africa, where the red coats met the red blankets; and begin to craft buildings that meld together some of our divergent understanding and aspirations. In so doing, I trust that we will be able to be less wasteful, more appropriate and at the same time create with authenticity, a built environment that serves us well into the future.
Designing and building has been a didactic exercise for me and for those on site. I trust that some of the lessons (both positive and negative) may be assimilated and brought to bear on the broader question:
“How then, shall we now build?”
For forty years I have been trying to invent building components that may be simply manufactured, easily installed and have multiple functions. I have also tried to reduce the number of different components and finishes in an attempt to reduce initial building and ongoing maintenance cost. The potential to exploit structural integrity of materials by applying lateral thought to the way they are combined has always presented unique opportunities to me. Modernism pursued the universal, the all glass sky scraper, the all steel house, Post Modernism became eclectic and trite but taught us how to be flexible and glean from all. In designing and then building I have attempted to pull together all these facets and still achieve a cohesive whole that meets our functional requirements and is a pleasant experience for our patrons and clients. What excites me most is the positive response that I have had from “the man on the street”. Initial surprise, in some cases, shock, gives way to a dawning of understanding and on to expressions of delight. It might just be possible that architects have underestimated the potential of demonstrating a way forward and are guilty of following and not leading.
architecture student magazine 2016 | department of architecture, university of the free state
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Herlu Greeff
Shelter The Shelter was designed specifically for the human body, looking at our physical and emotional needs and relating to movement and comfort. The skeleton frame is only dependent on the tree from which it hangs to support it and is thus able to fold up completely for a person to carry the structure on his/ her back. Its multi functionality allows the structure to warp between lying and sitting positions and can also be pitched as a tent on the ground. Natural materials like reeds and leaves are woven and used as the main structure while a layer of plastic makes the structure completely waterproof. The reed structure bends around the body to provide a sense of protection like hands holding something of great value as to preserve.
Hycienth Moretlo
Grave Scheme The chapel was designed in honour of Miriam Makeba, known as “mama africa�. Because she became a musician in the time of apartheid, her music articulated the struggles endured during that era, therefore the scheme is a representation of her journey.
The wall along the path which leads to the meditation space is divided into 8 elements which represent the most significant struggles in her life and in between the broken wall, columns are erected which symbolise the presence of music in her life.
As you approach the chapel, you see a timber structure that protrudes through a concrete box which creates openings where light falls through, and as you enter the chapel you experience the divinity created by light.
As you enter the meditation space, the sound created by the water is filtered by a perforated timber floor, harmonizing with the sound created by the trees. The scheme achieved meaning in music created by nature.
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architecture student magazine 2016 | department of architecture, university of the free state
Xander Cilliers
Shoulder Piece Brief: to portray our character and the essence which makes us who we are as an abstract interpretation in the form of a shoulder piece. Concept: Unveiling the truth The design: colour, rhythm, structure and symbolization as method of abstraction to portray my character and interests. Colour: progression from the black to the white indicates that I don’t limit myself to the black and white answers of life, but rather like to explore the alternative possibilities in grey. The progression from white to red depicts my vibrant personality. The different rhythms and structure used in the design, show that I am a person who enjoys structure in my life and the rib cage that fits around the torso, shows my compassion towards other people.
Linka Bitzer
Artist Retreat A Rosendal based retreat for Kendell Geers. Kendell Geers is a South African born conceptual artist that uses his art as a platform to deliver radical, satirical commentary on social and political issues. Due to the large variety in type and influences of his art, the retreat has two studios on opposing ends: a large, lifted studio space that serves as a stage where he, himself becomes the art, as well as a secluded, smaller studio space for self-reflection and meditation. The retreat shuts out the church on the opposing block via a high-rise wall that encloses a niche-like courtyard and makes space for a service point on the sidewalk’s corner, encouraging pedestrians and church-goers to hit pause and reflect.
architecture student magazine 2016 | department of architecture, university of the free state
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The Hut
Dehan Kassimatis and Charlene Vermaak
Being covered in mud became second nature while taking part in one of our department’s most sacred first year traditions... Place-making through using archetypes (floor, wall, and roof) was our main focus point throughout this process. We were instructed to form a community of huts in a monotonous landscape by only using natural materials like reeds, leaves and earth construction. Our hut not only focused on our individual needs but also included the community. The shape of the hut was a combination of both organic and geometric design opening up towards our communal space. The most challenging part of our hut was definitely the cylindrical sleeping space; we had a lot of problems in constructing this shape and having it stay this way. In the end we solved this by using palm leaves and supporting them with reeds. Weaving techniques came in quite handy throughout the hut and this allowed us to both make the hut aesthetically pleasing and structurally sound. This project made all of us realize that being an architect means starting at the bottom; it takes a lot of perseverance and disappointments to reach success. Don’t be scared to go back to basics.
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architecture student magazine 2016 | department of architecture, university of the free state
Stephan Diedericks
Backpackers Nieu-Bethesda Concept: The existing wall plays an intricate part of the concept of the design. It is built to conform to the contours of the site and must thus be integrated in to the layout and “DNA� of the site. The whole site is orientated on this wall and where the wall changes direction, an important part of the concept is revealed. The short western end of the wall symbolizes the norm of the town living there lives in the standard day to day way. Helen Martins and her unusual way of doing things is symbolized by the change in direction of the wall. The Architecture: Based on the natural rock formations found on site. It resembles rocks breaking apart and cascading over each other. Orientation: The direction of the owl house and the standard town grid was used to orientate the buildings. The Backpackers lay on the town grid whilst the rest of the buildings point towards the owl house The backpackers: Each backpacker is designed to make the visitor feel as if they are drawn into the rock of the surroundings. Once you enter, you move from the hallway to the rooms and from there you divide into your own sleeping pod. It is meant to give the feeling of sleeping within the rocks.
architecture student magazine 2016 | department of architecture, university of the free state
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Container Park Entrance Phadi Mabe
Parasitic Symbiosis in Architecture The design of the Vry-fees container park entrance required me as a designer to explore the different modes of arrival through which we initially encounter a space. The different modes of arrival being that which enables us to encounter the space as a totality, a singularity and a continuum. To conceive an experience as presented by the Vry-fees one would need to initially conceive the space as a totality in order to orientate himself around the different phenomenologies occurring in the containers. Each container is temporarily de-constructed and de-materialized so that each containers skin becomes a unified roofing morphology for the totality of the site. The approach displays a symbiotic relationship where each container’s individual arrival space acts as a synthesis towards the main space.
Carmen van Staden
Heritage Site The Arthur Nathan Swimming pool was the first Municipal Swimming Pool in Bloemfontein, Free State. The site is located in a busy urban environment, yet it has become abandoned and unused. Various design proposals aimed to regenerate the site and celebrate the potential of such a communal gathering space in Bloemfontein. The designs consist of a series of structures, featuring a boundary enclosing the site. The main themes include suggested spaces with level changes and textures and creating more intimate spaces through a series of green screens.
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The boundary serves as a threshold between the urban environment and the heritage site – it is the envelope that creates visual interest and leads people into the site. Many of my design principles were based on Ching’s ideas concerning boundaries and thresholds – defining spaces by suggesting them with level changes, textures and roof overhangs. Ching says that “Openings between the enclosing planes of a space visually isolate the planes and articulate their individuality. The visual emphasis is on the enclosing planes rather than the volume of space defined by the planes.” CHING – Form, Space and Order p172 I thereby experimented purely with the idea that I would create spaces by enclosing planes and suggestive techniques instead of actual concrete structures. This project was interesting as it encouraged a different approach towards a boundary wall enclosing a site.
architecture student magazine 2016 | department of architecture, university of the free state
Madeli Beyers
Student Centre Conversation (in)space - food . art . music This multi-purpose student centre is located to the east of the University of the Free State’s Main Campus, next to the Odeion (music department). The building was formed by the pedestrian routes across the site as well as the different outdoor spaces as these are important aspects of a university campus. The numerous outdoor spaces have a variety of benches, tables and trees and the main pedestrian route is articulated by the strong rhythm created by the building’s columns on the south façade. There are three main functions in this building. Food, the first function, is located in such a way that it is easily accessible to the surrounding hostels and administration buildings. It consists of a large kitchen that serves a restaurant and two take-away counters.
The main pedestrian walkway runs past the main entrance, which is celebrated on the north façade with a sculptural stair and elevator structure. This circulation leads to the art functions on the first floor and a large library. The last function, music, can be found on the second floor in the form of a small performance hall and practice rooms. There is also a large outdoor amphitheatre on the east faced, close to the Odeion student entrance. Overall, the design creates a variety of spacial experiences not only for the interior but also for the exterior. The UFS students will therefore have different opportunities to not only occupy the building, but to truly enjoy the experience thereof.
architecture student magazine 2016 | department of architecture, university of the free state
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㜀㜀
䐀攀猀 䈀愀欀攀爀 ǻ氀洀 戀爀椀攀昀㨀 夀漀甀 愀爀攀 愀猀欀攀搀 琀漀 椀洀愀最椀渀攀 愀渀 䄀昀爀椀挀愀渀䘀甀琀甀爀攀䌀椀琀礀Ⰰ 戀愀猀攀搀 漀渀 愀 瀀漀琀攀渀琀Ⰰ 挀爀攀愀ti瘀攀 洀椀砀琀甀爀攀 漀昀 Wim Boshoff; Team 攀砀琀爀攀洀攀氀礀 栀椀最栀 搀攀渀猀椀ti攀猀㬀 昀漀漀搀 愀渀搀 攀渀攀爀最礀 猀栀漀爀琀愀最攀猀㬀 猀瀀愀挀攀 琀爀愀瘀攀氀 愀渀搀 愀氀椀攀渀 氀椀昀攀 昀漀爀洀猀⸀ 昀漀爀洀猀⸀ 夀漀甀爀 瀀爀漀樀攀挀琀 猀栀漀甀氀搀 Brief: You are asked to imagine an AfricanFutureCity based on a potent 挀漀渀猀椀搀攀爀 愀渀 漀瘀攀爀愀氀氀 猀攀渀猀攀 漀昀 mixture of extremely high densities; food and琀栀攀 氀愀爀最攀 猀挀愀氀攀Ⰰ 戀甀琀 猀栀漀甀氀搀 energy shortages; space travel and alien life forms. Your project should 稀漀漀洀 椀渀 漀渀 搀攀琀愀椀氀猀 漀昀 consider an overall sense of the large scale, but should zoom in on details of resources such as 爀攀猀漀甀爀挀攀猀 猀甀挀栀 愀猀 昀漀漀搀Ⰰ food, water and energy. 眀愀琀攀爀 愀渀搀 攀渀攀爀最礀⸀
Des Baker Film
Response: As a group our concept revolved around how the government 爀攀猀瀀漀渀攀㨀 䄀猀 愀 最爀漀甀瀀 漀甀爀 will manipulate people to provide energy, because of the scarcity of minerals and oxygen in the future city. 挀漀渀挀攀瀀琀 爀攀瘀漀氀瘀攀搀 愀爀漀甀渀搀
栀漀眀 琀栀攀 最漀瘀攀爀渀洀攀渀琀 眀椀氀氀 洀愀渀椀瀀甀氀愀琀攀 瀀攀漀瀀氀攀 琀漀 瀀爀漀瘀椀搀攀 攀渀攀爀最礀Ⰰ 戀攀挀愀甀猀攀 漀昀 琀栀攀 猀挀愀爀挀椀琀礀 漀昀 洀椀渀攀爀愀氀猀 愀渀搀 漀砀礀最攀渀 椀渀 琀栀攀 昀甀琀甀 椀渀 琀栀攀 昀甀琀甀爀攀 挀椀琀礀⸀ 瘀椀搀攀漀 椀挀氀甀搀攀搀 漀渀 䌀䐀
琀栀椀爀搀 礀攀愀爀
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architecture student magazine 2016 | department of architecture, university of the free state
Kobus Spangenberg
Museum The proposed Long Walk to Freedom Museum is only but a conversation between body and mind. A museum where users experience space without the need of objects. Visitors are not treated like consumers, but as active participants. PRECEDENT: The Danish Maritime Museum in Helsingor (Dry Dock) by Bjarke Ingels Group. BIG recognised that creating a new building next to one of Denmark’s most important architectural icons, the Kronborg Castle, required an equal dose of respect and sensitivity but at the same time the firm wanted to design a building that would be outstanding in its own right, hence the underground dry dock. By learning from their sensitivity, the proposed Long Walk to Freedom Museum is an underground narrative. Sucked into the landscape, being consumed by the environment. Removing without returning cannot be considered architecture. Perfect harmony would be to remove as little as possible or not to remove at all. “How can development be seen as true progress if something is damaged in the process? Development can be described as our attempt to improve our surroundings within our habitation and the environment in which we live. If we want to improve the place where we live, then development and environment should not be separated.� - UFS thesis candidate: Marius du Plessis (26/11/2014)
architecture student magazine 2016 | department of architecture, university of the free state
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Museum
Wim Boshoff
Brief: Design a multi-storey institutional building where the street experience flows into the building and the museum spaces engages with the street and public. Response: The site is located exactly opposite the urban offices and therefore I wanted to create an integrated workshop experience. As a group we had to choose a theme of how to approach the museum on our individual designs. The principles of Bauhaus needed to be incorporated. The aim is to create products that are simple in design and could easily be mass produced. The services and workshops are placed on the ground level where the gallery spaces are placed on the first floor.
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architecture student magazine 2016 | department of architecture, university of the free state
IT Based Community Centre This scheme aims to investigate the degree to which the internet can be used to enhance human skills within a given context through strategic infrastructure interventions. The internet has become an unavoidable factor in our modern society and it has been instrumental in rapid and widespread developments in the fields of digital manufacturing and fabrication. The internet makes micro-manufacturing a viable business model in a rapidly changing economic landscape. Small business in the inner city of Bloemfontein lack reliable, affordable access to the internet as a resource and thus are not able to use the technology to their benefit.
Petru du Toit
First; this thesis challenges the idea of the internet as a primary tool to empower the community through creative manufacturing in the inner city of Bloemfontein. Secondly, this research further explores ways in which the architecture based on an internet facility coupled with spaces for manufacturing can empower people to develop specific skill sets by educating themselves though the internet. The client is imagined to be a joint venture between AfriLabs and the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality. The design and infrastructural response is based on other local precedents and a contextual investigation.
architecture student magazine 2016 | department of architecture, university of the free state
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architecture student magazine 2016 | department of architecture, university of the free state
Urban Housing
Werner van Zyl
The underlying theme of the Urban Housing project rested on the conceptual idea of ‘breaking the box’. This deconstruction was not only in terms of the structure, but also in terms of fracturing the rigid social class systems within the greater city of Bloemfontein. The brief called for a sustainable, inclusive, mixed-use housing system within the Bloemfontein CBD, that was unbiased in terms of the social and economic profile of its users, and that somehow integrated living spaces into an inner city that predominantly favoured commercial activity. Consequently, private upper floors were placed on semipublic to public lower floors, and then allowed to filter into the context in terms of subtle urban intervention and public place making. Structure leaned towards a lighter, more tectonic approach, so as to deconstruct the ‘solid’, and to allow changeability both physical and metaphorical within an evergrowing diverse inner city. architecture student magazine 2016 | department of architecture, university of the free state
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architecture student magazine 2016 | department of architecture, university of the free state
Revealing the invisible: A Regional Institute for Disease Awareness An Institute for Disease Awareness, consisting mostly of microbiology laboratories and research facilities, is proposed as a branch of the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), on the grounds of the Free State Psychiatric Complex in Oranjesig, Bloemfontein. The aim of this project is to provide a central institute to contribute to and facilitate effective communication between the NICD and organisations involved to combat the spread of infectious diseases and halt epidemics. The focus of this dissertation arose from an interest in the effect and management of disease control within the South African context. The research conducted for this project sought to investigate the role that architecture can play in contributing towards managing this problem that has so ravaged both the social and economic spheres of southern Africa and across the globe, and is intended to explore whether architecture of this nature is able to transcend the boundaries enforced by the regimentation of function, to become more empathetic to sensitive social issues and paradigms that exist within the public realm. The laboratory component of the design is intended to express itself as a place of safe-keeping that holds the specialised knowledge and practices conducted by the scientists who work inside. The outside observer is allowed a glimpse of what happens inside the laboratory, without revealing all or compromising the sensitive nature of work conducted. The elements used for the exterior development, such as the herb gardens, masonry benches and low stone walls, create a link to the aesthetics of the ruin, and contrast the pristine laboratory environment,
Laura-Anne Fox
with the intent of finding balance between the requirements of a laboratory and the kind of spaces that are fundamentally enjoyed by people. The link passage houses the “Epidemic Education Exhibition�, intended for public visitors, and consists of interactive displays. This space then acts as an intermediate phase between the public side walk and the private laboratory and office components of the Institute. The interactive exhibition includes continually updated world maps displaying the locations of disease epidemics; antique microscopes and other historical microbiology and biochemistry equipment; as well as imagery captured by the electron-microscopes from the laboratory. These same images of microorganisms captured at a larger-than-life scale are projected across the exhibition space and out onto the sidewalk, relating these minute creatures to our own human world. In the same way that the touchstone created at the beginning of the design process expressed the magnitude of the world of disease, this exhibition is intended to convey the essence of the project – to reveal and relate the invisible. Ultimately, this project is proposed to engender awareness through education and, in doing so, to provide a platform for research that is ingrained in a broader public interest. The design is intended to give back to the public, while also allowing the scientist some escape from the conventionally sterile laboratory environment, focusing on the personhood of both scientist and passer-by.
architecture student magazine 2016 | department of architecture, university of the free state
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North Elevation
Section AA 18
architecture student magazine 2016 | department of architecture, university of the free state
Cross Section BB
Viewpoint from Corner of Church & Selbourne St
Nadene de Lange
Puncturing the urban wall between dweller and nature: Urban Healthcare Centre The focus of this dissertation emanates from an interest in the conscious awareness of and accessibility to healthcare in the urban context of Bloemfontein. The urban built environment greatly contributes to these aspects as it holds the meaning of place that consists of healthy environments and personal health. Studies have shown that an unhealthy built environment has a negative subconscious impact on a person’s health. Architecture can facilitate to create healthy, meaningful places to contribute to well being. The aim of this study is to investigate an alternative architectural approach to conventional healthcare facilities, in the urban context of the Bloemfontein Central Business District (CBD). A new healthcare centre is proposed to address the current healthcare concern. The centre aims to serve as an urban health sanctuary, by puncturing the existing urban wall and create a soft threshold layer between public and private realms. The centre accommodates a variety of users such as local fruit and vegetables traders for informal trading on the urban platform. The informal trading creates an urban link to the existing
fruit and vegetable traders in the CBD. The vegetables yielded from the greenhouse on the highest level of the centre, exhibit the conscious choice of personal health. Therefore, the proposed building is intended to become a beacon of health in the proposed urban corridor of the CBD. Research for this investigation focusses on studies where psychological health improves the physical health of patients who suffer from illness or a physical injury. This investigation focusses on the natural environment’s (nature) influence on mental and physical well-being in response to the urban context and community’s needs. The approach to the typology (type of building) and topology (urban context) is deeply rooted in the connection to nature and generates a character and identity that is charged with meaning for place, which hopes to respond to the past, present and future of the context. The investigation will be supported by a thorough analysis of the context, precedent studies, case studies that engage in a conceptual framework.
architecture student magazine 2016 | department of architecture, university of the free state
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architecture student magazine 2016 | department of architecture, university of the free state
Freedom of Expression Forum: Principles of Protest Reinterpreted as Place Constitutional Hill, Johannesburg The project developed within a framework of addressing a non-architectural contemporary problem in South Africa, to form an understanding of how architecture can address an issue that is currently relevant, specific to our country and extends beyond the interest of only architects, environmentalist and designers. Freedom of speech and the intimidation of journalists by the controversial Secrecy Bill were at the forefront these past few years. Although freedom of expression are generally protected practices in South Africa’s constitution, the persistent role of the government to protect state information, is a substantial threat to citizens’ constitutional right of freedom
Nilene van Niekerk
of expression. The governments’ attempt to block cellular phone signals during the State of the Nation Address in February 2015 is one of many examples of this imposing threat. This inevitably influenced the idea of creating a Freedom of Expression Forum within the direct vicinity of Constitutional Hill which is the court of the people, influencing the building to become a symbol of protest against the secrecy bill. It provides protection to journalists and becomes a pivotal point where classified information can be sent to and archived, as well as establishing a public space that encourages communication, all in the name of fostering the right of freedom of expression within this human rights precinct.
architecture student magazine 2016 | department of architecture, university of the free state
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Bloemfontein 170
B
Hendrik Auret reference points. Otherwise the scene would merely be duplicated with people wearing different attire. It is when one looks at the ‘failed’ recreations that the value of conserving historic buildings become clear; the scenes which didn’t make it into the publication since they depict urban fabric devoid of historic references or significant enduring urban features. One simply could not relate to the unrecognisably changed situation. The fact that all the old was gone, also impoverished the new. If Bloemfontein’s scattered historical remnants were also to disappear, what would be left to relate the present situation with the past lives of the place?
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c. 1930
loemfontein is celebrating its 170th year. I thought it fitting to ‘recreate’ some historical photographs portraying the life of the city. Many old photographs were impossible to reconstruct; trees had grown too large or new buildings were obscuring old vistas. In addition, the success of recreated views depended on the collusion of three rather surprising factors: Firstly, the endurance of public open spaces (e.g. Hoffman Square), topological features (e.g. Naval Hill) and urban structures like streets (e.g. Maitland Street). Secondly, the conservation of one or two iconic buildings that could serve as reference points in the scene. Lastly, the visual impact of the reproduction depended on dramatic changes in the urban fabric or customs (e.g. the current use of Hoffman Square compared to its previous life as Market Square) surrounding historic
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1897
Figure 1: Bloemfontein as seen from Naval Hill with the Tweetoringkerk in the centre (c. 1930). (Collection of the National Museum, Bfn. Ref: 01 3281).
Figure 2: View from the tower of the Government Building in President Brand Street looking down Charlotte Maxeke (previously Maitland Street) towards the Station in 1897 (Collection of the FSPAR, Ref: VA 1760).
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architecture student magazine 2016 | department of architecture, university of the free state
2016
c. 1895
2016
1890’s
Figure 3: View from the top of Monument Road (later Church Street, now OR Tambo Street) looking north towards the Tweetoringkerk (c. 1895) with Naval Hill in the background (Collection of the FSPAR, Ref: VA 1922).
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c. 1902-1908
Figure 4: The old photograph is taken from Market Square (later Hoffman Square) and looks southwards up OR Tambo Street, previously Church Street (1890’s). The silhouette of the Basotho War Memorial is visible on the crest of the hill (Collection of the Bloemfontein Fire Station Museum).
Figure 5: Morning market during the first decade of the 20th century (c. 1902-1908). The photograph is taken from Market Square and looks down Charlotte Maxeke Street (then Maitland Street) towards the Government Building (Collection of the FSPAR, Ref: VA 1793).
Acknowledgements I would like to thank the following persons and institutions for their help in researching and preparing this series of photographs: The staff of the Free State Provincial Archive Repository (FSPAR) in Bloemfontein, the staff of the National Museum, Braam van Zyl at the Bloemfontein Fire Station Museum and Annelien Diedericks of NALN. I am also grateful to Nina Nel who shared photographs she uncovered in the course of her studies. As always, I appreciate the insight and anecdotes of the ever-present Kobus du Preez (Department of Architecture, UFS). architecture student magazine 2016 | department of architecture, university of the free state
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Master Class | Sketch like an architect
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rchitectural sketching seems as if it has become something of the past, and slowly but surely, the evidence of such drawings are less fashionable under students of certain schools of architecture and professionals of the architectural trade. We are currently living in a zeitgeist which is saturated with advanced technologies and digital imagery. Most students and professionals of architecture find it easier to communicate the first stages of a project through the use of computers/ other technologies. These approaches easily allow the designer to digitally ‘cut and paste’ imagery and even uses CAD library components in the early stages of design, instead of exploring more innovative approaches with the help of pen and paper. This approach mainly praises the aesthetic and form giving with the main purpose to impress and win clients over, whilst the later should rather encourage critical thinking, innovative solutions to socio-economic and political issues, program, stereotomic mass, contextuality and so many other principles of design which lacks to exhibit... evidently resulting in yet another statistical architectural monstrosity as seen scattered in and among our county.
CAD within the last decade has contributed tremendously to the demise of this once artisans given. I encourage students to use computers/ cad as a complementary tool and rather help them more within the final stages of ‘production’ to their designs. CAD surely has its advantages, and allows technical resolution of such caliber which is not always possible even with the most advanced hand. I was fortunate enough to have learnt ‘how to sketch’ and ‘how to think’ with a pencil by my mentor Errol Pieters. He expressed that not only is architectural sketching an integral component to equip oneself with the necessary skill-set to quickly illustrate and visually communicate one’s ideas but also allows to develop ones right hemisphere of the brain which is imperative to any creative. This
is by far not the easiest skill-set to develop and requires meticulous focus and dedication where one becomes ones own critique. I still find myself practising textures, typography and line-techniques whilst in conversation over the phone, sitting in a meeting or seminar where I have lost all interest with the intent to absolutely fine-tune/ articulate my own skill-set.
Most students are likely to be intimidated by a pencil or pen, which in return restricts them from truly exploring the so necessary multiplefaceted process of design, design drawing and design presentation. One’s design is never complete as so many of the readers can relate to, and sketching allows to act as a visual continuum that captures a progressive process of design which transcend over all stages of the design process up until the presentation of any project. It is however, beyond any doubt, that any apt/confident sketcher at any varsity around the globe receives critical praise with the ability to adapt such skills. The work in return becomes something which is so recognisable as a trade-mark to the patron themselves. These celebrated works typically emulates and animates an off-hand panache which is quite distinct from any other. Over a timeframe of more or less 16 years of passionately sketching, I conclude with the following; Never draw/ sketch any drawing with the intension to impress another, but rather draw/ sketch to assist oneself to truly grasp ones own intensions/concepts. There is a massive difference between fine art drawing and architectural drawing and one must never confuse the one with the other, the one unquestionably more tedious than the other. Never own an eraser! this will assist you to be your own worst critique but also allows you to correct any line or drawing immediately where one can clearly see/document one’s progress. Be diligent, it will take some time and remember ... architectural drawing should rather be considered to be a graphic representation of reality, rather than a piece of fine art.
Christo van der Westhuizen
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architecture student magazine 2016 | department of architecture, university of the free state
Special Lecture Series
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t has been said that Bloemfontein’s central position in the country leaves it isolated in the centre... The Department of Architecture, UFS, has therefore consistently addressed this possible lack of exposure of our students by means of various endeavours: student tours, the Sophia Gray Memorial Lecture and Exhibition, mini congresses over the years and the Special lecture series each year. In 2016 these special lectures have aimed to bring eminent South African architects, designers and artists to inspire. Tiaan Meyer, Cape-Townian architect, urban designer and alumni, brought more than just his bespoke, thoughtful and responsible design solutions to the table. He inspired with a success story that made the dream of succeeding ‘out there’ a very possible reality. His work speaks of his quest to create quality urban environments and make South African cities liveable for all its inhabitants.
Martie Bitzer
Suzaan Heyns, Johannesburg-based fashion designer, not only presents new frontiers to the fashion industry with her creative vision and avantgarde aesthetic. She inspires across the disciplines with a paradoxical approach of architectural structure combined with vintage classical femininity. Christo van der Westhuizen, architect and illustrator from Pretoria, sat down in workshop fashion and sketched his way through the design process – from first idea to the realization thereof. If some would dare to call the hand-drawn architectural illustration ‘old school’, his approach toward the drawing as main language tool would call their bluff. Special lectures are mechanisms challenging the status quo. Look out for many more to come!
architecture student magazine 2016 | department of architecture, university of the free state
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Metal Musings
Martie Bitzer
“It’s the things that unconsciously move me that I gather. I find them portrayed in my art. Somewhere in between the reflective image and the rust that brings it to life I find myself in the joy of self-expression.” - Martie Bitzer, September 2007 -
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s an architect I have always been fascinated with the power of textures and surfaces, with the way they age and change over time. I think these qualities that are also very much a part of pewter art has lured me to this sculptural three-dimensional medium. Before I start a new design, I take time to plan the areas that I am going to score and engrave as these lines and textures are the places where the patina remains to enhance the work through shadows and darker areas. The medium ask for both sides of the coin: the creative and free-flowing forms and shapes of a design, together with the discipline and care to perfect it. Both the art and the science of the medium challenge one with its predictable unpredictability. As all good things, one master and understand this medium with a lot of patience and practice. I challenge myself to stretch the boundaries of the craft to become a recognised medium of artistic expression. Being challenged with pewter’s limitations, I started to engage with other complimentary mediums as well. A solo exhibition ‘ora whakataki’ [tracing life] in April 2015 at Gallery on Leviseur offered new opportunities. I started to engage with a collage of mild steel, pewter, wood, acid etching, pewter enamel and Gun Blue. The Maori use ‘ora whakataki’ to refer to ‘the passage of life’ - a drive towards wider horizons. My art is not always about rational investigation - the images and its embedded meaning are often unconscious recollections of things gathered in memory, a spontaneous act of creation. The pewter works becomes stories in metal – conversing about new experiences, exposure and understanding, or simply a reverie of delight, confusion, hurt or entropy. Within this line of thinking every piece of art is an offering of a life being lived.
Martie Bitzer is currently a senior lecturer in Architecture at the University of the Free State. She was born on 26 Mei 1968 in Tzaneen. In 1991 she obtained a B Arch degree in architecture and in 1998 her M. Arch degree at the University of the Free State. She has currently 23 years experience as lecturer at different tertiary institutions in the Free State and Gauteng. Growing up in an artistic environment, art has always been one of her passions and she is skilled in various media, of which water colour, acrylic, pencil and collage has been favourites previously. In 2004 Martie discovered pewter as a medium after visiting a fare where Elize Roodt was exhibiting her pewter art. After enrolling for a day’s workshop with the Pewter Art Academy, Martie fell in love with the medium. In working with pewter, she found her love for layering, abstraction and self expression combined. Pewter offers a three-dimensional quality to otherwise two-dimensional abstractions which leads to multi-faceted products and suits Martie’s graphic approach. Pewter also offers the artist the ability to age the medium; therefore being able to decide how much ‘time’ should be part of the final product. It is the blackening of the final product and the re-buff to antique quality that gives pewter its unique appearance. Martie has successfully exhibited her work at several galleries in Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, Uitenhage and Bloemfontein and has completed several commissions for a variety of clients. Look out for Martie’s new jewellery line in acid etched mild steel and enamelling which she has just launched under the brand MIMIKA! “…her work shows mastery at working with pewter.”- Kin Bentley
Clockwise from above: The Pall Bearer, 2015: Pewter, lazercut Mild steel, Gun Blue, 1200 x 400 MIMIKA: mild steel jewelery with acid etching and jeweller’s enamel The Continuum/Die Verloop, 2015: Pewter, lazercut Mild steel, Gun Blue, Wood, 600 x 600
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architecture student magazine 2016 | department of architecture, university of the free state
architecture student magazine 2016 | department of architecture, university of the free state
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architecture student magazine 2016 | department of architecture, university of the free state
REDUCTIVE INNOVATION IN ARCHITECTURE ste
th
SOPHIA GRAY GEDENKLESING
Al Stratford th
SOPHIA GRAY MEMORIAL LECTURE
SOPHIA GRAY THUTO YA SEHOPOTSO
Donderdag, 25 Augustus 2016
Thursday, 25 August 2016
Ka Labone, 25 Phato 2016
The Reservoir, Oliewenhuis, Harry Smithstraat 16, Bloemfontein
The Reservoir, Oliewenhuis, Harry Smithstraat 16, Bloemfontein
The Reservoir, Oliewenhuis, Harry Smithstraat 16, Bloemfontein
18:30 Aankoms 19:00 Verwelkoming Gedenklesing Bedankings Opening van uitstalling www.ufs.ac.za/architecture
18:30 Arrival 19:00 Welcome Memorial Lecture Thanks
Opening of exhibition
18:30 Ho fihla 19:00 Kamohelo Thuto ya sehopotso Diteboho
Pontsho