| Summary: | A research report proposal submitted to the Faculty of Engineering and the
Built Environment, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of Masters of Architecture (Professional).
Date:
2018.02.09 === At the edge of an urban landscape there lies a dead space,forgotten
and unloved. A place where nature slowly encapsulates and
repossesses man-made structures. A slow urban decay where a
previously active part of the city has now fallen into disrepair. This
dying space consists of the urbanscape of the Benoni CBD, the
parkscape of Dani Taljaard Park and the waterscape consisting of the
Kleinfontein Dam. These atrophic terrains are in dire need of revival.
Reflecting on Benoni’s history, we can learn from past atrophies
to steer a course in creating a better urban environment for the
future. Reactivating the space by bringing a diverse collection of
people together to the area by creating attractive public places and
offering both economic and social functions for a wide variety of
users. A redevelopment needs to take place that is not only beneficial
for the human, but also works in harmony with nature in order for
both thrive on an equal footing. An intervention that not only aims
to create a healthy space, but also to help the user have a healthier
body and mind.
Providing a mixed use of functions will attract more people to the
space with a sports, recreation and rehabilitation centre as its main
core. The facilities will provide for both land and water recreational
activities. People will be encouraged to reengage with the water,
offering facilities such as natural pools, waterplay and a nautical club.
Indoor and outdoor sports courts, as well as smaller interventions
such as running tracks and outdoor gyms along the periphery of the
dam will promote physical activity. The intervention should be site
sensitive, helping to rehabilitate the natural environment, specifically
with regards to water. The pools will use a natural water purification
process from storm water collection, that will be beneficial both
economically and ecologically in the long run.
It is not enough to simply create a new intervention in the hope
of reactivating a space, one should also look at ways to create
something that is socially, economically and ecologically sustainable
in the long term. In a society with little money spent on maintaining a
site, materials and technological solutions need to be chosen wisely in
order to reduce the speed at which a place will decay or alternatively
find ways to work with it, to find beauty in decay === MT 2018
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