Construction World July 2020

ARCHITECTS

&DSH OHJLVODWXUHV GHVLJQHG WR UHͥHFW WKH FXOWXUH DQG EXLOGLQJ techniques of the region, and any number of museums displaying the highest standard in terms of architecture and content, such as the Apartheid Museum, Lilliesleaf, the Hector Pieterson Memorial and Freedom Park. The Constitutional Court in Braamfontein was at the centre of this thrust. The fortuitous synergy of Judge Albie Sachs working closely with the architects, OMM Design Workshop and Urban Solutions, resulted in a masterpiece far removed from anything that would have been created in the colonial period. Rather than a bombastic presence the Constitutional Court stands today as a toned-down, DFFHVVLEOH EXLOGLQJ ULFK LQ DUW DQG LQ PHDQLQJ ZKLFK UHͥHFWV DQG acknowledges the painful history of its locality. These buildings helped to create an identity for the country in those early years. Sadly, as the time of architecture competitions drew to an end, that initial impetus was abandoned in favour of the current fee tender focus. Spurred on by a desperate attempt to ensure accountability and a competitive fee, this has lead to a dumbing down, to a certain extent, of a number of the national projects. The selection criteria have moved from the possibility of excellence and identity building to a quantitive, lowest-cost, tick-box tender process. While equitable access to opportunities is vitally important, the result is a cut-and-paste approach that is particularly evident today in public commissions such as housing projects, schools and clinics around the country. A design revolution While this cookie-cutter approach is still very much in play, some departments and their architects – particularly in the Western Cape – are challenging this approach. In the process, they are producing extraordinary work which is culturally aligned and designed to create inclusive communities. 7KH &KHU« %RWKD 6FKRRO GHVLJQHG E\ ,O]H DQG +HLQULFK :ROII &6 Studio’s New Wesbank Primary School and Revel Fox & Partners’ Bongolethu Primary School in Philippi, as well as East Coast Architects’ many primary and secondary schools and the North West’s Lebone II College, designed by Afritects, stand in stark contrast to the generic system of rolling out copycat schools built to a template. By recognising that public facilities anchor communities and demand quality and sensitivity in their construction, these examples demonstrate that joy, human spirit and local context can be harnessed to develop schools. These projects are sensitive to the socialisation of children and create a sense that a school is much more than just a classroom, an enduring legacy.

Similarly, architects such as Luke Scott, Alwyn Barnes and Ivan Jonker, and Bradley Burger are producing beautiful insertions from IRRWEDOO SLWFKHV WR VPDUW SDUNV ZKLFK ͤW LQWR ORFDO FRPPXQLWLHV creating spaces that overlook areas that might previously have been no-go areas and, in the process, drawing communities back together. While, on the housing front, Lucien la Grange has proved masterful in his attempts to understand the original District Six and has undertaken two projects to try re-establish the essence of the area without obliterating the past. That’s not to say that South African architects have not produced some terrible architecture; after all we have only replaced the 7XVFDQ EOLJKW ZLWK D PRGHUQLVW IUHQ]\ &HUWDLQO\ PXFK RI RXU VRFLDO housing is an embarrassment and an indictment of the process by which housing is delivered; one in which architects have very little role to play. But despite those stains there are many ground- EUHDNLQJ H[DPSOHV RI WKH SRWHQWLDO IRU DUFKLWHFWV WR PDNH VLJQLͤFDQW GLIIHUHQFH LQ WKH KRXVLQJ ͤHOG )RU H[DPSOH 00$̵V ; KRXVLQJ in Cape Town stands aloft as a modern urban design which merges social space with intimacy and privacy. Similarly, Urban Think Tank’s Empower Shack, demonstrates how housing could be produced; crafting a space which nurtures the human experience. < . $UFKLWHFWV̵ 1HULQD /DGLHV̵ 5HVLGHQFH LQ 3UHWRULD LV DQ exemplary model for budget housing. In Johannesburg Savage + Dodd have enriched the lives of inner city poor with social housing policies and revitalisation projects that empower people and enrich FRPPXQLWLHV 7KHVH FUHDWLRQV ͥ\ LQ WKH IDFH RI WKH VRFLDO KRXVLQJ by-numbers approach and fully embrace the importance of quality, public space and the human experience. All these projects underline the critical role architects can still play in shaping our society; be it through engaging with urban designers to help conceptualise new settlements or through building on South Africa’s rich heritage for innovative, striking and functional architecture. ,I \RX ORRN DURXQG WKH ZRUOG DQG GHYRXU DUFKLWHFWXUH PDJD]LQHV DV ZH GR LW̵V KDUG WR ͤQG D ERG\ RI ZRUN IURP RQH SODFH WKDW KDV such an enormous variety and depth; from architects dealing with upgrades to squatter settlements, crafting high-end homes, and everything in between. South Africa’s dichotomy and tension is lacking in many other countries, and while one can argue the demerits of being in this position, it does fuel a range of talent and experience that crosses social and economic boundaries. Here at the periphery we deal with real issues and this stretches design to its maximum. Let us hope that this incredible resource leads the promised infrastructure spend and the opportunity to create a massive legacy is not lost in the rush to build. ƒ

Left: Mapungubwe Interpretation Centre: The Mapungubwe Interpretation Centre is simply made using local unskilled labour, yet the power of the architecture has created a cultural symbol that has resonated around the world. Architect: Peter Rich; Photo: Peter Rich. Right: Freedom Park IsiKhumbuto Memorial Centre : Capturing the mystical in its elegant simplicity, the Freedom Park IsiKhumbuto Memorial Centre is a powerful yet LQWHQVHO\ UHYHUHQG FHOHEUDWLRQ RI WKH QDWLRQDO DQG SHUVRQDO VDFULͧFH IRU IUHHGRP Architects: MMA; Photo curtesy of Mpheti Morojele

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CONSTRUCTION WORLD JULY 2020