Electronic Theses and Dissertations (Masters)

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10539/37957

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Subject: search.filters.subject.SDG-4: Quality education

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Now showing 1 - 8 of 8
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    Communal Equity: Reimaging Educa4onal Infrastructure in Soweto
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Pillay, David Jonathan
    In defining the urban environments of modern-day South Africa, the remnant history of separate development has so deeply disrupted the equality between our communities that they remain a challenge today. While there are efforts towards seeking a balance between communities, identified in the City of Johannesburg’s nodal development schemes, the approach through which they are carried out may be exhibiting limiting results. Equal development can often be implemented by replicating rigid templates of the ideal infrastructure across communities. These infrastructure which perform essential functions neglect the opportunity to adapt and evolve to the context and history of the populations they serve. Within this research report, the City of Johannesburg’s development of Jabulani, Soweto, will be assessed and their need for improved facilities and access within primary schools will be highlighted and addressed through an architectural intervention which reimagines educational space around the principle of equity.
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    Envisioning Empowerment: Crafting a Realm of Learning for Visually Impaired Scholars in Mondeor
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Van Heerden , Stefan
    To address the critical need for more inclusive schools in South Africa, this project focussed on designing a school for visually impaired learner in Mondeor, Johannesburg. Currently, only three of these schools exist in Gauteng, which limits the opportunity for children with visual impairment to access quality inclusive education. My proposal aimed to change this, by making education accessible to the visually impaired . According to the White Paper 6 model, children between the ages of 7 and 15 need to be in school. This project placed the building where it would likely have maximum impact in terms of assisting the communities in the chosen area. The location of the school should not dictate who can attend. Anyone who is able to enroll will be able to do so, with preference being given to the visually impaired. The research and the building design aimed to create an inclusive building and to question what an architectural design for the visually impaired would entail. The research delved into experimentation and architectural precedents. The experimentation involved a sensory analysis, during which I spent time blindfolded to get a better sense of what it is like to be blind. The outcomes of these experiments informed the design of the school. The project examined various design precedents for these types of buildings and used the human body as an important design concept. I envisioned the classrooms as the centre points or nodes of the design, similar to the core of a human body, branching out, like limbs, into the different services that the building will offer. The building design aims to engage with the community by having a percentage of its site allocated to public space. This will hopefully ensure that the public can be involved in the inner workings of the school, creating a sense of place and belonging. The building presents opportunities for prototyping a circular economy, thereby enriching the residential context. These combined concepts and ideas strengthen the connections between the research and design development for a building of this nature. I can briefly conclude that the integrated research methods did assist in creating a design proposal that places itself into the context.
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    Unifying Lines: Community Cohesion through the Integration of Sport and Education Facilities
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Rainho, Marco
    Football is the most popular sport in South Africa with an estimated 2 million people playing the sport (South African Tourism, 2024). The sport was first introduced to the country by the British colonizers and was organized by racial segregation. Once Apartheid came to an end and with the introduction of a democratic government, the segregation regime was demolished and all races were allowed to play competitively against each other (South Africa Sports, 2024). The sport therafter became very popular in the black community as it represented an opportunity for the underpriviledged to make a living despite their lack of education, it opened up a new field of work as now all races could play the sport professionally, and it is a sport that doesn’t require expensive equipment to play (in the townships bins are placed to create goals and newspaper and elastic bands are formed into balls). Today, professional football in South Africa is made up of prodominently black players and supporters - “this demographic is predominantly composed of black individuals (87%)” (Eighty20, 2024) - which gives the underprivileged youth hope that they can become professional footballers. Amateur football clubs have many underprivileged children traveling from townships all across Johannesburg to develop their football skills in the hope of one day playing professional football. Unfortu- nately, it is extremely difficult to make it professionally in the sport, and the majority of players don’t end up making it. Due to many children have dedicated their lives to making it professional, their education is often put on the sidelines - thus affecting their grades and leaving them with poor marks to fall back on. The issue of poor grades or lack of education leads to one of the most prominent issues in the country at the moment which is the unemployment. The project looks at integrating sport and education to create a facility that increases the opportunities for the underprivileged children in South Africa. With the addition of an education centre on an existing football club - Linhill Celtic FC - the football club can promote education and instill the values of education to its players, as well as provide the underprivi- leged players at the club with the facilities to receive extra lessons from volunteer tutors and students and provide the children with resources for research and homework. There is a large education gap between government and private schools, and most children attending government schools cannot afford extra lessons to help them with work they are struggling with, and many children fail because they don’t have the same resources as the children in private schools. If we can provide the underprivi- leged with resources that will help them get through their schooling, we can bridge the gap between the public and private edu- cation sectors and increase the educational success rates in the country - which in turn will decrease the unemployment rate.
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    Social nex[us]: reimaging public life and cohesion in Windhoek West through empowering student entrepreneurs and their sidehustles
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Nankela, Junior-Steps; Gwebu, Nomonde
    This research report addresses urban issues in the diverse community of Windhoek West, specifically the lack of social cohesion due to inadequate public facilities and the underdevelopment of local entrepreneurial opportunities. The study proposes a community-centered marketplace designed to support local SMEs and microenterprises, including those run by students and local entrepreneurs. This marketplace aims to serve as a social hub for networking and showcasing work to the Windhoek West community and beyond. The report begins with a historical overview of community centers, setting the context for Namibia’s current urban landscape, which lacks such facilities. It then redefines the community center as a nexus, or connecting point, among community members, and explores how other typologies serve similar functions. This leads to the proposal of a market as a community center for Namibia. Windhoek West is analyzed as a transition and autonomous zone combining commerce and residence. The analysis identifies issues and opportunities for intervention, forming a framework that links these activity zones through the design of the Nex[us]. Interviews with local entrepreneurs provide insights into their brand identities and how the Nex[us] can accommodate them. The proposed Nex[us] is situated on an open space northwest of Windhoek West, along a key road connecting the city center to northern residential areas. The design features three distinct spaces: a market, a park, and a production area. These spaces are conceptually and architecturally composed to challenge the dominance of multinational corporations, foster community cohesion, and provide a collaborative environment for entrepreneurs. The design emphasizes modularity, flexibility, adaptability, and inclusivity.
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    Innovate Youth: A dynamic youth hub and learning centre
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Rubin, Daron Yoni
    This project aims to establish a comprehensive educational and vocational training facility in Johannesburg, South Africa, addressing the high levels of unemployment and the need for skill enhancement among the youth. By converting a vacant site in the Rosebank area into a dynamic learning and working environment, which is funded by the neighbouring commercial and hospitality sectors, this initiative seeks to provide unemployed youth between the ages of 18 and 35, with access to a wide range of educational resources, vocational training programs, and skill development opportunities. The facility offers tailored programs that cater to various fields, fostering personal and professional growth. The proposed InnovateYouth project will include state-of-the-art classrooms, workshops, entertainment, working environments, learning facilities, physical and mental health resources, sleeping spaces and digital learning spaces, all designed to create an engaging and supportive environment for the unemployed youth. With funding provided by local businesses, educational institutions, and community organizations, the project aims to help facilitate future employment opportunities for young graduates and apprentices from the community centre into the surrounding business community. This project is aimed at youth culture; therefore, the facility also caters for youth activities and youth employment during the night, making this a vibrant thriving place for youth to be during the day and during the night. The projects intentions detail the staffing, equipment, technology, and maintenance required to run the facility effectively. It also outlines the various programs and services that will be available, ensuring a holistic approach to learning, working, healing and fun education and vocational training, as well as affordable accommodation facilities, under one roof. The project's location in Rosebank, a vibrant and growing neighbourhood, is strategically chosen to maximize accessibility and impact. Overall, this project is proposed to become a cornerstone of a youth culture, fostering economic growth, social inclusion, and long-term development through its unique programme and facilities, as well as a destination with thriving nightlife for youth, making it a building that is functional 24 hours a day.
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    A Conservationist Menagerie: Redefining The Johannesburg Zoo ThroughA Multi-Species Educational Facility
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Jacob, Anneline
    This architectural project seeks to rectify the injustices that the human-wildlife conflict has had on captive, injured and displaced wildlife and their welfare. Throughout the years human have exerted their dominance over wildlife and the current relationship between humans and animals is described as hierarchical and demonstrates a power dynamic whereby humans view themselves as superior to wildlife. This dynamic and the absence of animals which used to be a part of daily life has resulted in a lack of tangible experiences between species resulting in a knowledge gap and poor understanding of animal welfare. This research project will explore the relationship between humans and wildlife in the context of the Johannesburg Zoo which has faced increasing disapproval from the public as its current design fails to provide adequate landscape habitats and ecological aware facilities for animals, thereby decreasing the educational value and overall experience for the animals and visitors, threatening the welfare of the animals. The zoo represents the ideal testing environment due to its possession of animals in stimulated environments. As one of the largest sites that house wildlife within an urban landscape, it facilitates daily human interactions and is the ideal space to observe co-habitation and multi-species relationships. This will facilitate the development of an alternative zoo model which aims to draw lessons from the precedent "Multispecies Design" by Daniel Metcalfe to influence a shift in the power dynamic by creating interactions that will promote respect between humans, wildlife and nature. This will facilitate reconciliation enabling learning so that humans and animals develop a kinship that fosters coexistence and coadaptation to eliminate conflict and captivity, building wildlife welfare and maintaining resources for future use. The research will be directed through an explorative approach that will include a series of photographs, mapping, and research tabulations to gain an understanding of wildlife habitats and how they may be adapted and recreated in the urban landscape. The research will make use of film and comic-like graphics to illustrate the design and spaces representative of a utopian world, which may be created but has not been accomplished yet.
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    Empowered for Employment: A Collaborative Learning and Skills Development Centre in Primrose
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024-02) Scremin, Michele; Felix, Sandra
    South Africa currently experiences the highest unemployment rate in the world. Due to the inequitable educational policies of Apartheid, large sectors of the population missed out on basic education and remain ill-equipped for the demands of the labour force. A culture of poverty, crime and social instability prevails. The solution lies in building a bridge to cross this gap and improve opportunities for learning and skills development of the youth and older adults. This will empower them for employment and improve their overall socio-conomic prospects. This study investigates the architectural narratives that are relevant to the design of a successful, collaborative adult learning centre that will serve the Makause informal settlement in Primrose. The research is directed through an explorative lens of the sustainability triangle, discussing the social, economic and environmental implications. Literature reviews of the multi-disciplinary theoretical foundations of adult learning give insight into the unique social, intellectual and physical requirements of adult learners while existential needs are influenced by phenomenological approaches. Appropriate designs of learning spaces are subsequently guided by informed decisions. Economic sustainability is reinforced with financial support of corporate stakeholders and the large waterbody on the site provides environmental opportunities that will benefit both the facility and the community it serves.
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    Stories of the Forgone Forlorn Forgotten Space: Interrogating Mdantsane’s Liminal Space in which Ritual Operates
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-09) Xhegwana, Buhle; Maape, Sechaba
    The proposed site is located on Golden Highway in Mdantsane, Eastern Cape, and is a vacant plot of land adjacent to Mdantsane Correctional Services. The site situates itself in close proximity to multiple educational institutions and commerce, centrally within the township. The proposed research aims to analyse how Amasiko (cultural practices and their memory) within a non-transcribed culture can be translated into a built form that would be representative of its people. The built form would be envisioned as a container for memory where the ethnographic layering of information becomes a tool to access the ritual and its memory as a “Grand Mnemonic Device” to relay import ant aspects of the culture and its history (Trieb, 2013). The space envisaged must promote the acts of remembering and collecting as a tool in the process of creating a “house of memory” (Bahloul, 1992). This assembles what was not transcribed into a physical, experiential manifestation by creating a stronger link between architecture and society, looking beyond the merely functional state of architecture represented in the context. The program enacted in the space will mirror the act of the ritual by providing spaces that relate to the processes of the ritual in their various stages of the procession. The three main ritual processes focused on include Umgidi (Initiation ceremony), Umshado (wedding) and Umngcwabo (Funeral). The spaces proposed function as a tool to access the memory and ritual through its organisation while its program reaches out to the community. The program includes a community hall centred around the acts of song, dance and sermon; a kitchen to be used during gatherings and as a link to food security outreach; urban farm facilities to service the kitchen and community; discussion rooms for skill sharing, dialogue, non-transcribed learning and storytelling; video exhibition spaces to immerse oneself in the memory; a foyer with a primary focus on cleansing or washing hands before crossing the threshold into the space; storage and offices for facilitators of the space.