[Re]arch: exploring the reuse and recollection of the existing building stock for a new multi-purpose development in the Johannesburg urban context
Date
2022
Authors
De Gregorio, Dominique
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Abstract
Two of the main theoretical drivers for this project is the connection to memory (and the restoration of past memories to new ones) and street (and its contribution to the everyday ritual of life). These concepts overlap as the role of architecture and its influence on the street is important for societal remembrance as the built environment represents the memory of individuals and people as a whole. These drivers can then be further linked to the concepts of adaptive reuse architecture and mixed-use development which help me come to a final conclusion on the theoretical approach to my design of this project.
Johannesburg is a city which is extremely rich in both history and its connection to the street as it is a city born from the exploitation of wealth during the gold rush and the exclusion of specific groups of people and since then has gone through many changes to become the lively developing city we know and love today. However, there are parts of Johannesburg city centre that have become abandoned and left undefined due to these constant changes in the political climate and the large urban sprawl. Therefore, using these theories I plan to explore the vibrancy of Johannesburg, and create social and economical links that can help to uplift and urbanize these areas of the city that have become redundant because of their past...
Description
A research report submitted to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Architecture, 2022