Masters Thesis 2022 - The Design of an Active Landscape, Johannesburg, South Africa

The Design of an

ACTIVE URBAN LANDSCAPE

for the Park Station Precinct in Johannesburg

Figure 1. Johannesburg City isometric with Intervention (by author)

Submitted in Partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Masters in Architecture Professional.

School of Architecture

Nelson Mandela University PO BOX 77000 Gqeberha 6031 South Africa

Date of Completion : November 2022

Declaration

I hereby declare that the thesis titled,TheDesignof anActiveUrbanLandscapefortheParkStation precinct in Johannesburg, has been composed solely by myself and that it has not been submitted , in whole or in part , in any previous application for a degree. External sources are marked by reference or acknowledgment, the rest of the work presented is entirely my own.

Andrew Ian Park Proudman s217643515

I hope that this stamp will be used by other Technology Students as we show the pride in our roots.

Acknowledgments

Masters

Thank you to Andrew Palframan for your wisdom and guidance during this year. My understanding and enthusiasm towards architecture has grown leaps and bounds. Because of this I have been able to produce something that I am proud of. We did this!

Technology

This treatise is a culmination of the years of teaching and influence during my 6 years at Nelson Mandela University. The time spent in the department of Architectural Technology and Interior Design was absolutely fundamental in the development of my skills. I whole heartedly believe in the work that is done by them in preparing students for the architectural industry and will forever advocate that students start their studies in technology before making their way to the more 'theoretical work'.

I am happy to call myself a "Techie" and hope to carry on the legacy of the people that have taken the same path and succeeded. Thank you to all the lecturers that had a hand in my growth. We did this!

Family

To my mom and dad, thank you for allowing me to choose my own path in life, while giving me nothing but love and support along the way. I hope that I can continue to make you proud. I love you so much. Thank you for everything. We did this!

Friends

Here's To the long nights, the early mornings and the endless streams of coffee. Thank you to each and every person that made the hard work bearable. We might not all head in the same direction, but I have faith that we are all going to do awesome things. I am blessed to call you my friends. We did this!

Barriers and buffer zones are re-imagined into highly connected places for people. Central Johannesburg Became the test bed for the model, exploiting its energies of informal trade and transport as fuel for the production of this social architecture.

This treatise was developed from an interest in creating urban place that is centered on physical, social and environmental wellness. The aim of the research was to understand the role of architecture in city space. By drawing on influences like Rem Koolhaas' Delirious New York, Japanese Metabolism and social space philosophies, a set of principles were generated for a public urban space model.

Plagued by a history of modernist and apartheid urban planning that generated disconnected urban environments, South African cities offer an opportunity for a unique kind of public urban space.

III | Formailties

'Crowded' by Ruan Erasmus (Erasmus, 2022)

It is projected that by the year 2050, more than 2 thirds of the world’s population will be living in urban areas. Now more than ever before, cities will play a fundamental role in the shaping of urban cultures. As densities rise, public spaces become increasingly important as a means to facilitate interactions, trade and activities.

"METRO, BOULOT, DODO"

[may

- tro - boo - lo - do - do]

Born out of the Paris 68' protests, "métro, boulot, dodo" is an phrase synonymous with civil unrest aimed at poor public environments in cities, The informal French expression is a colloquial way of saying that you 'live to work'. It emphasises the importance of quality public spaces that can help citizens to break the monotony of urban life. It is similar to the English phrases like 'the rat race' and 'work, work, work', but these phrases don't quite capture the same sense of constant movement as their French counterpart.

'Metro'-Raliways / Transit

'Bolout'-Work (informal)

'Dodo'-Sleep (baby talk for 'Sleep')

Figure 3. 'Contents' photograph by Henni Stander

Developing a model for a new type of Public Space in South African Cities

Throughout history, people, cities and architecture have had a symbiotic relationship. People gathered and formed communities, who used architecture as a way to lay their claim on the earth (Ortman, Lobo & Smith, 2020). As societies grew and became more complex so did the urban environment, finally becoming the cities we know today.

Cities and their architecture have influenced cultures and social interactions by moulding physical space. if cities are understood as places of interaction, then public urban space is its most vital facilitator, serving as the melting pot of urban society (Buchanan, 2013). These spaces allow citizens to gather, interact and socialise in the city. They are important spaces that break the monotonous rhythm of urban life; transit, work, sleep, repeat. Great cities have been able to develop their own forms of desirable public urban spaces.

Modernist city planners used a 'Functional city' approach that separated urban functions and organised them into zones(Gold, 1998). These zones were then connected by transportation, with an emphasis on automobiles and railways. This way of creating cities has since led to highly disconnected urban environments (Levy, 1999). In South Africa, this was exacerbated by the apartheid regime, which used transport infrastructure, and other spatial elements, to intentionally racially segregate people. This has left South African cities with a plethora of barriers and buffer zones that form a highly disconnected urban landscape.

"Citiesaretheplaceswherepeople meettoexchangeideas,trade,or simplyrelaxandenjoythemselves. Acity’spublicdomain~itsstreets, squares,andparks~isthe stageandthe catalystforthese activities."

Richard Rogers in read (Gehl, 2010: IX).

Figure 4. People Cities and Architecture (by Author)

This treatise deals with the development of a model for public urban space in South African cities. The model will transform these barriers and buffer zones from elements of disconnection, into vibrant urban connectors. To demonstrate the model, the principles will be implemented in the design of an urban park in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Johannesburg, the City of Gold, is a boomtown situated in the Gauteng Province. Dubbed ‘South Africa’s Manhattan’, it is a city that is fuelled by an extraordinary energy generated by its diverse citizens, complex urban landscape, and prospects of economic opportunity (Samin, 2009). At the heart of this sprawling metropolitan, is the historical Central Business District (CBD). The urban condition is generally poor, with inadequate service delivery, vehicle-centred streets and a lack of public space options. Despite this, the area is alive with people, taxis, and informal trade. Where the city has failed to provide adequate traditional public spaces types such as squares or plazas, the people have created their own in the streets. Bustling markets and rambunctious taxi ranks have become generators of this unique urbanity.

Urbanity, city space and place-making are at the core of this treatise. Understanding these concepts requires an exploration of urban theories and literature. Rem Koolhaas and his book Delirious NewYork(1978) provided a fundamental lens for understanding the architecture of a city. In particular, his theories of Manhattanism and The Social Condenser offered a unique insight into urban culture. In the book, the culture is generated by the relationship between the city, its people, and the architecture. Koolhaas was also interested in Japanese Metabolism, an established architectural movement with principles for the creation of an architecture in dense urban environments (Self, 2011). Metabolists had a particular interest in the adaptability and flexibility of architecture, one that can grow and diminish with the flux of the contemporary city (Tamari, 2014). Hedonistic Sustainability, Third Space Theory and Terrain Vague are also explored as tools for regenerating particular types of urban space.

Like a city system, one of organised chaos, the theoretical framework is a complex series of theories and ideas culminating in a coherent set of principles, for the redevelopment of unproductive and disconnected urban space.

Figure 5. Johannesburg skyline before sunset (Freepik, n.d)

Figure 6. 'Johannesburg Streets' (Kgomotso Neto, 2019)

Aims & Objectives

The treatise aims to design a recreational urban park in the Johannesburg CBD. The landscape will become a social condenser within the city, one that can grow, respond, and thrive within the flux of the urban landscape. The main objectives that this treatise will undertake are:

Developing a set of principles for a model, which can be used to regenerate urban spaces in South African cities.

Contextualising theories and research into a set of appropriate design drivers.

Understanding the complex nature of Johannesburg’s urban landscape by responding to the culture of the street.

Understanding the nature of adaptable and modular architectural construction techniques for flexible architecture.

Creating a landscape that embodies continuity and connectivity.

The implementation of active design principles into public urban space.

Structure

The document is comprised of two parts.

PartAhas four chapters. Chapter 1 is a literature review that provides the theoretical framework for the design. Chapter 2 deals with the nature of the context, culminating in a series of constraints and informants. Chapter 3 seeks to understand the nature of the building type through research and the study of precedents. Chapter 4 contains the principles exploration of theories that are discussed in Chapters 1 through 3.

PartBhas three chapters. Chapter 5 & 6 contain elements from the design development such as the brief, model explorations, sketches, and diagrams. Chapter 7 contains the final design, including plans, sections, elevations, and renders. Finally chapter 8 includes all the sources of information used in the treatise. The Structure allows the document to flow from chapter to chapter, developing the argument ,ultimately acting as one coherent body of work.

Methodology

“Whatisveryimportantistodistinguishtwotypesofwriting: onethatIwouldcallwritingaboutarchitectureandonethatI wouldcallwritingofarchitecture.Writingaboutarchitectureis themostcommon…thetextsaregenerallydescriptive…butin themselvestheyarenotarchitecture…since1968,anumberof textswerewrittenthatarearchitecture…Theyarearchitectures inthemselves.Inotherwords,theyproposeformsofarchitectural strategies,literallyintheformofasubstitute”

Bernard Tchumi (Cerra, n.d.)

Aresearch methodology outlines the overall strategy for the undertaking of academic research. It serves to show an understanding of the research process, thus providing the body of work with a level of reliability and validity in the field of academia (Crossley, 2021).

This project deals with a public urban architectural design in Johannesburg CBD, South Africa. The aim of the project is to establish a set of principles for an architectural model for public urban spaces in South African cities. These principles are generated from the analysis and interpretation of architectural theory, precedent, and the existing context in order to create the model. Architects and urban planners often deal with the topic of public urban space, this treatise aims to add value to these ongoing conversations and generate a useful tool for designers.

I believe that architecture is a creative science. It deals with contrasting fields such as engineering, construction, art, and philosophy, to name a few. Design processes can take on statistics, surveys, and other forms of data rooted it in the real world, while other design processes take on a more philosophical and phenomenological approach that deals with creative interpretation, human experience, and metaphorical representation of concepts. These philosophies and processes are used to generate a final physical product. It is important that the research philosophy reflects that of the design philosophy in order to create a coherent body of work.

The process of architectural design normally follows an applied research strategy due to the development of a physical product but, as I am a student, the treatise forms part of pure or basic research, resting in academia, used only to further develop architectural thinking within particular areas of the discourse (Britannica, 2021).

Within research there are four main philosophies, namely : Realism, Positivism, Interpretivism Pragmatism.

Realism is rooted in research that is outside of the human experience, often used in science. Positivism deals with knowledge gained and interpreted objectively through the analysis and production of data sets, using quantitative research methods and statistical analysis. This method allows for reading and capturing of data observed from the real world, without subjective interpretation. Interpretivism opposes the positivist philosophy, integrating the human element into the interpretation of research data, allowing for subjectivity. This philosophy therefore utilises qualitative methods over quantitative, allowing for the exploration of concepts and experience in more depth (Dudovskiy, 2011).

Pragmatists believe that there are multiple ways to interpret the world and research, allowing for a broader understanding of the problem being investigated. This philosophy allows researchers to apply mixed methods in order to resolve different questions, rather than the mutually exclusive methods of the positivist and interpretivist philosophies (Dudovskiy, 2011).

In an ideal setting the design research would involve a pragmatic mixed methods approach. However, due to the limitations of being a student in architectural education, the research will all be qualitative in nature.

This treatise, therefore, follows an interpretivist philosophy, incorporating interpretative research methods. It uses a deductive research analysis of information from books, websites, and architectural media to create a set of design drivers usedin the design and production stages of the project. The research process utilises established theories, and information to formulate novel solutions to existing problems, as opposed to trying to formulate a new theory from the research (Dudovskiy, 2011).

Through the application of this methodical research structure, I hope to create a valuable and coherent argument with the research producing a series of design informants that can be used to develop the final architectural product. My aim is not to give an absolute response to the problems outlined but to create a valuable conversation that can add to a wider public argument on the development of a unique public space for South African cities.

Figure 7. Figure Methods, Strategies, Philosophies for Research Methodologies (Dudovskiy, J. 2011)

Figure 8. OMA Work Flow (Timmer, 2015)

A.

Research & Analysis

CHAPTER 1: Literature Review

CHAPTER 2: Nature of the context

CHAPTER 3: Nature of the Archetype

CHAPTER 4: Principle Exploration

A

The literature review aims to show an understanding of existing knowledge and theories, providing the design with a base from which to establish its position within the discourse (Jansen & Warren, 2020). In this chapter, I will explore a set of theories, movements, and philosophies in architecture, endeavouring to gain an understanding of how they grappled with different challenges in society.

This treatise was inspired by Delirious New York (1978), a book written by Rem Koolhaas. It was here that the treatise became about understanding the inner workings of dense urban environments. Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) was established by Koolhaas in 1975 as a collective that is concerned with the urban condition. Their designs were centred on the production of fields for social encounters. They focused on flexible responses that can change and adapt to the present moment, responding to the specific needs of the client and context without enforcing preconceived ideologies of form. (Yaneva, 2010).

Further exploration of other theories and philosphies led to architectural movemnets that dealt with the theme of the urban condition. Most notably was the exploration of two movements from the 1960s; Japanese Metabolism and Archigram. Both sought to provide models for means to inhabit dense urban environments (Garcia, 2015). These movements share similarities, but Metabolism was of particular interest for Koolhaas, going on to influence areas of his thinking and aid in the generation of his architectural visions.

Understanding these movements, and philosophies will provide a toolset used in this treatise to develop a model for the regeneration of public urban space in South African cities.

Establishing pragmatic-urbanmetabolism as a tool to generate desirable public environments within a city's 'left-over' spaces.

"A Pragmatist, A Metabolist and

Philosopher walk into a bar..."

Figure 9. 'Architects atop a Skyscraper' (by author) 10

image by author of “back-cover blurb” for Delirious New York (OMA website, n.d)

This chapter is written in the same format as DeliriousNewYork(1978). This structure allowed Koolhaas to emphasise contrasting or related topics, while still providing a coherent narrative. It reads much like a city. The reader explores the city blocks, streets lined with a collection of themes, curiosity leading them to an understanding of urbanity.

Figure 11. Image by author of DeliriousNewYorkcover(OMA website, n.d)

“…intermsofstructure,thisbookisasimulacrumofManhattan’sgrid:acollectionofblockswhoseproximityandjuxtaposition reinforcetheirseparatemeanings”

(Koolhaas, 1994 : 11).

Koolhaasianism

Considered by many as the mastermind of the Dutch Pragmatist movement, Rem Koolhaas has developed a multitude of theories and design processes that pertain to the urban condition. He has been able to implement these through the OMA, which has influenced some of the most prominent architects today, such as; Bjarke Ingels, Winy Maas and Zaha Hadid (Gupta, 2018). Architectural theorist Sandford Kwinter would critique poor reproductions of Koolhaas’s theories, labelling them “Ill digested Koolhaasianism”, indirectly commenting on the immense influence these theories had on architecture at the time. (Mallgrave & Goodman, 2011). Koolhaas’s polemic persona and his critical thinking are a large part of his success in the world of architecture, actively challenging the modernist ideologies of aesthetics, in favour of an open and unbiased design process.

Koolhaas began his career in journalism and movie script writing which served as a fundamental tool in developing his architectural process. He saw writing as a tool for thinking about architecture, without prescribing form or aesthetics.

Here architecture became a tool for the division of people, disabling their transition from the ‘bad side’ to the ‘good side’. Through the thesis, he was able to design architecture in the same mode, but instead of generating division, the ‘wall’ became a set of layered recreational urban activities within a large strip of central London. Citizens would become voluntary prisoners of this wall (Cerra, n.d.). The thesis became the catalyst for him to embark on his journey to understand urban environments, uncovering their driving forces while enabling the development of his theoretical ideas. (see Cahpter 4 pg for reference to ‘Exodus’)

Manhattanism

Koolhaas’s Delirious New York (1978) was a retroactive manifesto for the early development of New York City. The previous modernist way of planning involved writing manifestos that informed new urban conditions, but in Manhattan, the architects had improvised spatial conditions faster than they had time to validate them. (Cerra, n.d.) This meant Koolhaas could both describe the city and prescribe it. The manifesto established a polemic architectural text, in a tone of fascination and admiration, for the city that would become fundamental in the development of his design dogma.

Edward Soja (2014), reflecting on his theory of the Third, stated, “Rather than an actual force in the shaping of society and theory, space became a reflective mirror of societal modernization.” However, this can be used as a way of understanding the phenomena of Manhattanism.

Going on to write a plethora of journals and books, Koolhaas was able to establish his ways of thinking about culture, space, and design in the urban environment, without building anything. In 1971, his obsession with cities became apparent, with the publishing of his final project at the Architecture Association (AA), titled Exodus. The thesis explored the idea of architecture as a tool for controlling or influencing space, with the Berlin Wall as its muse.

Through exploring the history of Manhattan and engaging with many of the designers of the time, Koolhaas was able to piece together his version of Manhattans development, focusing on architecture’s role in the generation of a culture, and vice versa (Koolhaas, 1994). Through this process of discovery, he would go on to establish Manhattanism as the unformulated urban movement that shaped New York City. This theory set up a way of understanding the metropolitan condition and led him to further explore how architecture can be a tool for the generation of vibrant urban space. For Koolhaas, architecture was a catalyst of the ‘event’, facilitating the major socio-cultural activities within the city.

Figure 12.

figure : ‘KOOLAGE’ (by author) embedded portrait of Rem Koolhaas by Stefan Vanfleteren

“Maybe,architecturedoesn’thave tobestupidafterall.Liberated fromtheobligationtoconstruct, itcanbecomeawayofthinking aboutanything-adisciplinethat representsrelationships,proportions,connections,effects,the diagramofeverything”

(Koolhaas in Cerra, n.d.).

...Emergingfromtheelevatorontheninthfloor, thevisitorfindshimselfinadarkvestibulethat leadsdirectlyintoalockerroomthatoccupiesthe centreoftheplatform,wherethereisnodaylight.

Thereheundresses,putsonboxinggloves andentersanadjoiningspaceequippedwitha multitudeofpunchingbags(occasionallyhemay evenconfrontahumanopponent),Onthesouthern side,thesamelockerroomisalsoservicedbyan oysterbarwithaviewovertheHudsonRiver.

Eatingoysterswithboxinggloves,naked,onthe ninthfloor–suchisthe‘plot’oftheninthstorey,or the20thcenturyinaction.”

(koolhaas, 1994 :155)

Figure 13. 'Boxers eating oysters, naked, on the ninth floor' (Koolhaas, 1994 : 155)

Skyward

One of Manhattan’s manifestations was the Downtown Athletics Club. The skyscraper would offer an uncanny example of Manhattanism at work. The 38-floor mixed-use building provided an image of what the culture had produced, each floor a new and undiscovered reality. The elevator is the only medium for connection to the seemingly endless supply of programmatic possibilities.

The ninth floor shows how this type of architecture allows the imagination to create its reality from a strategy of mixing uses. This provided two particular discoveries for Koolhaas.

Vertically stacked elements in the form of a skyscraper would inevitably create disconnected space. It was this that encouraged him to develop theories and models for a way to create a vertically connected space (Garcia, 2015). He would eventually implement his solution through the design of OMA’s Seattle Public Library, which showed that by using a series of ramps and manipulated floor planes, one could create a continuous landscape, imbuing a sense of connectivity and continuity in the space.

Downtown Athletics Club inspired his philosophy of creating ‘the Event’ through the use of highly diverse programming, linking both physically and visually to the urban environment (Dovey & Dickson, 2002). .

This ‘Cross-programming’ technique has been used by Koolhaas, and his fellow pragmatists, with the intention of creating vibrancy and interest for the people that utilise the architecture.

Figure 14. figure : Plan And section of Downtown Athletics Club (koolhaas, 1994 : 155)16

Big Soft Orange

Pragmatists in architecture can be defined by their analysis and interpretation of relevant data into drivers, their response to the requirements of the client and context, as well as the creation of ribbons of programme (Mallgrave & Goodman, 2011). This is a move away from theoretical ideals to a more exuberant and playful design thinking that comes from the diagrammatic abstraction of information into an informant, and sometimes even into literal formal expression.

Cities offered pragmatists a number of constraints and informants to analyse and respond to, exploiting the urban forces and flows to create their architectural projects. By utilising a toolbox of maximum flexibility and general freedom from predetermined ideals, they were able to generate new ways of experiencing urban space (Mallgrave & Goodman, 2011). This allowed them to succeed internationally, creating architecture that responded to its particular social, cultural, and political environment.

In 1999, architect, Michael Speaks, criticised the pragmatist’s adaptability by labelling them the ‘Big Soft Orange’ (Mallgrave & Goodman, 2011). This was a name given to the many Dutch firms willing to take on any, and all, large architectural projects. Pragmatists, however, regard this flexibility as a strength, advocating for architecture as a reactive endeavour.

Generic

Modernisation and globalisation have challenged the rigid characteristics of the classical city, leading to a more flexible and adaptive urban condition. The generic city is a concept, theorised by Koolhaas, that advocates for the advantages of ‘blankness’, to shy away from strong, rigid elements and styles for a city’s architecture. Koolhaas makes the argument that perhaps in the absence of a style or identity, it could allow for an easier expansion, reinterpretation, and renewal of a city over time (Akcan, 2008).

He advocates for flexibility and adaptability in design, allowing the ‘poetic mutations’ of the city to exist. In this model, the architecture facilitates the vibrant culture of the people. It is the culture of urbanity that provides the richness of identity in contemporary cities, rather than imposing it through architectural interventions. Elements of this theory resonate with earlier movements that offered models for flexible architectural strategies.

Plug ‘n Play

At the beginning of the 1960s, five architects banded together to form the Avant-Garde movement, Archigram. These architects rebelled against the mainstream architecture of the times in favour of amusement, technological innovation, and the human experience (Pickering, 2006).

Artistic collages and pop culture references helped them to express their vision of the future in a whimsical but unique way. Among the over nine hundred illustrations and drawings, The Plug-in City was a techno-utopian model that visualised a future where technological innovation was exploited to generate megastructures, made up of interchangeable parts with links to mass transport systems (McAndrew, 2019). This was a response to the rapid flux of cities of the time. By generating customisable urban lifestyles for citizens, the megastructure could expand, adapt, and change with the flux of the urban environment. The model provides ways of thinking about the architecture in cities which are of the culture, flexible in its construction and vibrant in its aesthetics.

“Itiseasy.Itdoesnotneedmaintenance.Ifitgetstoosmallitjustexpands.Ifitgetstooolditjustself-destructsandrenews.Itisequally exciting-orunexciting-everywhere.

ItisSuperficial-likeaHollywood studiolot,itcanproduceanewidentityeveryMondaymorning.”

(Koolhaas, Mau, Sigler & Werlemann, 1998: 1250).

Figure 15. ‘Plug-in City’ by Peter Cook (Archigram, 1964)

Metabolism

Also born out of the 1960s, Metabolism would become what Koolhaas regards as the first non-western Avant Garde movement. Conceived in Japan, by architect Kenzo Tange, it brought together Japanese students and architects to see its conception. The movement, while a search for identity in Japanese architecture, was a response to catastrophic events, including World War Two and subsequent natural disasters, that led to the destruction of parts of Japanese cities. Tange wanted to create architecture that could be the face of a new and prosperous Japan (Tamari, 2014).

Embedded in biology, the movement was rooted in the idea that cities and architecture could emulate organic processes (De Oliveira, 2011). Much like an organism, the architecture would respond to its environment and to the passing of time, developing resilience or succumbing to the pressures of the urban condition.

It was the biological abstraction and inherent cultural philosophies that helped to develop the model that could regenerate and rebuild their cities. Driven by

a period of impermanence and uncertainty, themes of modularity, adaptability and expandability would characterise their designs. These would allow their architectural ‘organisms’ to be in a perpetual state of growing and mutating, withering, and regenerating.

Utopias

One can understand that after catastrophic events, there would be a yearning for a utopian future, and in a sense, optimism as dogma. The Metabolists were convinced that their architecture would influence a new-and-improved socio-urban fabric, fixated on the viability of centralised organisms, and fully integrated systems (Tamari, 2014). They paradoxically wanted to increase autonomy by designing highly functional and rigid systems, manifesting as a form of socialist architecture; a way to control society’s movement and interactions. Unfortunately, the urge to plan whole cities and megastructures, coupled with economic collapse, ultimately saw an end to the movement. However, the Metabolist’s principles of adaptability and flexibility live on through their influence on architectural pedagogy.

“Onceyou’reinterestedinhowthingsevolve,youhaveakindof never-endingperspective,becauseitmeansyou’reinterestedin articulatingtheevolution.”

Rem Koolhaas tweet. (Self, 2011)

Figure 16.

‘Capsule tower poster collage’ (Author, 2022) embedded poster by Kisho Kurokawa 1972.

Figure 17. Kenzo Tange & "Cities in the Air" model by Arata Isozaki (by author) 20

Condensation

Using architecture to influence socio-behavioural systems in cities, was not a new idea. In 1917, after the Great October Socialist Revolution, the social condenser was an architectural strategy for propagating new ways of interacting under the socialist regime (Murawski, 2017).

The social condenser was used to make the new socialist ideals appealing to the masses. It integrated housing schemes, work, and public cultural activities into combinations never seen pre-revolution. The social condenser would be a tool to generate new kinds of social interactions. Koolhaas has since appropriated this strategy, going as far as to patent it, along with a series of other models, in the Universal Modernization Patent (Koolhaas, 2004). The social condenser reinforced his theory that diverse programmatic combinations could generate desirable social interactions. It would become Koolhaas’s tool for a type of programmatic placemaking, a method to provide vibrant social spaces that serve social sustainability.

Hedonism

In Delirious New York, Koolhaas explores moments of architectural hedonism; interventions with the sole purpose to provide vibrant social spaces for the entertainment of the citizens. In recent years Bjarke Ingles has coined the term Hedonistic Sustainability. This is a design philosophy that responds to the need for creating spaces for play, leisure, and interaction. It insists that architecture can be both human-centred and maintain ecological efficiency (Estika, Kusuma, Prameswari & Sudradjat, 2020). This is a ‘both-and’ mindset that puts holistic wellness at the centre of the design. This philosophy encourages thinking in terms of architecture influencing the wellness of both social space as well as physical space and as a tool for the regeneration of urban environments.

Wellness

Architecture has a clear influence on society with regard to physical wellness. Studies show that it takes as little as 30 minutes of daily moderate aerobic exercise to see benefits such as increased brain function, increased longevity, weight management, reduced depression and anxiety, improved sleep (World Health Organisation (WHO), 2016). The importance of physical activity has grown in popularity in recent years as people have become more aware of the negative impact of our increasingly sedentary urban lifestyles. There is a need to look to design strategies that help to integrate more movement into our daily lives.

Active Cities is a planning strategy promoting active leisure, diverse movement types and social inclusion within cities (Sallis, et.al. 2015). The strategy utilises active design principles to inspire movement through opportunities for passive and active forms of physical activity. Well-designed circulation can promote walkability, bikeability, and visibility, thus generating a connected landscape with a diverse range of physical activities.

Active design can generate spaces filled with human activity working as a tool for injecting vibrancy into public spaces. Active landscapes, like urban parks, provide people with opportunities to play, rest, and socialise. In the book, The Great Good Place (2005), Ray Oldenburg expresses the fundamental role of these places in the generation of healthy social spaces. His Third Place Theory promotes the integration of recreational public places between work and home where people gather to feel a sense of inclusion.

Figure 18. Figure : ‘Tuan Jie Hu’ (Drawing Architecture Studio, n.d)

Third

The idea of the third space is found throughout philosophy. It is used to describe an ‘other-ness’ or a ‘between-ness’. Edward Soja uses Henri Lefebvre’s concept of trialectic reasoning as the base for his Third Space Theory. Simplified, the theory articulates how people exist in socially produced spaces.

He describes three elements that make up space. The first space is physical space; the urban built environment as a measurable landscape. The second space is the representational space; it lives in our

minds and relates to how people perceive space. The third space is a combination of real and imagined space and is a fully lived space. The third space is the human experience of the first space, mediated through the lens of second space expectations (Soja, 2014).

According to Lefebvre, this is the socially constructed space that the people hold in their collective memories. This space becomes important in understanding human interactions in society.

andtheunimaginable,therepetitiveandthedifferential,structure andagency,mindandbody,consciousnessandtheunconscious,the disciplinedandthetransdisciplinary,everydaylifeandunending

Figure 19. Henri Lefebvres 'trialectics of space' model (by author)

“Everything comes together… subjectivity and objectivity, the abstractandtheconcrete,therealandtheimagined,theknowable

history.”

(Soja,2014).

Vague

Urban environments can contain an element of third space. Ignasi de Solà-Morales, also influenced by the teachings of Lefebvre, classifies these spaces as Terrain Vague. His term is given to islands of unproductive space in a city that are void of any activity due to the consequential nature of their creation, like ‘knitting with imperfections’ (De Solà-Morales, 1995). It encompasses the leftover spaces that are either irregular, hard to reach, or undesirable. These spaces can include parking lots, traffic islands, railway infrastructure and highway overpasses. Terrain Vague speaks to the provocative nature of these spaces. He suggests that these spaces imbue a sense of mobility and freedom in their blankness or placelessness.

The indefinite and uncertain nature of these spaces is not seen as solely negative. De Solà-Morales believes that they present an opportunity for desirable forms of internal expansion. He sees the evocative potential in unused islands of space and in weaving them back into the tapestry of the city. If these unproductive zones are understood in this nature, terrain vague can become a unique urban strategy for creating a sense of connectedness in otherwise disconnected urban landscapes.

Figure 20. ‘Vague Terrain’ (author, 2022)

Establishing Principles for a Pragmatic-Urban-Metabolism

DeliriousNewYorkoffers an insight into a world of architectural hedonism, with experiential realities created to serve the culture of the people. While some might see the negative effects of congestion, density, and the urban condition, Koolhaas expresses its poetic essence. It is an urban space that is bursting with diversity and delight around every corner. It is a lens that frames the generation of urban architecture rooted in urbanity.

This chapter has informed the development of pragmatic-urban-metabolism, a package of eight principles that can aid in the regeneration of urban spaces in South African cities. These principles will be used to convert third space into a vibrant third place:

Flexibility of the design will be crucial to dealing with the flux of the urban environment. Flexibility in spaces and structure will ensure the longevity of the intervention as it responds to the needs of the context.

Adaptability can be achieved through the use of modular elements and construction techniques that will allow the intervention to grow and wither over time.

Programmatic diversity is essential to generate vibrant social spaces and accommodate a diverse range of people.

Verticality to increase the overall density while maintaining Connectivity and Continuity of space.

Active Design principles will be utilised, ensuring physical wellness for the users.

Terrain Vague offers a lens for discovering sites; Third spaces that can be used to facilitate this type of intervention.

Figure 21. ‘Delirious Johannesburg’ ( by author) Edit of photo by Henni Stander

Delirious Johannesburg

The treatise aims to develop a model for public urban space in South African cities. The model will be used to reactivate unproductive and derelict spaces within the urban environment.

Chapter 2 uses the themes from the literature review as a lens through which to analyse the nature of the context. It investigates elements of social, cultural, and environmental structures in and around the project’s location. This analysis takes the form of mapping, tracing and photographic studies that help to fully understand the site and its informants.

The city of Johannesburg has been chosen as the test bed for the model. This chapter investigates the metropolitan condition, prospecting for energies, and searching for barriers. Third space and terrain vague help to determine sites with the potential for regeneration. It is important to understand the nature of the social fabric, structuring elements, and programmatic potentials in order to generate a set of constraints and informants that inform a holistic intervention.

“ Certainlythecityisaplaceof tradeandmanufacture,residenceand recreation,educationandwelfare. Butthequintessentialandmost elevatedpurposeofthe cityisasthecrucibleinwhich culture,creativityandconsciousness continuallyevolve.

- ‘The Big Rethink’ (Buchanan, 2012)

A Culture of Flux

Understanding the nature of the modern urban societies.

The Culture of Congestion represents how architecture has been able to influence urban culture and the role that citizens played in the success of those interventions (Koolhaas, 1994). The architecture was the proponent of the event, often momentarily successful, but inevitably losing the interest of people as they looked to satisfy their desire for new and exciting activities. This led to many structures becoming obsolete within a few years.

Modernist urban planners sought to implement their preconceived ideologies of order and control on the chaos of the urban environment (Levy, 1999). The metropolitan condition is complex and contradictory. It is an unstable force that cannot be controlled, only facilitated. It is an organism in a constant state of flux. Rem Koolhaas advocates for the creation of resilience through understanding this ever-changing, ever-growing and ever-mutating nature of the modern city (Koolhaas, Mau, Sigler & Werlemann, 1998). He asserts that the moment one seeks to concretize the present, one becomes irrelevant, lost in the fleeting nature of the urban

procession. Planning should always happen with the future in mind and with designs that can respond to the flux of the urban condition. There is a need for the role of planners and designers to be reconsidered, not as dictators of urban structures, but rather as facilitators of its forces and flows. The Metabolists offered theories for resilient urbanism, one that accepted growth, destruction, and renewal in all aspects of life (Schalk, 2014). It is an ideology that embodies flexibility in the generation of new systems, being able to respond to the flux of the urban environment and always striving for balance.

Rapid urbanisation has caused cities to develop from skyscrapers to urban sprawl, changing from hyper-density to rambling suburbia. This has occurred through the integration of the automobile into modernist planning strategies. This union has led to urban decentralisation and a low-density urban sprawl that rips the energy from a city’s core (Park & Andrews, 2004). In recent years, sustainable development models have focused on the regeneration of these city centres, a return to density, and a form of inward expansion.

Urbanismwillneveragainbeaboutthe ‘new’,onlyaboutthe‘moreandthe‘modified’.Itwillnotbeaboutthecivilized,but abouttheunderdeveloped.Sinceitisout ofcontrol,theurbanisabouttobecome amajorvectorofimagination.Redefined, urbanismwillnotonly,ormostlybeaprofession,butawayofthinking,anideology:toacceptwhatexists.Weweremaking sandcastles.Nowweswimintheseethat sweptthemaway.

What ever happened to urbanism’(Koolhaas, Mau, Sigler, Werlemann, 1998).

The South African urban landscape

Cultural geographer, Philippe Gervais Lambony has stated, “The urban landscapes of South African cities are significantly readable”, (Samin, 2009). It gives a strikingly poignant statement about the generic structure of the South African city. Original urban planning in South Africa was used as a tool for control. Influenced by the modernist urban planners, the apartheid government imposed racially motivated structural segregation. Industrial infrastructure and land barriers were typical elements used to segregate communities of People of Colour (POC) from white communities. Almost 30 years post-apartheid, through inevitable and much needed reform, these planning strategies are no longer in effect, yet, the echoing outcomes of the apartheid-era planning are still considerably noticeable in the layout of cities, with a social hierarchy still based almost solely on racial differences and economic inequalities.

With South African cities still imbuing a sense of division, designers are left to pick up the pieces, dealing with disconnected urban environments, derelict public infrastructure, and poor public spaces. If the ‘rainbow nation’ is to prosper, division needs to be eradicated through the creation of connected urban organisms, and a collective South Africa.

“ This way I salute you:/My hand pulses to my back trousers pocket/ Orintomyinnerjacketpocket/For mypass,mylife…/Itravelonyour blackandwhiteandrobottedroads, /Throughyourthickironbreaththat youinhale/Atsixinthemorningand exhalefromfivenoon…” (Serote, 2002: 4).

Noun. [ bar·ri·er ]

1 : something that blocks the way.

2 : something that keeps apart or Makes Progress Difficult.

White. Developed. Suburbia.

People of colour. Underdeveloped. Informal settlement.

Road Infrastructure. Open space. Coarse grain plots. Low density.

Minimal open space. Fine grain plots. High density.

Land buffer

"BARRIER" Railway or IDZ

Figure 22. Diagram of typical South African spatial segregation (by author)

MIDDLE CLASS

UNDERPRIVILEGED

WORKING CLASS

UNDERPRIVILEGED

MIDDLE CLASS

UNDERPRIVILEGED

MIDDLE CLASS

Figure 23. 'Barrier in Tswane', Edit of Google earth image (by author)

Figure 25. 'N2 Barrier, East London ', Edit of Google earth image (by author)

Figure 24. 'Barrier in Walmer, Gqeberha', Edit of Google earth image (by author)

MIDDLE CLASS

UNDERPRIVILEGED

MIDDLE CLASS

MIDDLE CLASS

UNDERPRIVILEGED

Figure 26. 'Barrier in Tswane', Edit of Google earth image (by author)

Figure 27. 'Barrier in Tswane', Edit of Google earth image (by author)

Figure 28. 'Barrier in Pietermaritzburg', Edit of Google earth image (by author)

Figure 29. ‘Streets of Jozi’ (Mkhobeni, 2022)

VIGOROUS, CRUDE AND BRAWLING, FILLED WITH THE INSISTENT PULSE OF LIFE”

– Is how Allen Drury describes Johannesburg in his book A VeryStrangeSociety:A JourneytotheHeartofSouthAfrica(Drury, 1967 :181)

Johannesburg has grown into a metropolis. A boomtown, conceived at the end of the 19th century through the discovery of gold deposits in the Witwatersrand, the city was quickly flooded by prospectors, causing it to grow at an unprecedented rate in the South African context. To adapt to the growing activity, city planners quickly laid down rigid grid systems to achieve maximum capital gain, selling off plots of land to a multitude of acquisitive companies and tycoons. In this whirlwind of development, the CBD became the core from which the city grew. The CBD ushered in banks, mining company headquarters and eventually the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. The face of the city quickly went from quaint Edwardian aesthetics to vertically extruding Art Deco towers. Referred to as South Africa’s Manhattan, the architecture would start emulating that of New York’s metropolis, even going as far as to borrow the names of its buildings, such as the Chrysler House and Astor Mansions. During the 1950s, the skyscraper would become the means by which the city showed its dominance, with more than fifty being built in just over a decade (Murray, 2011).

The Ring Road is a highway system constructed to facilitate connectivity in and around the metropolis. It subsequently induced an urban sprawl that saw the decentralisation of the city’s core. The collapse coincided with the abolishment of apartheid, and consequently, the Group Areas Act, which saw a flood of POC to the CBD, in search of economic empowerment. The corporate vitality in the CBD

would be short-lived as the urban landscape was quickly reconstituted into a forest of residential towers. This led to the generation of elements like overcrowding, informal and illegal trade, and crime (Sudjic, 2006).

Without major reconstruction, the new social class was expected to thrive in a sterile and neglected public space. This produced resilience within the people who were forced to be adaptable and responsive to rapid change.

Writing Johannesburg: from the labyrinth to the map is a journal that analyses stories produced in South African novels, narrating on the complexity of reading the Johannesburg urban landscape. It suggests a dichotomous relationship between the map and the experience on street level (Samin, 2009). For planners and architects, the position above the clouds allows for the reading of a particular urban condition of order and connectedness. Conversely, the experience of place and memory is fundamentally different. The pedestrian sees the city for what it is, a labyrinth or a maze that was not designed at eye level but from an eye in the sky.

“BIG,

The model seeks out dense urban environments, places that are able to provide fuel for the urban generator.

It is Here that the social condenser can be established, feeding off of the energies, generating connections and creating positive urban space for the city of Johannesburg.

Figure 30. 'Locating Energy' : metro scale (by author,)

JOHANNESBURGJOBURGJOZITHE CITY OF GOLD

Figure 31. 'Mining Belt as a Barrier' in Johannesburg Metro (by author)

Locating the model within Johannesburg Metro

The urban condition that has been conceived is admittedly flawed, much like the development of South Africa. There is a need for some level of acceptance of the current state of our urban environments. From this rises a challenge for all designers, to develop a unique spatial response for a diverse urban community. This can be achieved through the exploitation of the city’s culture and its forces and flows. In the absence of adequate public urban space to support the congestion, people take to the streets to meet, trade, and socialise. This, along with particular modes of transportation, has led to a vibrant and bustling street culture. The system is imperfect, the socio-cultural condition tattered and torn, but the people have been able to generate their own space.

Figure 32. 'Railway as a barrier' through Central Johannesburg (by author)

Central Johannesburg

“... a quality of form, of architectural form, of urban form, something essentially material, yet naturally affecting, reverberating uponthebehaviourandwellbeingofpeople,whenimmersedinthe publicspace.”

(Vieira de Aguiar, 2013)

Figure 33. 'Morning coffee in central Joburg' , author edited photograph by Londeka Thabethe (Thabethe,2015)

PROSPECTING FORENERGY

Density Data from the 2011 Census along with activity data generated extracted from Google maps (AfriGIS, 2022) established high usage areas. Much of these areas were focused around the Commercial and transport activities with secondary areas being cultural, residential and recreational activities. Energy is

distributed centrally around Park station. This area is home to markets, retail and taxi infrastructure.

The sunken railway infrastructure creates a ‘Dead zone’ through the center, void of human activity. This infrastructure breaks the flow of energy between the suburbs.

People Energies

Central Johannesburg is a web of Transportation, with infrastructure at every scale;

The Railway and Newly established Johannesburg international transport interchange services greater Joburg and beyond.

Rea Vaya is the BRT system for the city, with stops and Stations scattered throughout.

The M1 Runs through the South western edge of the area.

Marshalltown and Park Station precinct facilitates Taxi ranks with MTN Noord being one of the largest in the country. The Taxi infrastructure forms the primary movement system for inner city inhabitants.

The northern suburbs of Parktown and Braamfontein contain large amounts of greenery and vegetation compared to the city centre. As you move southerly towards the mining belt it becomes increasingly sparse, seemly chopped off by the railway infrastructure.

The city centre has a plethora of green parks, but due to their lack of integrated activities, find themselves poorly maintained and often occupied by the homeless community. These recreational landscapes have become highly unsafe and derelict environments. With-in the centre there are 2 prominent urban parks; Joubert park and End Street North Park. They are close in proximity, but have no obvious connection. There is a possible opportunity to manage a connection within the intervention to create a better-connected green system.

Figure 35. 'Green System' : Central Johannesburg (by author)

Figure 36. 'Movement Networks' : Central Johannesburg (by author)

Movement networks

‘Third places’ can be churches, coffee shops, gyms, hair salons, post offices, main streets, bars, beer gardens, bookstores, parks, community centers, and gift shops ~ inexpensive places where people come together and life happens. In other words, they’re a community’s living room.

(Oldenburg, R. 2005.)

Figure 37. 'Third Places' : Central Johannesburg (by author)

Discovering Energy in the Park Station Precinct

Tracings of the urban environment offer an insight into the nature of the urbanity. They explore the urban landscape, looking to understand where the energies are, where the connections might be, and where the intervention can facilitate these connections. The Social condenser seeks out Terrain vague, for barriers in the minds and lives of the city dweller. It is Here that the design can begin to grow, fueled by the energy of the city, manifesting vibrant public urban space.

Terrain vague provides the lens for seeing the unrealised potential of this sunken railway infrastructure. An element of division in the centre of city life, re imagined from a space-separator into a space-connector. A new productive landscape that generates connections, social interaction, and recreational activities. A new type of public space in the city.

Figure 38. Figure : 'Metro Constraints and informants' : Central Johannesburg (by author)

Figure 39. Aerial view of Park Station Precinct : Edit of Google earth map (by author)

Figure 40. Figure : Park Station Precinct : Edit of Google earth map (by author)

A Situationists guide to the CBD

The 'Situationists'werea collective of artists, philosophers and writers that rebelled again modern society. They believed that mass media was negatively influencing social space, making people socially distant and apathetic towards public space.

'Psychogeography' is a method of representing city space, through drifting and playfulness, it seeks to develop a social geography of cities (Sadler, S. 1999). The Situationist was fascinated by people-driven places, the ambiance of socially active buildings and spaces that made people stop and take a moment.

This style of mapping focuses on the experience of the pedestrian, wandering the streets, using landmarks and thoroughfares to make their way to their destination. It offers a different perspective of cities, one that diagrams relationships to places through the eyes of the urban nomad.

Figure : Situationist Guide to the CBD (by author)

DEVIANT

VIBRANT

Flaneur

Noun · [fla - ner] · French

Flaneur refers to an individual that strolls the city in order to experience it, deliberately wandering in in search of the essence of urbanity (Siu, 2012). This method of representation seeks to understand the urban condition from the eyes of the pedestrian. Understanding the good and the bad aspects of what makes the city’s spaces unique.

Figure 42. ''Flaneur of Joburg CBD' Photo Collage (by author)

Searching for terrain vague leads the design to the railways system. Can this infrastructure be re-imagined into a connected landscape?

Terrain Vague

The Energy of the street is concentrated to the banks of the sunken railway. Taxi ranks, street markets and other recreational activities line its edges, a potentially viable public space in the sky?

Figure 43. Figure : 'Third Space' in the Park station precinct (by author)

Figure 44. 'Urban Energies' : Park station precinct (by author)

In the CBD, the energy of the street is generated from two primary sources, public transport and informal trade. The minibus taxi, a rapid mode of transport with little regulation has stepped in to facilitate the congestion (Murray, 2011). This form of transport, while unpredictable and sometimes flawed, is a highly efficient way for citizens to reach their day-to-day activities. Taxi ranks have become high activity nodes for the city. Emanating from these zones, vendors, clothes merchants and hawkers feed off the radiating foot traffic.

In the early development of Johannesburg, the main railway, Park Station, served as a crucial connector for the people both locally and regionally. It has since fallen into disrepair, becoming derelict through poor maintenance and vandalism (Zack, 2017).

While it is still well positioned to maintain its status as a major connector within the system, its physical nature is perceived differently by someone on the street. Like a scar on the landscape, the railway line becomes an element of division.

The sunken infrastructure divides various communities within the city’s core, with Braamfontein housing the university of Witwatersrand, which offers a vibrant student life, Hillbrow, an adjacent residential community, Newtown with cultural facilities, and Marshalltown, a platform for transport and trade.

Figure 45. Locating The Social Condenser within the Park Station Precinct (by author)

Figure 46. 'Constraints and Informants' : Park Station Precinct (by author)

Figure 47. Site Plan and Section of the site (by author)

Towards a Connected Urban Landscape

The Designs primary focus will be to facilitate connections between key nodes in the landscape. These nodes are identified by their proximity to energies, public infrastructure and activities. The connection will bridge the divide caused by the railway infrastructure, generating social interactions and activities along the way.

There is an Understanding that the railway has fallen into disrepair. The Design will act as if it is in use, there is a belief that it can be reinstated as am important connector within the city and greater south Africa. The intervention will need span the gap, creating a 'recreational bridge' for pedestrians.

It is important that the design responds to the needs of the ‘streets’, sprawling out to meet the energies, attracting pedestrians onto its social landscape. The Intervention will use elements of culture, sport, art and leisure to generator the social condenser, becoming a vibrant public space within the urban environment.

Figure 48. Making Connections within the site (by author)

Figure 49. A series of artworks depicting taxi hand signals in South Africa by Artist Susan Woolf ( Woolf, 2019)

Figure 50. A summary of the mapping from Chapter 2 (by author)

Imagining the nature of a

Hedonistic Urban Landscape

Figure 51. 'Hedonistic Urban Landscape : the game' (by author)

This chapter uses different analytical methods to understand the nature of the design in relation to existing archetypes. These methods look at structuring elements, programmatic requirements, and construction information, of architectural projects, to establish particularities for the design. This process allows for well-informed design decisions based on the principal insights gained from these precedent studies.

This treatise aims to provide a model for public space in South African cities. The model looks to reimagine unproductive and surplus urban infrastructure and buffer zones, into vibrant public spaces.

The Johannesburg CBD is full of life streets bustling with trade and transport, however, the urban condition is poor and unsafe. Derelict infrastructure and inadequate public spaces have created a sense of disconnection. There is a need to create hedonistically sustainable architecture that focuses on generating holistic wellness within the urban environment. By re-imagining the railway infrastructure into a recreational landscape, the design will stitch together the urban landscape and incorporate elements of active leisure. This holistic response can regenerate the urban environment and increase the wellness

of its inhabitants by imbuing a sense of movement, connectivity, and continuity.

This chapter will establish the urban type as well as particular archetypes for intervention. Principles of public space will be used to assess and extract strategies from precedent studies. This analysis will provide an understanding of how the design can begin to function as a positive public urban space.

Figure 53. Chapter 3 process (by author)

Figure 52. Urban Events : 'Pigeons and Stairwells' (by author)

What makes positive public urban space?

Public space is vitally important within the urban environment. These spaces provide citizens with a break from the monotony and repetitive city life cycle of; commute, work, and sleep. They are the streets, parks, plazas, and squares that the public can freely access. Each urban type is structurally different, but the same elements make them successful. These spaces are easily accessible, they offer opportunities to gather, play, or relax. They are people-centered spaces that offer various opportunities for social interactions.

Large open urban area surrounded by buildings. Similar to 'Squares', but with no specific activity.

Open urban area preceding a prominent structure, generally public or civic in nature

Movement through between structures, different scales will allow it to become a Lane, Street or Boulevard.

Large open green area in the city/ town, surrounded by buildings. Variations include; Pocket Parks, Neighborhood parks and large City parks.

Figure 54. Gathering in Braamfontein (Lee, n.d.)

Figure 55. Public Space Types : Plan Diagram (by author)

The urban environment is a complex organism. Knowing what makes it function takes a good amount of research and understanding. Jan Gehl is an urban theorist, analyst and designer that has spent many years observing the urban environment. In his book, Cities for People (2010), he shares his insights and ideas into what makes positive urban spaces. Gehl (2010) suggests that good public space is filled with public life and that this is achieved by providing a diverse range of activities for people. He presents a particular table that categorises these activities into essential, optional and social activities, each with a plotted respective influence.

Comfort focuses on how people can interact with the space by providing high degrees of accessibility to provide maximally inclusive spaces. It should create opportunities to sit, watch, linger, and chat. It should also facilitate various forms of play and exercise throughout the day.

Enjoyment focuses on how people feel in these spaces. Are elements of the building on a human scale? The spaces should create diverse opportunities for the enjoyment of positive aspects of the climate, as well as other positive sensory experiences.

Further distilled into a set of design criteria, these values become the principles that are used as a litmus test for the precedent studies. These principles help to understand how designers may have taken advantage of some of the criteria in each of their particular responses.

Principles for Positive Public Urban Environments :

Designing for human scale.

Ensuring comfort, shelter, and safety.

The Table illustrates the key influences that optional activities can have. They are directly proportional to the quality of the spaces, offering a diverse range of options for a diverse range of users. Choice is crucial in attracting people, who want to participate in leisure activities, to spaces that add value to their lives. Diversity can help create interesting public spaces.

CitiesforPeople(2010)provides three values that can be integrated into designs to ensure their success: protection, comfort and enjoyment.

Protection focuses on how space works for the people. It should insist on the separation of pedestrians and vehicles, creating more walkable and bikeable spaces. It is also about providing shelter from the elements and any other unpleasant sensory experiences. Day or night, these spaces should utilise passive design elements to facilitate a safe environment for people.

Incorporating diverse programming.

Providing diverse movement options that imbue continuity.

Ensuring connectivity, both visually and physically, to space and activity.

Integrating levels of hierarchy into spaces, movement, and activity.

Ensuring sustainability both environmentally and hedonistically.

Creating a design with maximum integration with the urban system.

Figure 56. Influence of space types (Gehl, 2010 : 11).

The Urban Park as a base.

The model seeks out terrain vague to find unproductive and surplus spaces within the city. Generally, these are open spaces or derelict infrastructure. The model will often become a form of urban landscape while maintaining its focus on incorporating various forms of physical activity. A park can be defined as a large area of land used by the public for recreational activities or leisure. They come in a variety of forms, from amusement and themed, to nature or urban (DPLA, 2022).

In recent years there has been a boom in urban parks as a tool for regeneration. They are used to revitalise dead zones or derelict industrial infrastructure within a city. These elements are re-designed and reused in new ways. The urban park brings together a collection of social activities that help to activate these spaces.

Urban parks, like an oasis within the city, are open areas of land that provide citizens with opportunities to play, rest and socialise. Historically, these parks were incorporated into cities as public squares, open grounds, fairgrounds or simply as a tool for

beautification (Ellis & Schwartz, 2016) In modern cities, urban parks have gained popularity as citizens feel the negative effects of dense city spaces. As cities have grown, the ‘concrete jungle’ has failed to adequately provide open green spaces for its citizens, who miss out on the wellness benefits of nature and recreational activities. These spaces function as community centres and places for people to gather, away from work and home. In line with Ray Oldenburg’s (1989) theory, they would be classified as third places, key components to the success of a city system.

Figure 57. (From left to right) Stock Amusement park image, photo of Central park, stock water park image (google, 2022).

HIGH LINE

Architect and urban designer, Susannah Drake (Drake,2013), talks about the importance of reengineering these spaces into vibrant public parks. Distressed urban environments can be revitalised with ecologically conscious solutions, regenerating these environments into productive urban spaces. Through this process, the they can serve as tools to stitch together urban communities, improving the health and wellness of citizens and the urban space. This Narrative is embodied in the development of the Highline in Manhattan.

Constructed as an Elevated Railway system in the 1960’s, the infrastructure runs through a dense urban community. Development saw the infrastructure challenged and nearly demolished. The Cities Governance decided against this in favor of converting it into public space. A design was divided into 3 sections, allowing for the redevelopment to happen in phases. The space would integrate green spaces, landscaped seating and various recreational activities. Since its conversion, which began in 2006, the park has become one of New York’s most popular public spaces. (Aitani and Sathaye, 2017)

Connection to bellow

Varied landscaping

Green integration

Partofsection2

Multiple activities

The park contains different moments for play, rest and performance, generating various experiences for users.

Moment for rest, peering at 'framed' urban life

Landscaping-to-seat

Figure 58. Collage : The High line Analysis (by author)

Figure 59. Collage : The High line Analysis (by author)

Urban Park

Positivespacebetween

Establishing The Archetypes

Within architecture, public recreational buildings serve the same purpose as their urban counterparts. Libraries, nightclubs, gymnasiums, cafes, casinos, and theatres are examples of spaces where people come together to seek entertainment or leisure. Rem Koolhaas believes that these are the spaces people actively seek out and are fundamental in establishing the social condenser.

The urban park serves as a base for a series of recreational activities. The design itself will look to one key section of the park as the catalyst for the development. Although the whole park will incorpo-

rate various recreational activities with commercial attachments, this section will consist of three main archetypes: urban sport, theatre, and library. Previously scattered throughout the city, these elements come together to create a multi-functional urban landscape. The analysis will look at establishing the particularities of each type in order to find opportunities for cross-programming. Due to the nature of the design becoming an active urbanscape, sports and active leisure are given priority, having the greatest influence on the structuring elements.

Figure 60.

Figure : 'Plug in Urban Park' (by author).

"Typical Structure of Public Activities"

"The Hedonistic Urban Park"

Figure 61. Figure : Typical Public Activities to hedonistic urban park (by author ).

PLAY.

Traditionally, sports facilities are disconnected from the urban environment. They have been placed on the outskirts of cities, as isolated and mono-functional interventions, often closed off from the general public (Casas Valle & Kompier, 2012: 1). Physical activity has become increasingly important for the modern lifestyle. The city dweller makes use of gyms or parks for diverse types of active leisure. This has led to sports facilities adapting and changing to be more integrated into the urban environment. Even sports themselves have evolved to facilitate the needs of the city dweller. This has seen a rise in the popularity of urban sports like climbing, skating, futsal, and parkour (Kural,1999). Cities are seeing the modern sport typology become a new form of public urban space.

Sports and recreational exercise can have a positive effect on the regeneration of communities. It plays a vital role in the development of society and can have various carry-over benefits like :(Houlihan & Malcolm, 2016.)

Improved social skills.

Values found in sports are often reflective of what is deemed ethical in society. They provide a framework of reward for good behaviour and penalties for disobeying the rules. Sport provides role models and examples of desired behaviour, where hard work and commitment to a craft are rewarded and violence and cheating are punished.

Social integration.

Integrating sport into communities enables people the opportunity to be part of a collective or group, part of something greater than themselves. This creates social cohesion and allows people who feel lonely or lost the opportunity to feel included. Sports can give strangers a common goal and purpose to strive for, thus, forming bonds and revealing the benefits of teamwork in a social setting.

Social mobility.

Sport can level the playing field when it comes to social status. There are a large number of famous sportsmen and women that have overcome hardships and poverty. Through hard work and perseverance, they were able to use sport as a way to earn a living and increase their social status.

Different activities at various scales

Figure 62. 'Street Soccer in third space' (reference)

Figure 63. Physical Activities at various scales

As the need for new kinds of sports facilities grow, designers are focused on developing a set of tools to ensure that they become a productive part of urban society. A paper written by Daniel Casa Valle and Vincent Kompier (2012), titled Sport in the city, provides a toolbox for how these facilities can become successful public urban spaces

.

no.ToolDescription

1 Sport size/ typology

2 Position in the city

Sports have particular spatial and functional requirements, these are the starting point of the design phase.

Combining sports with other recreational facilities like; Malls, restaurants and hotels helps to increase passive participation in sports. This encourages mixed crowds and allows the design to become a hub in the city.

3 Relation with public space

Sports facilities can become an extension of public spaces, allowing interior activities to flow outwards.

4 Visibility Todays sports create the need for a stage; for watching, showing and chatting. Highly transparent facades shout, 'You can Exercise here!'.

5 Distance and proximity

Focus on creating attractive connections within the program and to public space to become an extension of urban life.

6 Accessibility Continuity is key, between programs and the public. Encourage passive forms of exercise through slow traffic routes Include bicycle facilities.

7 Public access and lock-ability

Spaces generally need to be locked during unused hours. Avoid using absolute barriers like walls or fences wherever possible.

8 Flexibility Sports Facilities generate large volumes, able to adapt to many different activities. Create functionality to generate multi-use spaces.

Table 02: Toolkit for sport facilities (Casas Valle & Kompier ,2012).

Table02Shows how sports facilities share the same goals as public space and the treatise model. Understanding these connections will help to generate an inclusive sports element in the urban park. This shows that sports and active leisure can become vital contributors to the creation of a successful public environment.

The design should incorporate physical activity at various scales, from public outdoor equipment to private gymnasiums. These can be connected by movement, like bicycle amenities and running tracks, generating a multi-functional and inclusive urban landscape.

Precedents for Play

Park 'n' Play

/JAJA Architects

Location : Copenhagen Denmark

Program : Public Space on Parking Garage

Scale : 2400 m²

The Architects looked to redefine 'parking structure'. They Understood that a multi-strorey parking structure would create a 'dead zone' within the public realm. They used 'Play' to create a vibrant public space on the roof of the structure, promoting exercise and social interaction within the community.

" I can see the ski slope from here"

Figure 64. Park 'n' play aerial view (reference)

Figure 65. Park 'n' play street view(reference)

The design generates a landscape for play, ustilising colour , supergraphics, varied surface forms and textures, as well as multiple interactive elements. The Scheme creates different pockets of space for different intentions; Single person seating, swings, exercise stations and green areas.

" A secluded spot to read "

" A place to gather with friends and family"

Figure 66. Park and play aerial view (reference)

Figure 67. Park 'n' play seating (reference)

Figure 69. Park 'n' play aerial (reference)

Figure 70. Plan And Elevation (reference)

Figure 68. Park 'n' play aerial view (reference)

Street Dome

/ CEBRA + Glifberg - Lykke

Location : Haderslev, Denmark

Program : Urban Sports Park

Scale : 1500m² dome + 4500m² park

" A concrete landscape of hills, ramps and rails"

The design of a skate park where the building is enticingly 'Skate-able'. The architect uses the dome shape to create edges that are interactive, with slopes or seating. The Dome houses other urban sports like basketball and climbing walls, generating a multi-functional urban sports landscape

"The edges of the dome are primed for play"

"The sidewalk is activated for play, next to sport facility"

Born Skateplaza

/PMAM

Location : Parc de la Ciutadella, Barcelona

Program : Public Space

Scale : 500 m²

"Urban landscaping for play, simple form, multiple uses"

Figure 71. Elevation of Street Dome (reference)

Figure 72. Street Dome plan (reference)

Figure 73. Street Dome diagram(reference)

Figure 74. Born Skate Plaza Photo(reference)

Figure 75. Born Skate Plaza Aerial Photo(reference)

Figure 76. Born Skate Plaza Photo (reference)

A composition of sports elements and public spaces

Gammel Hellerup Gym

expansion /Bjarke Ingels Group

Location : Hellerup, Denmark

Program : University Gymnasium & Sports field

Scale : 2500 m²

BIG Architects have a knack for generating interactive landscapes. They used the constraint of "minimum heights for sports " below to inform the roof landscape for the plaza above. Instead of the courts becoming a building, they are able to become multifunctional landscape for play and social interaction.

" Plaza becomes interesting landscape to inhabit above"

"Height Requirements for sport generate form of roof structure"

Figure 77. Gym Interior (reference)

Figure 79. Aerial view of Gammel Hellerup (reference)

Figure 78. Plaza above the Gym(reference)

Jong-Am Sqaure

/ Simplex Architecture

Location : Seongbuk- gu, South Korea

Program : Public Sports Courts

Scale : 693 m²

"Movement uninterrupted, activities Exposed"

The architects saw the void left by transport infrastructure. They sought to activate the space beneath the overpass with an element of play. The traffic island becomes a public space for sports and other activities.

The design utilises a minimal material pallet with the focus on create highly flexible internal spaces with maximum visibility to the urban environment

"Play in Third Space"

Figure 80. View to Jong-Am Square from adjacent street(reference)

Figure 81. Plan View

"Varied multi-functional spaces for public use"

Prefabricated modular Construction

"Highly Visibility between the space and the city"

The Simple form is achieved through the use of timber and steel flames that create a structure that spans the area without interruption.

The timber adds a natural element to the concrete environment.

Figure 82. Flexible interior play spaces

Figure 83. Exploded Isometric view with construction detail

Street Mekka

/ EFFEKT

Location : Viborg, Denmark

Program : Community Sports Centre

Scale : 3170 m²

This community sport centre reuses an old warehouse space for a collection of Urban sports. Industrial construction is a good fit for sports due to its large spanning structure being highly flexible for these types of activities. The architects organised a series of urban sport activities, focusing on connectivity between them.

"Structure opens to spill out"

"Beacon At Night"

Figure 84. Entrance : Inner glow through polycarbonate facade

Figure 85. Site Plan

Figure 86. Programmatic diagrams

Multiple Elements where suspended on the concrete substructure to create enclosed office and table sport spaces.

Polycarbonate panels where the materials of choice for create a connection between inside and outside. This was further aided by varying degrees if 'InsideOutside' spaces.

"Visible Interior Movement"

"Inside - Outside"

"Technical Detail "

"Visual Connections"

Figure 87. Interior : Visually connected between spaces

Figure 90. Interior : 'warehouse' space

Figure 88. Inside outside space occupied by urban sports

Figure 91. Polycarbonate facade detail

Figure 89. Skate bowl through polycarbonate facade

Camp del Ferro

/ AIA, Barceló Balanzó Arquitectes, Gustau Gili Galfetti

Location : Barcelona, Spain

Program : Recreational Sports Centre

Scale : 7237 m²

"Steel Trusses Popular for large spanning volumes"

"Natural Light through Facade"

Figure 93. Site Diagram showing density

Figure 92. Aerial view of forecourt

Figure 94. Interior of sports court on ground level

Figure 95. Interior of entrance balcony from sports court

The building is an extension of the urban context, creating a public fore court and other spaces around it. The edges of the building open up at ground level to generate visual connectivity between the public and the players.

The program is stacked vertically. The Services and amenities are orgainsed in the centre to allow for the sports courts to all make use of these spaces.

Large steel trusses are utilised to achieve the spans required. These are exposed making the space feel open and 'light'.

"Extension of the Urban"

"Visual Connection to play and the urban environment"

Figure 96. Plan View Showing link to forecourt

Figure 97. Interior of entrance balcony

Aspects of successful urban sports facilities

Urban Integration

The recreational aspect of these facilities is paramount to community development. Facilities cannot close themselves off to the urban context in which they exist. There is a need for the structure to actively engage with the urban environment and have a positive effect on its surroundings. Thresholds, facades and building edges play a role in how their structure interacts with the context. Urban landscaping techniques are often used to promote movement and play at the building’s edges. The architecture should become an extension of both urban space and the street, as well as a part of the greater public urban system.

Movement

Movement of the human body is at the core of sports and recreation facilities. Architects also exploit movement to influence circulation and human behaviour. Sports facilities should seek to imbue a feeling of movement through visual and physical connectivity to spaces. There is a need for innovative implementation of structural elements such as ramps, staircases, and functional landscaping.

Hierarchy

Maintaining a level of hierarchy in the highly mixed programmatic layout can be difficult. The role of hierarchy in these facilities can help to dictate movement, privacy, and diversity of space. The hierarchy gradient is very loose, as visual connectivity and movement should be favoured to inspire exploration and play by the users.

Programming

Sports facilities are highly programmatic, an arrangement of spaces with specific needs and sizes. The programme should be integrated, juxtaposed, and mixed to create a diverse and dense collection of activities. These activities have various functional requirements, like area and Equipment that ensure optimal performance for users. The programming and aesthetic should also facilitate flexibility, while maintaining functionality, to allow the building to adapt and change over time.

Connectivity

Connectivity between people and spaces needs to be incorporated, both physically and visually. This allows for increased opportunities for social interactions, better public exposure to different sports, and harbours a sense of community.

Sustainability

Passive design principles should be adopted wherever possible for climate control and lighting. Good lighting is fundamental to any sport and is an architectural issue that needs to be addressed in the design phase. Passive heating and ventilation are also healthier and more sustainable alternatives to active heating, venting and air condition (HVAC) systems. These elements can enhance structural environmental performance, and create better user experiences.

Figure 99. 'Ball is life' : Photograph by

Figure 100. Interior of Resource centre

RESOURCES

Public libraries are government institutions that house a wealth of information and resources. Historically these institutions have served as places for people to acquire specific knowledge and information. Their role includes the collection and preservation of intellectual resources and are often places with little vibrancy and diversity. There is a sense of disconnect in the minds of citizens, who feel that they have to have a specified agenda or task to gain entry. As the 21st century has given rise to the increasingly digital information age, the significance of libraries as vital sources of information has declined (Barclay, 2017). To maintain significance in the eye of the public, libraries have functionally adapted into more diverse public spaces.

These institutions are now used, around the world, as tools for placemaking. They have become third places, as diverse resource centres, which focus on their role as community facilitators. Their role has shifted from collection to connection, and from preservation to communication (Berndtson, 2013).

Public libraries are important places in communities, offering flexible spaces for education and various physical and digital media information tools. They are places for the general public to sit, work and relax. Libraries have become one of the last institutions attempting to maintain themselves as truly public places (Mitrašinović & Mehta, 2021).

The nature of the modern library incorporates a diverse range of public spaces, activities and information services that serve to add value to the everyday life of a modern citizen. The design of a library now manages programmatic combinations similar to a mixed-use development. This new breed of libraries imbues a sense of transparency, flexibility, inclusivity and diversity, unlike its predecessors. These spaces have become increasingly open, allowing for a flow between a formal and informal functions for the public. This poses the interesting design challenge of creating public space while maintaining levels of hierarchy and security.

Different Resources at various scales

Figure 101. Resources at various scales

Precedents for Resources

Story Pod / Atelier Kastelic Buffrey

Location : New Market, Canada

Program : Community book Exchange

Scale : 6 m²

"Able to close at night for security?"

"Modular and movable"

These Book Exchanges offer the community a free connection to knowledge. Members are able to read books and swap them for new ones, a recycling scheme for literature. A small scale intervention that provides anyone with access to reading materials

Story Tower / Riga University Students

Location : Césis, Latvia

Program : Community book Exchange

Scale : 6 m²

Figure 102. Story pod

Figure 106. Story Tower

Figure 103. Story pod

Figure 104. Story pod plan

Figure 105. Story tower

Figure 107. Exploded 3D + section

"Visual connectivity to activities and exhibition"

Green Square Library

/ Studio Hollenstein

Location : Sydney, Australia

Program : Public Library and Public plaza

Scale : 2500m² Library , 8000m² plaza

Serving as an urban living room for the dense residential towers, the design incorporates a collection of resources below the plaza.

The objects in the landscape are access and light for the programme bellow. The objects create an interesting landscape for the plaza above

"Visual connectivity to activities and exhibition"

"Loose fit spaces organised by the main objects"

Figure 108. Aerial of Public Plaza

Figure 109. Plan and Section

Figure 110. Entrance stairs to library

Figure 111. interior of library

Seattle Central Library

/ OMA & LMN

Location : Seattle, United states

Program : Public Library

Scale : 38300 m²

The massive library is filled with multiple forms of media, from the book to innovative multimedia technology. The Structure embodies flexible space in its floor layout, allowing multiple public activities to take place in and around the resources. The building is comprised of stacked programmes, shifted to accommodate and views and sunlight. This is then wrapped in a skin that creates public volumes in the space between

"Masses wrapped in glass and steel skin"

"Masses beneath the skin"

Figure 112. Seattle Central library exterior

Figure 114. Site

Figure 113. Conceptual Model

The book storage was designed as a continuous Knowledge loop. At the beginning of the loop is a 'Mixing chamber', a public room that allows people to establish the location of their books before entering.

The building functions as one large public urban landscape with resources for all ages.

"Lecture, Theatre, seminar, conference space"

"Public rooms/ plazas between the masses"

"Programme stacked and organised into themes"

Figure 115. Interior Public Walkway

Figure 116. Section diagram

Figure 117. Sectional Elevation

Figure 118. 'Knowledge loop'

Figure 119. Mixing Chamber Process

Aspects of successful Public Resources

Urban Integration

In our age of technologically dominated societies, these types of resources are vital for the everyday urban lifestyle. People need access knowledge and different forms of media tools to increase productivity and develop their skills to compete in urban society. As a work and learning becomes increasingly online, the types of facilities can act as hot spots for knowledge exchange and access, a new form of urban campus. It is important that they are highly accessible and transparent in order to promote public engagement and exposure to all citizens.

Movement

The Seattle central library showed how the endless isles of books could be turned into a continuous loop, letting people passively move upwards while searching for books. This Principle can aid in the design of a resource facility that imbues movement and exercise. A Continuous knowledge 'street' with activities along its edges.

Hierarchy

Hierarchy of spaces becomes important within a more public resource facility. There still needs to be separation and moments of seclusion for optimal learning conditions. The task will be to generate a open and connected facility with separated private quiet spaces for the activities that need it. Also understanding the need for storage and archive of sensitive information and material, which needs a level of security .

Programming

In order to ensure engagement and vibrancy the intervention can facilitate a number of supplementary spaces. Cafes, Cinemas and lecture halls can be integrated to increase the overall functionality of these spaces. Co-working spaces are also great ways to integrate a culture of sharing and teaching

Connectivity

The design should look to group and connect possible shared activities with other archetypes to generate a more connected knowledge landscape. This will help to encourage social interacting and sharing of knowledge and skills for the users.

Sustainability

Digital and physical forms of information and storage require particular environments. Some of these spaces need climate control systems, and some of sensitive to direct sunlight. Managing these requirements passively will aid in the overall sustainability of the intervention. Outdoor reading spaces and access to natural elements can increase the comfortability of the environment and well being of the users.

Figure 120. Extracted programmes from Resource precedents

Figure 121. 'Knowledge Cities' (by author)

Figure 122. 'Urban Theatre' (by author)

PERFORMANCE

Throughout history, individual and cultural expression has been at the centre of societies. People coordinating into song and dance are a principal part of cultures throughout the world. The typology of public performance space has gone from the amphitheatres of ancient Greece to the modern cultural centres we see today. Theatres, galleries, museums, and concert halls are examples of place-makers that generate cultural milieus within the urban environment (Berndtson, 2013). Theatre incorporates a broad range of performance spaces, such as public outdoor performances, temporary performance spaces, black boxes, and opera houses, to name a few. Each of these contains a fundamental relationship between people and performance. Theatres can function as cultural hubs for communities, places where the public can collaborate on different artistic endeavours.

Cities can be seen as fields of scattered performances. The streets are the stages for protests, parades, and street performers. Large staircases can serve as the seating for the urban performance, Parks

host open-air music concerts and plazas facilitate speeches or artistic installations.

Theatres themselves are situated within the public realm, often adjacent to streets, parks and plazas. If theatres are to take on the responsibility of social condenser, community connector, or public space facilitator, they need to look at ways of interfacing with these public space types. TTwenty-first-century Cultural centres are beginning to break the boundaries between the public and performances, adding increased levels of transparency and flexibility within their spaces. By increasing the cultural awareness within communities, they are able to add another element that helps to holistically improve the urban environment .

In order to understand methods of creating these places of performance, the precedent study will look at various projects, from temporary to fixed, from small scale to cultural centres. These studies will provide insight into the programmatic requirements and structuring elements of theatres and performance spaces as a whole.

Different Performances at various scales

“Everyroomisastage,everypublicspaceisatheatre, andeveryfaçadeisabackdrop.Eachhasplacesfor entryandexit,scenery,props,andadesignthatsets uppotentialrelationshipsbetweenpeople” -(Edouard Autant in Read, 2006).

Precedents for Performance

Cultural and Sports

Centre / Bruther

Location : Paris, France

Program : Recreational community centre

Scale :1300 m²

Located within a residential enclave, the centre looks to create a point of gathering for the neighborhood. The design is situated at a pinch point at the core. The building leaves the ground floor as a public space in the courtyard, while incorporating a small cafe.

"Continuity of public space beneath"

Figure 124. Exterior view of Cultural Centre

Figure 125. Axonometric site diagram

Figure 126. Axonometric showing open ground floor

The design is a compact collection of flexible performance spaces. The architect exposes the concrete substructure through a highly transparent facade, imbuing a feeling of production and factory, similar to other 'Training' Archetypes. The Events within spill out to the public eye. This is aided by the decision to nest the services and amenities, freeing up floor spaces for its users.

"Maximum transparency and natural light"

"Grouped service and amenities core"

Fire escape

"Slanted concrete column structure "

Figure 127. Interior of studio space showing exposed structure

Figure 131. Interior of studio space

Figure 128. Interior of studio spaces showing exposed structure

Figure 129. Sectional elevation

Figure 132. Sectional elevation showing service core

Figure 130. Elevation & Plan

Aranya Theatre

/ TAO - Trace Architecture Office

Location : Qinhuangdao, China

Program : Community Sports Centre

Scale : 4046 m²

The design consists of three structuring elements; Amphitheatre, Blackbox theatre and proscenium. The re is an interplay between these elements that generate public spaces between them. The amphitheatre is orientated to the ocean on the south side of the site. The theatres are submerged in the urban landscape where they share dressing rooms and other service spaces.

"Clear articulation of the three theatre types"

"Public urban performance"

Figure 133. Exterior view of Aranya Theatre

Figure 134. Miniature model of main spaces

Figure 136. AmphitheatreFigure 135. Site model of masses

Thearchitects payed careful attention to the connection between the interior and exterior, allowing for spaces to flow out into the urban environment. The amphitheatre is position on the corner as a informal seating area that transforms into a performance space when needed. Each element can function separately while all servicing the central public plaza.

"The Round generates a flow into the space between"

"Underground services and amenities"

Proscenium

Amphitheatre

"Amphitheatre as flexible public space"

Amphitheatre

Shared services

"Flexible performance spaces with connection to the urban environment"

Proscenium

Figure 137. Plan View

Figure 138. Sectional Elevation

Figure 139. 'Urban Connection'

Figure 140. 'Flexible urban seating'

MÉCA Cultural Center

/ Bjarke Ingels Group

Location : Bordeaux, France

Program : Public Art Film And performance Hub

Scale : 18000 m²

The Architecture serves a public performance landscape in its form and functionality. The 3 structuring elements are composed to form an loop that frames the urban room.

The structure sets up flexible spaces that can transform into public performances and exhibition when needed. The Main foyer space is submerged to allow for a continuous public promenade above

Contemporary arts

Performing arts

Cinema Literature

Audiovisuals

There are moments where the facade breaks to reveal activities within and encourage public engagement.

"Interdisciplinary Mixing"

"Public Visibility"

"The architecture generates and supports public flows."

Figure 141. Exterior view of Meca Cultural Centre

Figure 143. Urban room peering into performance space

Figure 142. Program Diagram

Continuity of promenadeConnectivity through building

Flexible urban room

Inhabitable performance landscape

Urban Room

"The 'Chandelier' over the Urban room"

"Steel framing to achieve span"

Figure 144. View into the 'Urban Room'

Figure 145. Sectional Elevation

Figure 146. Series of design decisions

Aspects of successful Urban Performance Spaces

Urban Integration

Urban performance can happen at multiple scales within the urban environment. In fact the urban environment itself has been related to an act of theatre be many writers. People love to be entertained and to perform fro others. Providing spaces and opportunities wherever possible for these performance will aid in a more vibrant intervention. Positioning these types of facilities near communities and within everyday activities will help to generate interesting opportunities for users and ensure better public engagement for performers. Flexibility is a large part of performance and this allows urban spaces like staircases or plazas to be converted into public events.

Movement

These urban theatrics can be scattered along pedestrian routes to encourage movement and increase the attractiveness of these routes. Exposed studios can help to expose dance and other activities that help to encourage public engagement and increase physical well being of users

Hierarchy

Hierarchy becomes less of an issue in a more flexible performance set up. Mixing of people and uses creates a open and free space that can help to encourage creativeness and personal expression. Studios and amphitheatres become the blank canvas for any type of activity or performance.

Programming

Although Flexibility will be key, the design still needs to incorporate various functional elements In order to generate successful performance spaces. These spaces can be grouped with other activities lice cinema and dance studios, creating interesting connections. Many types of performance require a level of physical conditioning and users could benefit from a connection to the gymnasium or other physical activities

Connectivity

Visual connectivity to all spaces of performance are important in the success of those performances. Public engagement helps support local actors and performers. Movement paths through these spaces or openable spaces can help to increase this engagement

Sustainability

Direct sunlight is perfect for training spaces and studios, while performances spaces need controlled supplementary lighting. Passive design principles can help to ensure comfortable seating areas and performance conditions.

Figure 147. Extracted Programmes from Performance precedents (by author)

Figure 148. Mural of Miriam Makeba by Dbongz (Dbonz, n.d.)

Condensation

Figure 149. Programmatic condensation into a relationship diagram

Figure 150. Isometric Lego diagram of Active urban park on the site (By author)

Towards a Hedonistic Urban Landscape...

This chapter establishes the Hedonistic Urban Park as the type for the model. With the urban park as its base, the activities are able to adapt to the needs of the users, while providing a range of opportunities for social interaction. The chapter establishes structuring elements, programmatic requirements, and possible construction techniques for the creation of the landscape. The design will look to exploit connections between space and programme in order to generate a homogenous active urbanscape.

Figure 151. Lego Diagram of Principles (By author)

Principles for a Pragmatic Urban Metabolism

Chapter 4 serves to further explore principle insights gained from the theories In chapter 1. Eight core principles were established for the creation of a public space architecture in South African cities, dubbed Pragmatic-Urban-Metabolism:

Flexibility,Adaptability,ProgrammaticDiversity,Verticality,Connectivity,Continuity,ActiveDesign,and Terrainvague.

Terrain Vague was used to establish the site In Chapter 2.

The remaining principles fall into one of the 4 Headings which are explored in this chapter:

Flexible Futures (Flexibility & Adaptability)

Programmatic Placemaking (Programmatic Diversity)

Continuous Landscapes (Verticallity, Connectivity & Continuity)

Active Design (Active Design)

FLEXIBLE FUTURES

Metabolists believed that a fundamental permanence in life is change. The movement focused on creating systems that were like organisms, able to respond to change and external forces over time (Tamari, 2014). This was represented by themes like modularization, prefabrication, and the consolidation of services and functions. Archigram sought to achieve a similar goal through the design of their plug-in strategies (Archigram, 2018). Here, highly functional substructures were devised, able to facilitate post-construction add-ons. The clip-on programmes would be highly customisable, responding to the needs of the individual or group. Both of these movements embodied flexibility within their architectural visions.

Flexibility in architecture is a strategy that implies the unfinished nature of a building even after construction. The building is designed to become part of a continuous process of use, adaptation, and evolution. This functional approach to planning leads to designs that can adapt to changes in program, structure or even location. This flexibility allows the interventions to remain in use longer, fit their purpose better, accommodate a diverse range of user experiences and interventions, take advantage of technical innovation more readily, be economically

and ecologically more viable, and remain relevant in cultural and societal trends (Kronenburg, 2005).

According to author Robert Kronenburg (2005), there are four basic types of flexible architecture.

Adaptable architecture: for situations when changes persist for longer periods, such as increases in occupation or capacity.

Transformable architecture: intended to respond to hourly or daily changes. Much like spaces which, through structural changes, accommodate different and often conflicting functionalities.

Moveable architecture: designed for one or more functionalities that need to change location in response to the user’s needs. These are architectural elements used by organisations specialising in actions that are not fixed to one place, such as the military, hospitals, relief organisations, concerts and markets. These are usually temporary structures that need to be transported.

Interactive architecture: systems that can sense the need for change and respond to it automatically.

Figure 152. 'The Future City is Flexible' by Winy Maas and the Why factory (MVRDV, 2017)

The nature of the flexibility lies in the relationship between an architect’s intentions and a user’s perception. Flexibility has aided the separation of structure and programme, allowing for a structure to facilitate a range of internal compositions. Architects have often framed their ambiguous solutions as flexible, generating warehouse-type spaces that allow the user maximum freedom. Subsequently, this may create a perception of a lack of identity and dullness in spaces. Dutch architect, Herman Hertzberger, criticises this kind of architecture for its uncertainty in decisions and lacklustre approach to integrating the true essence of flexibility (Hertzberger,1991). He advocates for a functional approach to implementing flexibility through clear and formalised elements. Conversely, opposing this functionalism in his book, The production of space, Henri Lefebvre points out the irony of assigning places for functions within a coordinated space. It is within that process, that one eliminates the possibility of multifunctionality (Lefebvre, 1991).

It is important to understand that there is an element of determinism within effective flexibility. Architects should concede that the adaptability of space belongs to the user and that their role is to provide a functional medium that allows for effective

adaptations. Successful implementation of flexibility includes three core principles: highly calculated use scenarios, effectively organised programme arrangements, and building systems to support changeable spatial properties. (Young-Ju, 2008). These are the fundamental principles of flexible architecture. In order to implement flexibility into a design, there must be an understanding of the methods that can achieve the desired levels of flexibility. This section will look to 5 methods of flexible design. These will be measured by the relationship between functionality, pertaining to the level of adaptation intended, and its privacy limitations :

Theclassicalorderofarchitectural symbolismisnolongerrelevant.The viewerisnolongerabletoreadthe functionsofbuildings[…].Buildingsno longersymboliseastatichierarchical order;instead,theyhavebecomeflexible containersforusebyadynamicsociety.

(Rogers, 1998: 163).

Figure 153. Diagram for testing types of flexibility (Young-Ju, 2008)

1. Operational Elements

Flexibility through the use of operational elementslike doors, partitions and movable platforms is the most basic and direct form of flexible space. This is often influenced by the needs of the design and activities. This method is a form of adaptable architecture that seeks to respond to persistent changes over time.

The Structure is a multi-functional performance space that incorporates a movable facade. The Structure is able to roll along tracks in order to expand the internal space, doubling the buildings volume. This one elements generates multiple use scenarios for various indoor/outdoor events.

Figure 154. Operational Elements flexibility type diagram (by author)

Figure 155. Facade Closed to open transition

Figure 156. Exterior of The Shed

Figure 157. Sectional Elevation

Figure 158. Wheel Support

Figure 159. Isometric diagram

2. Modular Systems

Flexibility through modularsystemsis the method of using modular and interchangeable units to influence the overall spatial requirements. This is often incorporated into the overall structural system and is determined by the architect’s design. The user is then able to modify or adapt their module.

Regarded as the most popular example of Metabolist architecture, this residential tower is made up of 140 living units. The modules were designed to be replaced after 25 years and the core was to last over 200 years. This would allow the building to adapt and renew overtime. Due to Maintenance issues and poor funding, the tower is being disassembled, with the units finding a new purpose elsewhere.

Figure 161. Exterior view of Nakagin Capsule tower

Figure 162. Exploded isometric Diagram of components

Figure 163. Plan View

Figure 160. Modular Systems flexibility type diagram (by author)

3. Arrangement of Spaces

Flexibility through Arrangementofspaces can be achieved by condensing services and functional systems, freeing up space around them. This allows users the freedom to adapt the space as they want.

NORD sought out to create a social hub within the community. The centre is open 24/7 to the public and contains a multitude of activities. The design utilises flexibility as a tool to ensure that each space can facilitate a range of events or activities

4. Programme Erasures

Flexibility through Programmeerasuresincludes the adaptation of spaces that have no clear hierarchy between them. The plan is usually reduced to a simple geometric layout that can be reprogrammed for different use scenarios.

A the name suggests, this highly flexible performance space hosts a variety of theatrical and social events within the city. The highly undefined plan allows spaces to be created and replaced with great ease. The possibility for spatial compositions are endless.

Figure 164. Arrangements of spaces flexibility type diagram (by author)

Figure 167. Programme Erasures flexibility type diagram (by author)

Figure 165. Aerial view of Sports centre

Figure 166. Plan View

5. Personal or public adaptations

Flexibility through Personalorpublicadaptations y suggest a continuation of spaces without any clear indication of use. The user is able to respond to elements like size, lighting, and materiality within the space.

Bryant park serves as a hub for social activities in New York city. The Large urban park facilitate a number of events, market and informal performances everyday. Its nature as a large urban living room allows citizens to make there own activities wherever and whenever they like. This Kind of flexibility is unique to classic highly ambiguous public spaces like plazas, courtyards or town squares.

Figure 170. Site plan

Figure 171. Activities

Figure 172. Aerial view

Figure 173. Elevation of Polyvalent theatreFigure 174. Programme arrangements

Figure 169. Personal or Public adaptations flexibility type diagram (by author)

Programmatic Placemaking

Rem Koolhaas utilises the social condenser to produce vibrant spaces. This concept essentially seeks to bring together seemingly unrelated and dynamic programmatic elements to generate desirable forms of social interaction. His firm, OMA, and others integrate this approach in their design processes to inspire vibrant public interventions. These interventions would then act as catalysts for highly social environments.

The 'urban generator' is a term defined by Bernard Tschumi as the spaces and architecture that facilitate events within the city. The event can be understood as moments of intensified social interactions (Tschumi. & Museum of Modern Art, 1994: 13). Tschumi believes that these kinds of social in-

teractions are generated by particular programming techniques.

Both theories advocate for the use of programmatic strategies to create vibrant social spaces. They can be used in cities where density is prominent, utilizing the energy of the people as its fuel. The design will act as a mixed-use urban landscape reacting to the energies of the city and creating vibrant and inclusive public places. These programmatic combinations can manifest in different ways, such as recreational activities, public performances, sports activities, and entertainment hubs, among others. These are all spaces centred on offering opportunities for social interaction.

Figure 175. Urban Events : 'Pigeons and Stairwells' (by author)

The Urban Generator

Architecture and Disjunction (1994) is a manifesto of the theories and concepts of Bernard Tschumi. The writings give the reader insight into his thinking and design processes. Tschumi states that “architecture is much about the events that take place in spaces as about the spaces themselves” (Tschumi,1994). He believes that architects must relinquish their bias for form, advocating for a shift towards the nature of the use, the movement of bodies, activities, and the aspirations of users. He denounces the ideology of ‘form-follows-function’ in favour of creating promiscuous collisions between programme and use. Tschumi offers three strategies for generating social spaces through programmatic relationships (Tschumi, 1994: 205):

Cross-programming: Using a given spatial configuration for a programme not initially intended, such as using a church for bowling. Similar to typological displacement it can include concepts such as a town hall inside the spatial configuration of a prison, or a museum inside a car park structure. He relates it to the act of crossdressing.

Trans-programming: Combining two programmes, regardless of their incompatibilities, together with their respective spatial configurations. For example, incorporating a rollercoaster into a planetarium.

Dis-programming: Combining two programmes, whereby a required spatial configuration of one programme contaminates the other. The new programme is then reviewed for efficiency and redundancies. This allows mutual sharing of functions from both programmes while eliminating redundancy.

"The program was about circuits and movement - movement for scholars, books, and visitors—and so the entire architectural scheme was developed around a constant dynamic. Opening simultaneously onto the Seine River and onto the rest of the world through the internal circuits of library culture, the building was intended to act as an urban generator for a new part of the city."

(Tschumi , n.d.)

Figure 176. Figure : Library of France Axonometric (Tschumi & MOMA, 1994 : 351)

Social Condenser

The writing of Delirious New York served as the fundamental basis of much of rem Koolhaas’s theories and concepts. He uses the Downtown Athletics Club as the tool for representing his ideas about how programmatic combinations could inspire vibrancy of interactions within spaces.

“AConstructivistSocialCondenser:amachinetogenerate andintensifydesirableformsof humanintercourse” (Koolhaas,1994 : ).

Koolhaas’s theory of the social condenser was inspired by the theories of Russian constructivist Ivan Leonidov. In his writings, Leonidov proposed a series of formulae for the creation of his socialist condenser (Özkan, 2008):

Socially interactive, programmatically condensed: Architecture that defines a flexible and unified organic process with active improvisation of users.

A minimum architecture and a maximum programme: To define a collection of activities that combines a strip of void with an intense programme.

Innocent pleasure inside versus corruption outside: Definition of the limits of space, establishing spatial relationships between the inside and outside.

A city within a city: To create a pattern of activity generators that guarantee constant programmatic instability.

Architectural specificity with programmatic indeterminacy: To create an envelope that is capable of absorbing perpetual states of revision.

Figure 179. Figure :

Figure 178. Figure : The Strip : Plan (Koolhaas & Zenghelis & Vriesendorp

Figure 177. Figure : (left) Prisoners entering - (Middle) Scaling the wall - (Right)The Zenghelis, 1972.)

Exodus

Koolhaas developed his interest in the social condenser when he was part of the AA. His thesis, Exodus offered a framework for creating vibrancy in city spaces (Cerra, n.d.). It suggested that through these diverse programmatic combinations, the people of the city would want to occupy its space. The strip and void became the method he would use to represent this. Like the Berlin Wall, the intervention would lie amongst the city’s activities, creating a strip in the landscape. However, the relationship it had with the people would be different. The symbol for division became an element of connection, able to generate attractive social environments for citizens. The wall was reinterpreted through the injection of programme.

Parc de la Villette

An element of fascination for Koolhaas was the skyscraper, with programmatic combinations stacked vertically. The Downtown Athletics Club was understood by Koolhaas as a layering of programmatic strips. He understood that density and verticality had produced an architecture able to facilitate social interactions on a grand scale.

Koolhaas would use this concept for his approach to the design of Parc de la Villette in 1982. The skyscraper was put on its side and extrapolated across the park. Each floor would become a different activity. The layering of these strips would generate a new social condenser within the landscape.

“Programmaticlayeringupon vacantterraintoencouragedynamiccoexistenceofactivities andtogeneratethroughtheir interference,unprecedented events” (Koolhaas,1994).

The Strip : Plan (Koolhaas & Zenghelis & Vriesendorp & Zenghelis, 1972.) & Zenghelis, 1972.)

(Right)The Strip : Aerial Perspective (Koolhaas & Zenghelis & Vriesendorp &

Continuous Landscapes

Verticality is a prominent theme in Delirious New York (1994). Development in steel and iron construction techniques, as well as elevator technologies, led to the creation of the skyscraper. Density would be the fuel for these kinds of developments. (Koolhaas,1994). At the inception of the skyscraper, it only dealt with ten to twenty-story buildings, but as cities grew, so did the need for taller skyscrapers, leading to forests of concrete towers.

Koolhaas understood the necessity of this verticality as the basis for his ‘culture of congestion’. The nature of the grid and the flood of people into cities led to Manhattan being at the forefront of skyscraper development. He defines the skyscraper as the ground floor multiplied vertically ad infinitum. Skyscrapers allowed for the multiplication of land areas, increasing programmatic diversity vertically rather than horizontally. The book mentions the concept of vertical schism. Schism is the separation or division of elements caused by difference. Through his analysis of the skyscraper as a model for verticality, he noticed that each floor was able to produce its

own reality, independent from the next. This generated a disconnection of the architecture from the urban environment, which he dubbed vertical schism.

As buildings grow skywards, the perception of division from the urban environment becomes greater with each floor. After about three floors, the person on the street has no connection to the spaces. Since the last half of the 20th century, architects have looked to various strategies for creating continuity between vertical spaces. Simply adding large staircases or voids to upper levels does not necessarily create continuity of space. People are still forced to climb mountains of staircases that break the flow of movement. Koolhaas understood the importance of this continuity and developed strategies that could aid in the blurring of division. OMA’s universal modernisation patent provided two of these strategies; loop trick and the inside-out city (Koolhaas, 2004). These strategies offer ways of manipulating floor planes and movement routes to create continuous landscapes.

'Loop trick'

The patent defines the loop trick as a system of interconnecting ramps that eliminates the status of individual floors. Through this X-shaped ramp, the division between floors is not clear, allowing users to always feel between both spaces. The implementation of this can be seen in the Khunstal in Rotterdam.

Introducing an X of Intersecting floors(18,20) in a two storey building creates a continuous surface that destroys the status of the individual floor. Eliminates the notion of and below(19) (Koolhaas, R. 2004)

The Kunsthal is 3300m² of exhibition, auditorium and restaurant spaces. Varied levels between the highway and the park produced a series of tightly organised ramps and sloping floors.

Figure 180. Figure : Construction phase : 1991 (OMA, n.d.)

Figure 183. Plan & Section A-A : Kunsthal (OMA, n.d.)

Figure 184. Figure : 'Loop Trick' (Koolhaas, R. 2004)

Figure 182. Figure : Kunsthal Isometric Diagram(By author)

Figure 181. Figure : East Facade (OMA, n.d.)

'Inside out city'

One of the more innovative solutions from OMA is the design of the inside out city concept. This concept consisted of folding floor planes to create a continuous vertical landscape, a ramp through the whole structure. The building acts like a vertical street, able to blur the perception of individual floors. Through this three-dimensional landscape, the programme can be related along one linear path. They were able to illustrate this idea in the design concept for Jussieu library in Paris. The principle would eventually be implemented in the design and construction of the Seattle public library (see pages 81& 82)

Folding of ‘Street’ to generate vertical interior boulevard that exposes and relates programmes in a single sequence

Figure 185. Figure : 'Inside out City' (Koolhaas, R. 2004)

Figure 186. Figure : 'Folded paper concept' (FBA., 2022)

Figure 187. Figure : Jussieu model elevation and plan view (OMA, n.d.)

Diller Scafidio & Renfro

Similar to this idea is the design of the RoyandDianaVagelosEducationCenterbytheDillerScafidio and Renfro design studio. They explicitly express the folding circulation in the form of the building, making it seem like a ribbon piled onto itself. This expression of circulation route is a common theme in their designs, as they look to inspire movement and connectivity activities.

This theme is found min many of their designs and concepts. The firm looks to inspire movement in their architecture. They achieve this by making the staircase and ramp an 'Event', integrating seating and other activities wherever possible.

Figure 188. Figure : US Olympic & Paralympic centre Section (DS+R, 2022c)

Figure 189. Figure :'Eyebeam' Concept (DS+R, 2022b)

Figure 190. Figure :'Chicago Medical Centre Diagrams (DS+R, 2022a)

Figure 191. Figure :'Chicago Medical Centre' (DS+R, 2022a)

Active design is an evidence-based approach to the design and development of urban and architectural solutions. The main driver of this strategy is to increase physical wellness and support healthy communities (Wintermeyer, 2020). Human beings spend the majority of their time interacting with architecture, whether it be at home, work, or school. Much of this time is spent being physically inactive, due to modern sedentary lifestyles. There is an opportunity for architects to inspire passive forms of movement through their designs. Active design principles can provide a set of criteria for the production of active spaces. These spaces can help to reduce some common health issues faced by people living in cities.

The centre for active design provides four key concepts for active environments: active transportation, active buildings, active recreation, and healthy food access (Centre for Active Design, 2010). These can be used as drivers for the design of public spaces.

Prioritizing Vertical circulation like ramps and staircases.

Making attractive vertical circulation options can inspire people to use the stairs instead of the elevator. This is a form of active design that can help to incorporate passive exercise into everyday life .Within the guidelines there are several tips on how to implement and improve these passive forms of circulation:

Prioritise stairs and ramps over elevators, they should be a part of the main circulation system for ease of use.

Allow the circulation to be accessed through public spaces and without barriers.

Options should be close to the entrances or gateways.

Scale is important to make sure movement is comfortable in two directions.

Incorporating activities into circulation, like seating options, can help to increase the attractiveness of these paths.

Figure 192. Figure : Pompidou Centre Photo by Hiepler Brunier (OMA, n.d.)

Building programme facilities that encourage movement.

These are activities within the building that can directly influence exercise.

Mixing of functions and shared amenities to encourage visual connectivity to different activities. These programmatic combinations also generate opportunities for unplanned social interactions.

Locating lobbies, foyers and administrative activities on upper floors connected to main circulations, making them centrally visible and increasing the use of staircases and ramps.

Providing facilities for active leisure like running and cycling.

Walkways.

Make walkways a fun and interactive experience to encourage short journeys and social interactions. This can be done by:

Providing aesthetically appealing environments along the paths, like natural elements;

Incorporating direct and indirect forms of natural light;

Providing information points and signage along routes;

Making sure to incorporate supportive infrastructure like restrooms, benches and drinking fountains along the journey.

Relationship between interior and exterior.

A building’s interaction with the urban fabric can play a significant role in public activity and awareness. This can be implemented through:

Lower storeys maximising the use of a variety of activities and aesthetics in order to promote diverse and vibrant street edges;

Providing multiple entrances, and maximising transparency;

Creating a mix of thresholds (inside, inside-outside, outside) to blur the division from outside to inside.

Figure 193. Figure : Exterior walkway : Seattle Public Library (OMA, n.d.)

Figure 194. Figure : Book Mountain (MVRDV, 2022) 118

Figure 195. Figure : '01' : from series 'Theme park' (Guther, 2018)

Concluding Part A ...

Chapter 1 provided the theories of Rem Koolhaas and Metabolism, providing the theoretical framework for urban placemaking. The theories focused on generating architectural responses for citizens in dense urban environments. They clarify the role of architecture as a tool for the regeneration of left-over spaces in the city. The framework contained additional themes of hedonistic sustainability and active design that endeavour to positively influence the wellness of citizens as well as the urban environment. It established a set of eight principles that included: flexibility, adaptability, programmatic diversity, verticality, connectivity, continuity, active design, and terrain vague.

Terrain vague aided in the exploration of possible sites, these needed to fulfill certain criteria:

Dense urban conditions;

Left-over, between or derelict space;

Positioned within or adjacent to urban energies.

Chapter 2 established Johannesburg as the testbed for the model. Through investigations of its structuring elements, densities, and energies the site was chosen. The strip of sunken railway infrastructure that runs through the CBD offered a favourable landscape for regeneration. The site can be understood as a physical and psychological barrier for citizens that inhabit the spaces around it. The model will be injected to begin regeneration.

Chapter 3 sought to understand the typological nature of the model for this intervention. The chapter looks at establishing public space, and the urban and architectural types that will be the focus of the active landscape. The intervention will act as an elevated urban park with recreational activities that encourage social interactions. The three core activities established are a gymnasium, library and theatre. These will be implemented across scales to provide diverse options for participation and inclusivity. With the principles of flexibility in hand, the design will look to provide the catalyst, the model can grow and adapt to change in contextual obligation as needed.

Chapter 4 identifies key strategies for the implementation of the theoretical principles, providing examples of how they can be achieved. It explores flexibility, programmatic place-making, spatial continuity, and active design. These strategies will inform the design development stage, ensuring the success of the model.

B.

The Design

CHAPTER 5: The Brief

CHAPTER 6: Design development

CHAPTER 7: Final Design

CHAPTER 8: References & Appendix

Due to The Flexible nature of the intervention, the treatise frames the programmatic requirements rather as Themes, Zones and relationships, in order to maintain maximum flexibility and design freedom, The Design acts as an active landscape with program embedded in, on and around it.

In order to provide an element of structure to the programme, the brief will set out a series of spaces with estimated sizing based on standards found in precedent as well as other examples. This List can them Be compiled to suggest an accommodation schedule.

Due to there being no particular constrain, the Design will Rely on the overall structuring of public space nodes to inform the necessary sizing and programmatic arrangement of activities.

Narrowed

Down To Play, Performance and

Resources, These drivers offer a myriad of public activities to integrate and connect, generating the Hedonistic urban park.

The role of this brief is to provide a list of spaces and activities with their relationship to each other. This Can then begin to inform the design development of the landscape

Performance integrates the arts, Theatre and urban expression into its programme. It will situate itself close to the existing art gallery in order to provide programmatic support . It is important to provide multiple levels of performance in order to attract maximal diversity from its users.

The Main Programmatic elements include :

"Play" Provides the necessary vagueness to this programme element. This can Include physical sports, active leisure activities and other social activities.

This theme will span the entirety of the park as it seeks to establish the Active landscape

The Main Programmatic elements include :

Resources centers, Libraries and Internet cafe's all fall into this category. As Living conditions become smaller and budgets become increasingly strict, Public urban resource spaces become more important.

Citizens gain access to learning facilities and other intellectual utilities that help to increase holistic well being

The Main Programmatic elements include : 124

The Project as Grown from a small idea, to a complex mixture of theories, designs principles and challenges. The overarching driver from the outset became the theory. It was here that the design was able to ground itself, growing towards a set of ideals set out in chapter one.

First starting in Sports, the project sought out structuring elements like vertically stacked spaces. This proposed a issue of vertical spaces disconnected programme. The project then started to focus on continuous vertical space. Finally , the design landed on an 'urban landscape', on that could generate connections while improve overall heath in the CBD

From the beginning, LEGO became a tool for creating. The Modular toy allows the imagination to build without constraint. Scale is Implied, materiality imagined. This mode of making allowed for a fruitful conceptual phase of the project, while the philosophy of the LEGO block can be seen throughout the treatise.

The Following explores how to structure a 'Continuous landscape :

City Scale Informants

The project draws on Urbanity as fuel for the urban generator. The Sites positioning and main spatial informant is the energy of surrounding areas. These energies will help to fuel particular parts of the landscape.

The urban landscape will reach out towards the energies, drawing in the pedestrians and growing where its needs to grow in response to the urban environment.

The City as a Design Informant Provides 4 Structuring concepts that could be integrated into the urban landscape; The Grid, Variety of activities in the blocks, Scale and form as well as Inferiority

The grid informs a rigid sub structure, providing support , but allowing for activities to occupy it wherever they need

Successful streets utilise the variety of activities to create vibrant public spaces.

Variety of scale and form can create interest at the block scale. People don't want massive stale facades, but interesting storefronts.

Interior or 'Betweenness" is an important quality in making safe and comfortable public spaces

Precinct Site model

Precinct Site model 3D's

The Main objective of the landscape itself is to become a connector within the urban environment. The map shows high activity nodes and possible connections across the railway infrastructure,

SITE PLANNING

The overall scope of the focus area includes the main energies currently driving the Street culture in the CBD. The Site finds itself just away from the hustle and bustle, offering are for expansion on land previously seen as a barrier.

PLANNING

When building the landscape, the main driver was to ensure the creation of public space nodes in and around the landscape. The design uses buildings and overhangs to frame particular spaces and shade others.

The multi-storey landscape is able to generate spaces and activities on its edges, on its roofs and under its frame, making it a multi-level , milt-scensory experience for users

Small Section models were built in order to better understand how buildings could interact and integrate into the landscape. They were particularly helpful in trying to understand how edges could become seating , or roof as landscaping. The Models were still too obsessed with maintaining the existing edge of the railway and later critique helped to guide them towards a more integrated landscape.

Towards the end of the exploration the model starts to play with the idea of stairs as outdoor theatre, as well as being able to see into spaces below. These lessons will be carried through into the design phase.

EXPLORATION

Due to the 3 Dimensional Nature of the landscape, Sections didn't offer much benefit, but were still helpful as height and slope explorations.

The Sections look at ways to integrate the ramp into the structure, organising activities along its path and under its slope.

TION MODELS

VIEWS

VIEWS

CHAPTER 7 THE FINAL DESIGN

PERFORMANCE

PLAY

CHAPTER 8 Reference list

list of figures

Figures 1: Johannesburg City isometric with Intervention (by author) II

Figures 2: 'Crowded' by Ruan Erasmus (Erasmus, 2022) Erasmus, R. 2022. 'Crowded'. @warmishweather(Instagram) .. III

Figures 3: 'Contents' photograph by Henni Stander _ Stander, H., 2021, Johannesburg skyline[photograph], Unsplash.com, Available at: https://unsplash.com/photos/4sFrq7rxHX8 [accessed 20 September 2022]

Figures 4: People Cities and Architecture (by Author)

Figures 5: Johannesburg skyline before sunset (Freepik, n.d) Freepik, n.d, Johannsburg skyline before sunset, Freepik.com, Available at : https://www.freepik.com/ premium-photo/johannesburg-skyline-before-sunset_4620940.htm [accessed 20 September 2022]

Figures 6: 'Johannesburg Streets' (Kgomotso Neto, 2019) Neto, K., 2019, 'Johannesburg Streets' , Accessed at : https://www.okayafrica.com/south-african-photographer-exhibits-photos-at-taxi-rank/ [accessed 22 September 2022]......................................3

Figures 7: OMA Work Flow (Timmer, 2015) Timmer, S., 2015. Rem Koolhaas — Designing the design process. Medium.com. [Blog]. Available at: https:// medium.com/next-iteration/rem-koolhaas-designing-the-design-process7f1328821f70 [Accessed 12 July 2022].............................................................................6

Figures 8: Figure Methods, Strategies, Philosophies for Research Methodologies (Dudovskiy, J. 2011) .........................................................................................................6

Figures 9: 'Architects atop a Skyscraper' (by author) 10

Figures 10: image by author of “back-cover blurb” for DeliriousNewYork(OMA website, n.d) OMA., n.d., Delirious New York Book, OMA, available at: https://www. oma.com/publications/delirious-new-york [Accessed 12 July 2022]...................................11

Figures 11: Image by author of DeliriousNewYorkcover(OMA website, n.d) 12

Figures 12: figure : ‘KOOLAGE’ (by author) embedded portrait of Rem Koolhaas by Stefan Vanfleteren 13

Figures 13: 'Boxers eating oysters, naked, on the ninth floor' (Koolhaas, 1994 : 155) 15

Figures 14: figure : Plan And section of Downtown Athletics Club (koolhaas, 1994 : 155) 16

Figures 15: ‘Plug-in City’ by Peter Cook (Archigram, 1964)...............................................................18

Figures 16: ‘Capsule tower poster collage’ (Author, 2022) embedded poster by Kisho Kurokawa 1972...............................................................................................................20

Figures 17: Kenzo Tange & "Cities in the Air" model by Arata Isozaki (by author).................................20

Figures 18: Figure : ‘Tuan Jie Hu’ (Drawing Architecture Studio, n.d) 21

Figures 19: Henri Lefebvres 'trialectics of space' model (by author) 22

Figures 20: ‘Vague Terrain’ (author, 2022) 23

Figures 21: ‘Delirious Johannesburg’ ( by author) Edit of photo by Henni Stander ..............................25

Figures 22: Diagram of typical South African spatial segregation (by author)........................................28

Figures 23: 'Barrier in Walmer, Gqeberha', Edit of Google earth image (by author) .............................29

Figures 24: 'N2 Barrier, East London ', Edit of Google earth image (by author)

Figures 29: ‘Streets of Jozi’ (Mkhobeni, 2022) Mkhobeni, M., 2022, Streets of Jozi, streetphotographymagazine.com, Available at : https://streetphotographymagazine. com/article/walking-the-city-of-johannesburg/ [Accessed 10 September 2022]..................31

Figures 30: 'Locating Energy' : metro scale (by author,).......................................................................33

Figures 31: 'Mining Belt as a Barrier' in Johannesburg Metro (by author).............................................35

Figures 32: 'Railway as a barrier' through Central Johannesburg (by author)

Figures 33: 'Morning coffee in central Joburg' , author edited photograph by Londeka Thabethe (Thabethe,2015) Thabethe, l., 2015, ‘Morning CoffeeincentralJoburg’, okayafrica.com , Available via : https://www. okayafrica.com/londeka-thabethe-south-african-street-photography/ [Accessed 26 September 2022].

Figures 56: Gathering in Braamfontein (Lee, n.d.) 5Lee, J., n.d, Gathering in Braamfontein, Available at: https://justinlee.co.za/galleries/travel/,

58: (From left to right) Stock Amusement park image, photo of Central park, stock water park image

177: Figure : Library of France Axonometric (Tschumi & MOMA, 1994 : 351)

178: Figure : The Strip : Plan (Koolhaas & Zenghelis & Vriesendorp & Zenghelis, 1972.)

Figures 179: Figure : (left) Prisoners entering - (Middle) Scaling the wall - (Right)The Strip : Aerial Perspective (Koolhaas & Zenghelis & Vriesendorp & Zenghelis, 1972.)..................111

Figures 180: Figure : The Strip : Plan (Koolhaas & Zenghelis & Vriesendorp & Zenghelis, 1972.) Koolhaas, R., Zenghelis,E., VrieseThe ndorp, M., Zenghelis,Z., 1972.

or the Voluntary Prisoners of Architecture, Museum of modern art

Figures 181: Figure : 'Loop Trick' (Koolhaas, R. 2004).........................................................................114

Figures 182: Figure : Kunsthal Isometric Diagram(By author) ..............................................................114

Figures 183: Figure : Construction phase : 1991 (OMA, n.d.).............................................................114

Figures 184: Plan & Section A-A : Kunsthal (OMA, n.d.)

Figures 185: Figure : East Facade (OMA, n.d.)

Figures 186: Figure : 'Inside out City' (Koolhaas, R. 2004)

Figures 187: Figure : Jussieu model elevation and plan view (OMA, n.d.)............................................115

Figures 188: Figure : 'Folded paper concept' (FBA., 2022) FBA., 2022. Daegu Gosan Public Library. [online] Florianbusch.com. Available at: <https://www.florianbusch. com/projects/dgl> [Accessed 12 September 2022].

Figures 189: Figure :'Chicago Medical Centre Diagrams (DS+R, 2022a) ............................................116

Figures 190: Figure :'Chicago Medical Centre' (DS+R, 2022a)...........................................................116

Figures 191: Figure : US Olympic & Paralympic centre Section (DS+R, 2022c) DS+R, 2022. United States Olympic & Paralympic Museum. [online] Diller Scafidio and Renfro website. Available at: <https://dsrny.com/project/us-olympic-museum> [Accessed 13 September 2022].....................................................................................116

Figures 192: Figure :'Eyebeam' Concept (DS+R, 2022b) DS+R, 2022. Eyebeam Museum of Art and Technology. [online] Diller Scafidio and Renfro Website. Available at: <https://dsrny.com/project/eyebeam> [Accessed 13 September 2022]. .......................116

Figures 193: Figure : Pompidou Centre Photo by Hiepler Brunier (OMA, n.d.)...................................117

Figures 194: Figure : Book Mountain (MVRDV, 2022) 118

Figures 195: Figure : Exterior walkway : Seattle Public Library (OMA, n.d.)

Figures 196: Figure : '01' : from series 'Theme park' (Guther, 2018)