“It is important to recognise that this stadium, an architectural joint venture, is a group effort. There were five local practices: Theunissen Jankowitz Durban, AmbroAfrique Consultants, Mthulusi Msimang Architects, NSM and Osmond Lange Architects & Planners and one international practice involved, namely GMP. Each practice fulfilled a different role. The local effort and local expertise, merged with the international experience, made it all happen. The effort is reflected in what was built and designed. From the urban design approach to the iconography, the stadium has a strong local representation,” says Gerhard le Roux, director, Theunissen Jankowitz.
The timeless arch represents the past and the future, where South Africans have come from and where they are going.
We traditionally revere iconic buildings for their ability to inspire and imbue symbolic associations and meaning to a broad audience because they reflect unique cultural, social and environmental contexts – be it the past, current or future. The newly constructed Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban respects these qualities and it references the past with dignity yet, it succeeds best in the way it reflects the aspirations of the current time and the future. It is strategically positioned to become an iconic beacon for the City of Durban as well as being a centre piece of the huge integrated development plan which weaves itself into the city’s landscape as a symbol of growth and prosperity. This stadium successfully achieves this through the innovative use of space, texture, colour and artifacts, whilst also drawing on its surroundings and physical features which give it a vernacular identity and character. Architectural and structural elements allow people to ‘feel alive’ within its surrounds, inviting people of all walks of life and binding them within an iconic web of space and community.
An architectural view of the arch and it’s design elements.
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