Concept Design

Concept Site Plan

Concept Cross Section

Concept Longitudinal Section

Concept Perspective - Rehabilitation landscape and commercial/retail

Concept Perspective - main route through building

Concept Perspective - wetland

Concept Design

Programme Planning Diagram

Proposed grid. An extraction from the context city grids

Concept Basement

Concept Ground Floor

Concept First Floor

Site integration

Landscape rehabilitation, along with the stitching/linking of several layers on the site, will integrate the site into its context, while creating new opportunities. Furthermore, how the development of refuse disposal brownfield sites can benefit local communities and ecologies. Reclamation and remediation based design principles are used to propose the remediation of contaminated soils, wetlands and landscapes.

 

 
This thesis aims to challenge the contemporary perceptions of refuse disposal landfill sites, transforming the site from a hidden, inaccessible open public land, into an integrated, rehabilitative, multi-use and accessible site – with value to ecology, economy and culture. Ultimately questioning how architecture plays a role in the abovementioned, connecting ecology and culture.

 

Paradox Landscape

A void in networks, break in connections, closed-open space and unsafe terrain – an epicentre of paradoxes and opportunities. As topographically and topologically dynamic landscapes, landfills exist as a unique paradox of public space which is not easily accessible or visible to the public which created them.

The final resting place for most refuse/solid waste, landfills, have become underappreciated and often an overlooked form of public space. The contemporary perception of landfills, and refuse disposal, is that these landscapes should be concealed from public observation. This perception removes the link, and subsequent understanding, of where the waste that they create goes to ‘die’.

Site

Landfills also are integral to archaeological research, acting as layered time capsules containing the timeline of cultures and technology.

They also become landscapes for artists and scientists to study, and extract narratives of the evolution of humanity.

Landfills contain a material and energy resource, which could be harvested and processed in an environmentally constructive way.

This site is situated with the unique location of being able to connect/integrate/affect/respond to townships with rich heritage; proposed townships; congregation of ‘work seekers’; varying topography; residential zones; nature reserves; cultural and heritage sites; protected areas; rivers and wetlands; and refuse disposal terrain – all on or directly adjacent to it.

Urban Scale

Main Reef Road

Towns, open spaces, water bodies and arterial routes along Main Reef road, passing the site.

The site is a void between Melville Koppies Nature Reserve and Albert’s Farm Nature Reserve. This provides another layer to the site, to link the nature reserves through a programme on/in the site. The site is also adjacent to the north of Westbury, which is currently undergoing an Urban Design upgrade. One significant part of this upgrade is along the road which extends into Newlands, and along the western edge of the site. This could be seen as a catalyst or finger on which to intervene at an urban scale.

Site (Newlands) and Westbury

Green Open Spaces

Public transport routes, pedestrian routes, Corridors of Freedom, urban upgrades, links and proposed links

Proposed grid and amalgamation of urban design informants

Urban Vision

Urban Principles

Re-thinking Healthcare in Cities

Neighbourhoods, Public Space, Communities and Primary Care Service

Professor Phil Astley

The four day intensive workshop with Prof. Astley was centred around healthcare and well-being. However, the principles involved in this were extracted and reinterpreted into out current projects, under their respective topics. Many principles came out of this workshop, with the most relevant to my work being:

• Scenario Planning
• Structure with apparent Chaos
• Planning Networks
• Integration of existing networks and services
• Interim projects on site
• Using art for ownership
• Project definition
• User paths
• Stakeholders vs. Users
• Soft Processes
• Complexity Theory
• Reflexivity Theory
• De-centralisation
• Urban Agriculture

User Paths

Factors of Change

Factor Timeline

Information and Communications Technologies (ICT)

Pecha Kuch Presentation

 (turn pages from any corner/click and use arrow keys)