Browsing by Author "Townsend, Stephen"
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- ItemOpen AccessThe actions of the state in the production of cultural heritage the treatment of a cultural icon as bearer of values, identity and meaning at Groot Constantia in Cape Town(2012) Leibman, Yvonne; Townsend, Stephen; Van Graan, AndreIncludes abstract. Includes bibliographical references.
- ItemOpen AccessColonial architecture as heritage: German colonial architecture in post-colonial Windhoek(2018) Ruhlig, Vanessa Jane; Townsend, StephenThe rapid post-Independence development of the city of Windhoek, Namibia; and the ensuing destruction of a substantial number of German colonial buildings in the capital city, prompted speculation as to why these buildings are inadequately protected as heritage – and whether they are, in fact, considered to be heritage. The study explores the issues pertaining to the presence of German colonial architecture, as artefacts of the German colonial period, within the postcolonial context of Windhoek. The trauma and pain of the Namibian War and genocide (1904 – 1908) are recurring themes in the body of literature on postcolonial Namibia; and this informs a wider discourse on memory. Memory is found to play a crucial role in evoking a sense of both individual and shared ownership, through its capacity to create meaning, which can in turn ascribe value to a place. Memory is also dependent on visual cues for its continued existence, which suggests the importance of colonial architecture as a material prompt to sustain memory. The research therefore investigates the memories and multiple meanings attributable to colonial architecture in this plural society, and how these meanings can be created, or possibly reinvented, through the continued use of these buildings. The study is based on an assessment of three halls in Windhoek – the Grüner Kranz Hall (1906), the Kaiserkrone Hall (1909), and the Turnhalle (1909; 1912), all designed by the German architect Otto Busch – which illustrates in part, the need for the development of historical building surveys that assess the social values and significances of these contested spaces; and moreover, the potential that these spaces have to support memory work through their continued use.
- ItemOpen AccessCorbelled Buildings as heritage resources: in the Karoo, South Africa(2018) Hancock, Caroline; Townsend, StephenThe primary aim of this study was to determine who claims the corbelled buildings in the Karoo as their heritage and why. Through the use of vernacular architecture and heritage identification theory, interviews and research it is clear that the buildings are significant and a heritage resource. Their significance lies in their historical, social, aesthetic, symbolic and cultural values, as well as their unique vernacular construction and limited distribution. The corbelled buildings as vernacular buildings are part of the natural landscape which the local community associate as part of their identity and heritage. The buildings also possess academic and historical potential as they have the potential through further archaeological and vernacular architectural research, to provide more information on the northern frontier during the late 18th and early 19th centuries, a time that is not well recorded or documented. The buildings were built in 19th century along the ‘open’ northern frontier where there was intermingling and creolisation of people from different economic and social groups. As a result, they cannot be claimed by a single group of people in the present. The vast range in types and styles of corbelled buildings indicate that they were built by most people living in the area. They can therefore, be claimed by everyone who lives in the area today. They can also be claimed as national heritage as they possess values that are common to the whole country.
- ItemOpen AccessThe (dis)continuity of the Johannesburg West Dutch Reformed Church: a study of the impact and significance of the conversion of a former Dutch Reformed Church into a mosque(2013) Hart, Brendan; Townsend, Stephen; Munro, KatherineThis dissertation examines how cultural significance has changed through the reuse (conversion) of an existing religious building to perform a new religious function. The conversion of the former Johannesburg West Nederduitsche Gereformeerde Kerk (Dutch Reformed Church) to become the Masjid-ul-Islam is used as a vehicle for this study. The history of the Afrikaner and South African Muslim communities and their architecture is explored as well as the history of the changes to the building. The post-colonial concept of hybridity is used to understand the new identity of the building. This new identity determined as being hybrid. Concepts of memory and its use in the construction of identity are further examined with the former church being understood as a site of memory. Through the personal perceptions of significance expressed by both the mosque and church communities the change in significance is explored. It is determined that the building is the site of hybrid memory, with multiple layers of significance which have created a sense of continuity for both communities creating a sense of place and continuity in the post- Apartheid city. The building has come to be a symbol of the changes that have occurred in post-Apartheid South Africa through its layering of history, sense of inclusivity and regeneration.
- ItemOpen AccessAn essay describing the design process for a community facilities building in Bokaap(1978) Townsend, Stephen; Fox, RevelAny part of the built environment reflects the relative importance, or lack of importance, of four categories of determinants as experienced by the makers of that environment. These four categories are the People, the Function, the Place and finally the Style, Aesthetic or Vernacular of the makers. The first three of these, though complexly inter-related and inter-dependant, can be analysed and understood as separate categories. The People, Client or User can be analysed in terms of demography, historical background, technological development, societal structure, culture, religion, aspirations and attitudes. The Function, or Usage involves the understanding of both the specific need of the user and also the universal or archetypal prototype of the typical user. The Place, or Site must be understood in terms of movement to/through/ around it, aspect and prospect, topography, relationships to the surroundings, climate and vegetation. Each of these three categories of given information must be analysed and fully understood by the makers of the environment. Simply to be useful the environment must satisfy these factors fully. However, the designer or maker of the environment is free to interpret these factors in any way he chooses. Whether he likes it or not, he assigns relative values and he makes arbitrary decisions of which he is not even vaguely conscious. Thus even the supposedly objective analysis of determinants is riddled with subjective evaluations. The fourth category, that of Style or Aesthetic is rather less tangible than those just mentioned, and consequently even further removed from rational decision-making process, but at the same time inextricably tied to determinants like technology, culture, use and site. Thus the designer or maker of the environment gives it expression that has very little to do with the pragmatic demands of User, Function and Site (though he often, even usually, rationalizes architectural expression in terms of the givens). This essay is a modest attempt to show the interplay of objective and subjective, rational and irrational decision making in the process leading to the design of a Community Facilities Building in Bokaap. The form that the essay will take is as follows: Each of the four categories of determinants will be treated in turn; with an objective description of subject matter concerning the category being found in a wider column on the right side of each page. In the smaller column on the left is commentary of a subjective nature on design decisions taken and various miscellaneous observations.
- ItemOpen AccessFordsburg's urban memory - cultural significance and its embodiment in the ordinary landscape(2013) Mayat, Yasmin; Silverman, Melinda; Townsend, StephenThe vibrant suburb of Fordsburg has a rich history of diverse working class communities. It has long been associated with the Indian community and more recently a new immigrant population from the Indian subcontinent. Transitory communities have left their mark on the suburb and have resulted in changing significances and heritage resources. The study's main aim was to identify what constants have gained significance to become anchors for memory and identity in Fordsburg's landscape of rapid urban and social change. An exploration of Fordsburg's history and evolution was undertaken so as to reflect on multiple interpretations and insights into unacknowledged histories of the area. Themes of identity, urban memory, hybridity and the everyday landscape were examined within the context of Fordsburg. It concluded that there are constants of cultural significance which anchor memory and identity. These constants are located in the ordinary urban landscape of public spaces created in Fordsburg's main roads, public amenities and Fordsburg Square.
- ItemOpen AccessThe use of Cape vernacular architecture in gated communities in the Stellenbosch area(2018) Havenga, Christine; Townsend, StephenThis dissertation contributes to the conversation about gated communities, which has become the fastest growing development sector in the post-apartheid South African city. It is a controversial form of development, due to the country’s history of residential segregation, and is regarded by many to contribute to a new form of segregated landscape causing social division and polarisation in the built environment. The study includes a discussion of the use of vernacular architecture in gated communities, a field largely unstudied by scholars of the built environment. This is explored by looking at some gated communities in the Stellenbosch area where Cape vernacular architecture is used. Stellenbosch is a historical student and tourist town with a townscape that reflects various colonial architectural styles. It is especially well known for its Cape Dutch architecture. It is also a town strongly associated with enduring white Afrikaner privilege and economic power. The history of the use and revival of Cape vernacular architecture—and specifically Cape Dutch architecture—during various periods in South African history has been well studied, as has its association with white supremacy and with later Afrikaner power. This study explores whether the use of this architectural style contributes to the perception of exclusion created by gated communities. The study could find no direct proof that this is the case, although there is some suggestion that the use of Cape vernacular architecture is promoted by various parties to enhance and protect a certain townscape, which is associated with a former and, for many, still-existing power base. However, the findings reveal that there are other factors at play in the use of this style of architecture in gated communities. These include a wider nostalgia for a former era, one considered to be a better period in time, as is reflected in New Urbanism developments. Also, developers and their architects believe that its use will enhance their chances of obtaining approval for an often-controversial type of development. They hope that the social status associated with Cape vernacular, and especially Cape Dutch architecture, will attract residents to these developments, which now include members of all racial groups of the South African society.