Browsing by Subject "Architectural Design"

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
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    Composition: Music as inpiration and generator of space
    (2009) Messaris, Anastasia Miranda
    The analogy between the two arts of music and architecture has been a central theoretical theme since the conception of either. Emerging from a background that is situated in both architectural and musical instruction, the correlation between the two has always provided a certain degree of fascination for me. Having understood the linear narrative running between the translation of music and architecture, I endeavoured to locate a more conceptual foothold from which to derive my arguments. The essays below outline my discovery and development of the topic, transforming a simple analogy into a conceptual way of reading context so as to create an architectural composition of space, just as a musician uses the tools of notes (sounds), rests (silences), instrument quality, beat (time) and sequence to create a musical composition. This thesis developed similarly to that of a musical composition: where themes are presented, then developed, then treated in new ways, and finally returned to, creating a final composition that moves through exposition (stability), development (heightened tension and conflict) and resolution.
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    Exploring folded space in urban Cape Town : unfolding the Strand / Adderley Street juncion
    (2009) Willemse, Mariet
    This thesis started with a personal interest as to what informs architectural form, specifically the folded, smooth or continuous form so visible in contemporary architecture. I was interested in the relationship between the formal 'folds' of contemporary architecture and the spatial theory of 'folded space'. In order to understand where these forms are coming from and whether or not the idea of 'folded space' could bring value to the construct of architecture in the South African context I had to gather a comprehensive understanding of the state of architecture in the 21" century and of course that meant researching the failures and successes of what went before. I have learned that the obsession with folded form comes from contemporary architecture's preoccupation with connection and complexity in architecture. In short; Modernism sought to group, zone and separate different spatial programs which were often translated into pure geometric forms, Post-Modernism reacted against the monotony of Modernism by juxtaposing exaggerated oppositions in form and spaces. Today, in the transitional phase from the late 20th century to the beginnings of the 21" century, contemporary architecture still struggles with the theme of connection and complexity in architecture. The idea of 'folded space' where previously unrelated elements are smoothly integrated within a continuous, but heterogeneous mixture seems to provide contemporary architects with an alternative to the purity of Modernism and the vulgar oppositions of Post-modernism. So the question contemporary architecture is faced with today is: How can architecture formulate a continuous mixture which still allows for variety complexity? The theory investigation concluded that the relevance of the folded space in the South African context could be the realization that through the folding or blurring of the relationship between previously unrelated programs, spaces and the building and its urban context, new and interesting social interactions might arise. The corner of Strand and Adderley Street on the station site proved an appropriate site on which to test this theory of 'folded space' on both a social and a spatial level. Although the site is situated on the most important intersection in the city it is known for its clear separations and barriers. The three levels in the center of the city, the underground, the ground and the above ground I station roof are separated both spatially and socially. The design project strives to experiment with ways in which to 'fold' the distinct spaces that are imminent, but repressed on this corner site in the heart of Cape Town's city. Through folding or connecting these spaces and programs that were previously separated the architecture will aim to act as a platform for social encounters amongst its users.
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    Imagining a new public space in the foreshore by re-creating the city-sea relationship
    (2009) Watson-Smith, Adam Graham
    Aim: Reconnect the City to the Sea through investment in the pedestrian and public space, supported by activity generating and accommodating architecture. Theory question: What architectural methods are being employed in global port-side cities to reinvent and make use of large tracts of de-valued inner city land? Technology question: What is the nature of the physical condition that the foreshore area presents and what impact has this had on the haphazard development of this inner city space? Sub Questions: What are the key factors in global cities' development and fabric which have resulted in large inner city tracts of undervalued land, and their condition? What are the implications of different modes of mobility within urban space, and particularly their effects on the resulting urban form, and utilization of this space? What negative effects of mobility in a global society are universal to all contemporary cities and societies, and what are some of the contextually derived typological solutions? What are the primary opportunities and technical challenges presented by the unique conditions of the foreshore to development?
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    A new learning environment: designing an urban school dedicated to the learner and the community at large
    (2009) Rossouw, Renee Elizabeth
    My project is the design of a primary school in an urban context with an interest in developing a school that speaks about new type of learning environments. This typology will address the challenges of designing a school in an urban context, Cape Town, while rethinking how schools are designed with regards to its programme and layout. I am concerned with designing a school which will truly be a space for the learner. This environment is a space where he/she can work/learn together as a group or individually, in classes or in self-study-activities. This environment is a place where the learner can meet and play in an ungoverned manner, where the school building has an equal emphasis on learning and playing. The design of this building should address the needs of the learner as a child that needs to learn, express, move, run. At the same time, the school-building is no longer a sole institution used only by its learners. Rather, it becomes a building which can bring together learners from different schools, and other members of the public to become an active community building. This document will reveal the process of uncovering that Circulation-space is one of the primary spatial components in new School Design - This component will resolve my above-mentioned inquiries as it becomes the solution to architecturally resolving it. This document is divided into the following processes: Chapter l (The Design Principles): I will investigate 3 case studies of three different types of schools and conclude with design principle which will act as design informants for the school I will design. The primary conclusions will then be developed into conceptual ideas whose architectural expression will be addressed in chapter 4. In Chapter 2 (Site Selection), I start of by investigating 6 schools and their facility deficiencies located in close proximity to each other in the city of Cape Town. These deficiencies act as informants to what the Semi-public Shared facilities will be as part of the programme of my school. This chapter also includes diagrams and investigation into the site I have chosen. In Chapter 3 (Timber as Material) I look at different used of timber as a material in school design. Chapter 4 (Design Development), I focus my-design as responding to the challenges of an urban school, as well as further developing the concept of Circulation as one of the primary spatial components in School design. The rest of the chapter will include the spatial explorations of designing the new type of urban school.
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    A new typology - re-imagining a civic building
    (2009) Roland, Stephanie
    My personal interest in cities and their layering of spaces and functions served as a starting point for this dissertation. Cities evolve over time, and the resultant networks of movement and public spaces are the filters through which most inhabitants experience the city they live in. By examining the Cape Town CBD and surrounds, it became apparent that these networks have become secondary to other commercial systems. Whilst Cape Town has some open public spaces of historic significance such as the Grand Parade and Greenmarket Square, the public space network has become fragmented and often overwhelmed by commercial interests which inevitably limit public access and use. Upon closer examination, it seems that economic concerns have shaped the city rather than a layering and balance between public and private, access and control. A discernible building typology can be found in the inner city, one which I have referred to as the tower block. The tower blocks have varying programmes but hold in common private ownership and controlled access, thereby limiting the connection to the city severely, and in most cases do not add anything of value to the public urban fabric. Instead, where the tower block access meets the movement and public space network of the city a hostile environment is created, where loiterers and security guards jostle for control. The inhabitants and users of the tower blocks step from the city into a controlled, sterile environment, and do not interact with the urban environment further. Most of these tower blocks naturally accommodate office space in the CBD. Whilst it is not realistic to lay the onus on private investors and developers putting up tall buildings in the city to contribute extensively to the public urban space, civic buildings should shoulder that responsibility. Historically, as with the Old Town Hall overlooking the Grand Parade, this is how the public space network was constructed. Civic building and the publicly accessible space which they created were the generative elements of cities. By examining the CBD it became clear that the last extensive civic building done by the city was during the apartheid era, buildings such as the Civic Centre and Customs House on the foreshore. Built to deal with the growing administrative apparatus of that era, and following modernist guidelines the public spaces created by these buildings are mostly unused, due to unsuitable location and being awkwardly scaled and imposing. The trend for the city to instead lease tower blocks of generic office space to accommodate their civic functions has further led to a deterioration of the public urban realm, as a building typology focused on disconnection from the city now has to accommodate a constant influx of people whilst still having to maintain security for its internal workings. The street, entrances and internal corridors become crowded with people which they were not designed to contain, leading to a frustrating experience for both public and public servant alike. The focus of this thesis became to challenge the conventional tower block that makes up much of our cities today, by putting forward spatial possibilities that are flexible for alternate uses and new crossprogrammatic possibilities for a partnership between private building and public building. The connection between the private and public was made through the programme of an office building, which in its generic form has already become a typology that houses both public (civic) and private.