Re-connecting the divide : an integrated trade and transport node for the Hammanskraal commercial precinct

Abstract

This dissertation addresses the reestablishment of the Hammanskraal train station, by providing an integrated transport node that includes a variety of community functions. The aim is to re-introduce the Stationarea as a signifi cant trade and transport node in the Hammanskraal community. The main routes linking to the railway station and the surrounding urban fabric are re-evaluated and altered to accommodate not only the railway programme, but also to better suit the growing needs of the community. Theoretically the project explores the infl uence architecture and spatial perceptions have on the social behaviour and the interactions between diff erent users in these spaces. These relationships are explored to create architecture that not only responds to existing conditions but also becomes a landmark in the area and a reference for future developments in the area. The theoretical investigation can be applied in a design such as the new Hammanskraal station as the characteristics and scope of this node need to integrate diff erent users and functions. Integrating these aspects into the design leads to new forms of interaction and spatial appropriation. The closure of the public component of the railway station resulted in the degradation and neglect of a site that is located within one of the busiest social and commercial nodes of the Hammanskraal Township. The suspended long distance commuter service in favour of the taxi and bus service has resulted in the lack of transport options to thousands of daily commuters between the township and the Pretoria CBD. The new Hammanskraal Railway interchange aims to reconnect the local residents, with a more economic means of travel, to the Pretoria CBD as most of them commute there for work opportunities. Integration and interaction between rail and road transport and numerous informal traders, within a vibrant urban space, are the main focus areas of the design. The design’s intent is to provide a reconnected township, while addressing the immediate needs of the site and the community. The redesign of the Hammanskraal Station precinct does not only reconnect the township to the railway system, but reintroduces much needed energy and public functions to the township itself while providing new economic opportunities both locally and in the surrounds.