The Third Retort

Abstract

We do not see, to learn effectively from our past mistakes and, similarly, we do not seem to learn from the opportunities that architecture, beyond its utility, presents. The old Johannesburg gasworks site expresses the development of a city that originated from industrial sprawl. The massive post-industrial edifices of Johannesburg are canvases that portray years of production processes and reflect the Avant-garde of the time. However, the mono-functionality of the architecture of the Gasworks precinct, used for capital gain, has now left the site deserted after decommissioning in the late 1990’s. The site is an empty frame, privately bounded with no interaction with the surrounding context, or the city beyond. It is now a wasteland encroached by nature, infused with the remnants of human-made pollutants. But the critically located site oozes latent potential that, if managed appropriately, can transform the critical Empire Perth corridor, which stretches through the city of Johannesburg, a critical urban framework for the future development of the city. It is time that we learn from our past mistakes, using the memories of place, to produce an expressive and didactic architecture, educating people through a non-linear non-destructive space. This expressive architecture will create new memories and ideas, through encouraged dialogue. Where this architecture and process coincide in the urban context, it will deal with immediate environmental issues in spaces where constructive engagement with the public is encouraged.