Abstract:
Social media, mainstream media and the predominance
of visual engagement is contributing to a culture that is
increasingly intolerant and lacking in empathy.
“The hegemonic eye seeks domination over all fi elds of cultural
production, and it seems to weaken our capacity for empathy,
compassion and participation with the world.”
Juhani Pallasmaa
Recent political events and dialogue surrounding issues of
identity, politics and culture in the South African media are
seen as a testament to this.
In response concepts of New Urbanism, Integral Urbanism
and defi nitions for Civic Space are employed to create an
architecture with spatial principles that encourage urban
interaction and promote healthy engagement with one’s
community thereby acting as a counterbalance to engagement
on digital and visual platforms.
The Pretoria Station site is investigated as a platform where a
wide spectrum of networks can converge, thereby maximising
the potential for dialogue and exchange between cultures,
races, classes and with the city and the state.
The proposed architectural design takes the form of a public
space centred around the ‘Civic Knot”, itself a focal point of
the folded landscape topology. The building is inclusive and
seeks to balance urban requirements of daily needs, work and
recreation by delivering a useful and fertile civic platform.
