Haven House : Adaptive reuse of the Old Poynton's Building as a mixed-use commuity centre for asylum seekers and refugees

Abstract

This dissertation deals with the creation of a place of refuge for asylum seekers and refugees through the adaptive reuse of the Old Poynton’s Building in Church Square, Pretoria. Migration of individuals, due to various economic, environmental and social factors, has in recent years become a global cause for concern. There has been a long standing history of migration of fellow Africans in South Africa due to its reputation as an economic hub in the region. Current economic and societal issues relating to a lack of change in the racial inequalities of the past and the lack of proper service delivery to all South Africans has impacted the general perception that the presence of the ‘Other’ is putting pressure on already strained and inefficient public systems. This has led to a rise in tensions which is expressed in spurs of xenophobic violence amongst the general population. This has caused a deterioration in social interaction and inclusion, often leaving many without a sense of place. The lack of integration of an individual within their surroundings and a lack of unity amongst a society has implications for the notions of place making, identity and social cohesion. Through the concept of ‘confluence of identity’, a design is proposed to act as a facilitator for the enhancement of social cohesion between foreign nationals and the local community through identity articulation on the self and community levels. The main aim of the project is to derive a design which can stand as an example and model for future projects which seek to foster better inclusion and cohesion between the local and foreign communities within South Africa. The design and its technical investigation is centered on the facilitation and support of social cohesion and sense of place. This has been approached on three levels, user-space, space-object, and user-user. The act and concept of interaction is used as the overarching thread linking the technical issue to the main research question and the theories investigated. The technical investigation will be carried out through layout explorations, northern elevation exploration, section, model/maquette explorations, detail exploration in 2D and 3D and renders and 3D modelling. The resolution will focus on three sub-issuses, adaptive reuse, accessibility and circulation and lastly wayfinding. The final design and proposal will provide an answer as to how interaction on three levels can be facilitated and supported in order to promote social cohesion between the various users and communities and create the desired sense of place.