Urban Currents: urban regeneration + boundary of isolated natural sites in the context of Wonderboom Nature Reserve

Abstract

Situated within the Wonderboom Poort on the banks of the Apies River, this architectural manifestation is a culmination of the exploration of how the forgotten or left over urban spaces can be revived to contribute to the creation of sustainable facilities and infrastructures accommodating ‘Third space’ within the South African urban context. These forgotten spaces include isolated and underutilised natural spaces, such as Wonderboom Nature Reserve. This dissertation briefly explores the shortfalls of traditional urban planning, while addressing how architectural interventions can contribute not only to urban fabric, but also how they create a platform for positive change through combining socio-economic programme and natural processes. The designer utilises Landscape Urbanism and similar theories as lens to explore appropriate interventions at various scales. This is not only an interrogation of site and context to identify the most appropriate site for intervention, but also an interrogation of form, function and the larger role architecture plays in the social and environmental context of the city. In conclusion it is evident that fragmented (lost/forgotten) urban spaces possess the latent potential to positively alter the status quo of South African cities, generating network continuity (whether natural, infrastructural or social) through the implementation of appropriate architectural intervention when rooted in sustainability theory. In this case the intervention will primarily be focussing on the continuity of public space, serving as a catalyst for future growth and improvement in the area and significantly encouraging the inclusion of the ‘human focus’ – setting a precedent for future development or intervention.