Approaching a living heritage framework at the overlap of suburban encroachment and iron age ruins in South Africa

Abstract

Iron age ruins are often associated with disoccupation and ‘safely-dead’ cultures, and are disconnected from current urban and cultural development. This perception creates a risk that this part of a South African heritage fabric could be lost to destruction and decay. Questioning this perception in the context of global and local heritage practices exposes this category of heritage site to the potential it has in contributing to social and cultural cohesion. How can the integration of iron age ruin landscapes with developing cityscapes be shaped in a way so as to encourage their sensitive occupation, programmatic longevity and communal value, in turn, extending the cultural significance of such sites into the future? Relying on multiple sources of informants, an understanding of the complexities inherent in ruin sites is established. Conventional investigative tools such as precedent studies, textual analysis and site mapping are paired with qualitative studies such as intuitive experiments, spatial translations and experiential mapping to synthesize a holistic background of informants. By investigating various layers of both tangible and intangible characteristics, this project attempts to establish a framework for creating a living heritage scheme within an iron age landscape in Bronkhorstspruit. The living heritage paradigm is explored through the facilitation of programmes that contribute to heritage production, such as artistic residencies, archaeological laboratories and wayfinding platforms. The resultant morphology of the project aims at framing the ruin landscape between separated buildings in an effort to incorporate the landscape into the metaphysical architectural fabric of the project. This approach looks toward concretising the function of the site so that it may drive development outward, rather than succumb to the encroachment of surrounding development.