Game on : a youth centre in Pretoria

Abstract

The dissertation’s aim is to highlight the presence of young people in the Central Business District of Pretoria, Tshwane. The proposal aims to provide a facility to entertain the youth in the city while waiting for transport before or after school. An in depth analysis done on the Central Business District (CBD) of Pretoria revealed that there are currently 13 schools, as well as, several Further Education and Training Facilities (FET) in the CBD. These children and students form a huge sector of the population that is currently not catered for in term of entertainment. The project is located in the south eastern quadrant of the CBD, as this is where most of the schools and FET’s are located. The facility will comprise of various child and student based activities and facilities that they can engage in before and after class or school. These include indoor and outdoor activity spaces as well as commercial enterprises. All the facilities are arranged around a central courtyard space where unprogrammed activities may occur. The facility will also incorporate a small transportation node consisting of Taxi’s and Municipal busses. This will reduce the need for children to walk extensive distances between their after school activities and their modes of transportation. As the title ‘Game On’ suggests the dissertation aims to investigate games in both their architectural structure and narrative. Furthermore, the aim is to utilize the design principals and narrative found in games during the design process and using them to determine the hierarchal organization of spaces found at the centre. As in a game, design is a process that follows a narrative as determined by a set of rules and limitations. The imposed restrictions on the design may result in an unsuccessful attempt to overcome it. In games this phenomenon can be seen as reaching a level of difficulty. The player then needs to start over in order re-evaluate the situation or to gain the skills necessary for advancing to the next level. The process of design should be approached in a similar way. When a problem is reached the design should be re-evaluated and the necessary exploration should be done in order to solve to problem. Ultimately the process of design may be compared to the playing of a game, it has to adhere to rules and regulations and what is technically possible. The end product (architecture) can be engaging and may allow the user to interact with their surroundings like in a video game.