In a culturally diverse South Africa, the debate concerning whose history to commemorate, is an increasingly controvertial issue. In light of this, a refreshing opportunity for the celebration of a shared memory has been identified in the forgotten Mpumalanga mission station, Botshabelo. It is remembered as a place of harmony between different cultures, the natural and man-made landscape, this once self-sustainable, flourishing settlement that now stands abandoned and in a state of decay (Langhan, 2000:25). This dissertation research focuses on design within sensitive heritage environments at various scales, through acts of layering. At the urban scale, the research investigates the possible mediation between heritage conservation and development for a returning local community. At a more detailed scale, the project focuses on the rediscovery of Botshabelo’s cultural precinct through layering of the old fabric with new ritual. And finally, at the precinct vision’s climax, Fort Merensky (which overlooks the Botshabelo valley) forms the dissertation’s site of design focus. Finally, through the reinterpretation of Fort Merensky as a device for ‘hiding’ and ‘revealing’, a cumulative moment is formed by which a (figurative and physical) vantage point for the unlocking and celebration of Botshabelo’s meaningful landscape is enabled. The project intends to create an architectural device for the safekeeping,
showcasing and testing of ideas that mark Botshabelo’s memory, learning from it as a model for the development of South African self-sustainable, creative communities.
In ‘n kultuurryke Suid-Afrika, is die
debat rondom wie se erfenis behoort
gedenk te word ‘n kontroversiele onderwerp.
‘n Verfrissende geleentheid
om ‘n gedeelde herinnering te vier is
geïdentifiseer in die vergete Mpumlanga
sendingstate, Botshabelo.
Onthou as ‘n plek van harmonie tussen
verskillende kulture, die natuurlike-
en mensgemaakte landskap,
word hierdie eens self-volhoubare,
bloeiende nedersetting vandag bevind
in ‘n verlate en vervalle toestand
(Langhan, 2000:25).
Die verhandelingnavorsing fokus op
die tema van ontwerp binne sensitiewe
erfenisomgewings op verskillende
skale deur middel van
gelaagtheid. Op die stedelike skaal
ondersoek die navorsing die moontlike
bemiddeling tussen erfenisbewaring
en ontwikkeling van ‘n terugkerende
plaaslike gemeenskap.
Op ‘n meer gedetailleerde skaal,
fokus die projek op die herontdekking
van Botshabelo se kulturele
gebied deur die ou stof met nuwe
ritueel te laai. As hierdie gebied se
klimakspunt, word Fort Merensky
wat oor die Botshabelo-vallei uitkyk,
die terrein van ontwerpfokus vir die
skripsie.
Deur die herinterpretasie van Fort
Merensky as ‘n toestel om te ‘versteek’
en ‘onthul’, word ‘n kumulatiewe
oomblik geskep waardeur ‘n
(figuurlike en letterlike) uitkykpunt
vir die ontsluiting en viering van Botshabelo
se betekenisvolle landskap
moontlik gemaak.
Die projek beoog om ‘n argitektoniese
toestel te skep vir die bewaring,
uitstalling en toetsing van die
idees wat Botshabelo se verlede
kenmerk en sodoende daaruit te
leer as ‘n model vir die ontwikkeling
van Suid-Afrikaanse self-volhoubare,
kreatiewe gemeenskappe.
