The architectural heritage of hospitals in the city of Tshwane

Abstract

Heritage places and architecture in the city of Tshwane are notoriously undervalued and misused. These buildings are at risk of being lost due to a lack of public knowledge and legislative protection. Losing these places to degradation and mismanagement has a major negative impact on the city and the identity and memory of its people. This study contributes to the documentation and valuation of a critically underrepresented historical part of the city, hospitals. The study focuses on whether public hospitals have cultural value, what would be the best way to document this value and importance and how this can be communicated to improve further research. By utilizing various informed methods of valuation and hybrid styles of documentation, the study unearths critical values hidden in multiple hospitals throughout Tshwane. Various themes are identified that connect these public buildings and tell the history of the development of the city, the local narrative of medical practice and technology and the political conflict in the city and its impact on people past and present. The study concludes with extensive findings of heritage value in public hospitals and multiple narratives drawn between buildings, eras, and contexts.