Threshold between land and sea : new waterborne transport node for the City of Maputo

Abstract

The chosen project stems from the broader context of Maputo as waterfront city. Increased industrial privatisation of the harbour strip adjacent to the city’s historic Baixa district led to the relocation of public functions, away from the downtown water’s edge and so disconnecting city life from the water. The potential of the city reconnecting to the water is thus latent. The dissertation responds to this potential by reintroducing a public program to the waterfront site. The building integrates with a greater urban vision for the precinct, whereby the industrial waterfront strip is reprogrammed with a layer of mixed use functions. A water-borne public transport node is the architectural typology to be explored. The architectural study aims to investigate the consolidation of currently fragmented water transport modes in one facility and so promote integration between different users and the public. Exploration also includes investigation of dualities and contrasts. Interaction between formal and informal trade, water and land transport, and international trends versus local influences are explored. The projected growth of the city further necessitates the expansion and improvement of water transport infrastructure. The proposed interchange connects all public water -borne modes of transport in Maputo, additionally establishing the link between the city and the water, and subsequently the downtown area with satellite suburbs around Maputo Bay. The design acknowledges the historic nature of the site and context, and adds an additional layer whilst responding to the richness of the existing in an environmentally sensitive manner. The social context of Maputo as a capital city in a developing country is another important consideration. The informal, public, transient nature of the context informs the design, juxtaposed against a first world, international business and tourism centre. The facility will aid in the reintegration of the waterfront with the city, effectively connecting it to other modes of transport.