The Community Makery

Abstract

Humankind has over the years borrowed ideas from, and also taken from, nature. What was in the beginning an intention to survive eventually morphed into humankind striving for superiority. In recent centuries humans have begun to excessively mass produce inorganic items for their own use, while completely disregarding the impact of waste build-up on the environment. Today waste is a major concern and, in the current global warming crisis, there is a need to deal with overflowing landfills and extreme amounts of waste products. This study is focused on the upcycling of waste products, such as plastic waste, paper waste and glass waste, in order to produce building materials. The Mamelodi West area was initially set out according to the principles of the model apartheid city, with natural buffers along the northern and eastern boundaries. Later on the railway and industrial area boomed in the southern region, and thus the area today presents a diversity of amenities and uses. The industrial region of Mamelodi West contains a wide range of job opportunities and modes of income; however, there is a clear divide between the residential sector and the industrial sector. A clear need exists for a tangible link to be established between the industrial region and the residential area of Mamelodi West. With an architecture that could materialise into a haven for Mamelodi residents, as well as aid in reducing the waste crisis threat, there is opportunity to solve not one but two issues in the Mamelodi West area. Upcycling is a process in which materials that have already been used are transformed into items of a higher value the second time around (Sung 2015:28). Through the process of upcycling the amount of energy and material used is limited, and it is therefore a feasible option regarding the global warming crisis. In this dissertation the reuse of waste and how its carbon impact can be minimized, are explored. Ways in which waste can be recycled and reused within the context of Mamelodi West, as well as the relationship between nature, people and the environment, will be investigated. The focus will be placed on the notion of nature’s evolution and how temporality influences the built and natural environment.