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Excited to be taking on this new project in one of Queenstown's townships. A conversion of a house into rentable studio apartments. Like all township buildings, the original design reflects the bland and monotonous era of SA architecture. The mediocrity of four walls and a roof. Thank heavens we're here to turn it into a timeless home that communicates the context's time, place and identity. A home where love resides, memories are created, friends always belong, and laughter never ends. #art #architecture #arquitectura #architecturalTechnology #3d #3Dart #render #3Drender #sketchup2017 #sketchupPro #lumion #lumionrender #lumion6 #design #timber #curtainwall #glass #contemporary #apartment #apartmentliving #luxury #luxuryhouse #modern #building #creative #innovative #sustainability https://www.instagram.com/p/CK5xwbwHAq-/?igshid=t993asci5syp

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On site construction progress moving swiftly ✅🚧 🚧 You dream it, we design it 💯💯 DM for building plan enquiries #art #architecture #arquitectura #architecturalTechnology #applieddesign #interior #interiordesign #timber #concrete #rusticdecor #minimalist #construction (at Broadwood, Port Elizabeth) https://www.instagram.com/p/CKyu1gRHKqV/?igshid=1479bfb73rq3s

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A night of true magic, celebrating the future of South African design. At the @caesarstonesa 2018 Student Designer Awards ceremony. (at Vineyard Hotel) https://www.instagram.com/p/BqR9b9_nmIu/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=11p05fadqo9j4

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HUMERAIL SPEEDWAY 

Progress renders for our final computer’s project. Its has been an exciting year indeed.

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2 0 1 8     C A E S A R S T O N E     STUDENT DESIGNER FINALIST

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Non Stop 🛑

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Is Modern Architecture a Deterrent to the Continuum of South African Tradition ?

By Qhamani Dukada

In architecture, contextual understanding is a crucial determinant for the success of a project, hence the necessity for one to grasp the context surrounding the argument at hand. Cultural tradition is defined by the Oxford dictionary as the handing down of information regarding beliefs and customs from one generation to another; this is either done by word of mouth or by example. Architecture itself as a cultural tradition passed down from generation to generation. Therefore a nation’s architecture can be used as a means of evaluating the evolution of a nation’s cultural tradition. Through research into South African Architecture and critical thought, this paper substantiates the fact that modern architecture has become a deterrent to the continuum of South African traditional culture.

 Originating from an intriguing yet traumatic past where ethnic, tribal and racial differences prevented social interaction within the nation; one would expect that a democratic South Africa would have evolved into a country which architecturally embraced its renowned cultural diversity. Quite contrary to that expectation, modern architecture has managed to steadily deteriorate the potential of a unique South African diversity in architecture, materials and construction technique. 

This change initiated with severing the connection between rural and urban areas. Once separated, the rural areas, which are essentially the core of South African tradition, are abandoned due to the stigma that living in rural areas represents poverty, because the vast majority of people imagine a depleted mud hut with a thatched roof when the word rural is uttered. 

According to (McIntosh, 2014), “the first thing that is to be understood about vernacular architecture is the great diversity that exists in material and construction technique”. (McIntosh, 2014) Continues to state that; “people in rural areas build according to climate, but more importantly with what materials are available locally. The beehive huts of the Swazi and Zulu, the cliff dwellings of the Dogon in Mali, and the Mosgum conical home in Cameroon are all completely different.” 

With the core of South African tradition neglected, natives then seek foreign precedents to inspire the architecture in our both rural and urban areas. It has gotten to the point where we commend architects who are able to adapt international building techniques and materials into our unique African climate, instead of focusing on evolving the architecture of our ancestors. 

The traditional construction materials in South Africa include rammed earth, mud, stone, reeds, thatch and bamboo. These materials are sustainable and they have great potential for evolution, because they maximise the use of locally resourced materials and labour. This principle of traditional architecture should be promoted, yet these construction methods are on the verge of extinction. This is due to the fact that buildings that are being constructed in the most rural of areas are generic buildings which are alienated from their context. They are characterised by brick walls and metal roofs which originate from the modern practice of architecture. As paraphrased from a possible hypothesis by (McIntosh, 2014) this issue initiated in the colonial times, when foreign entities had influence power and wealth in the country. The structures were constructed using bricks and metal roofs, this became synonymous with wealth and people have been fixated on this modern architecture ever since then. 

(Sanghvi, 2017) Describes successful architecture as being able to connect to both where and when it is being built, and yet it should still stand out. The issue with modern architecture is that it is dynamic and it severs the connection between old and new buildings at a rapid pace. If it can influence where we choose to live or what we choose to live in; the resultant is a change in cultural tradition. It is clear in light of these facts that modern architecture has become a barrier to the continuum of South African traditional culture. 

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CONCEPT SKETCH

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V I D E O    W A L K - T H R O U G H     P R A C T I C E

For our final project for computers we are required to select a building from one of our second semester design projects and do a walk-through of it on Lumion. I decided to practice on a smaller building before I tackled a huge one and this was the result. Enjoy!

Project : Richmond Hill House

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M I C R O   B R E W E R Y    F I N A L    P R E S E N T A T I O N

As the end year portfolio draws nearer, one has to work on finalising all projects we’ve been working on throughout the year, for the final submission. It is safe to say that the micro-brewery has now been scratched off the to-do list. 

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C A E S A R S T O N E    F I N A L S 

It is a great honour to represent NMU at the 2018 Caesarstone student designer competition. The theme of the competition was transformation, which  my idea of the “Mzantsi Drawer” does well.

It is a shipping container which utilises a sliding mechanism (similar to a drawer) to allow multiple arrangements of its layout and the possibility of creating multi-functional spaces. This transformation allows creative entrepreneurs to thrive in the diverse South African urban and township context where change is constant.   

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A   P L A C E    T O    B E  

Our final design project for the year is a Multi Storey Mixed use (social housing and commercial) building in Walmer, Port Elizabeth. 

Due to the magnitude & complexity of the project, it is essential that one ventures into analysing precedents. This Is a Precedent study looking at sustainable principles which can be incorporated into Apartment Buildings. I intend to apply these principles on my building. 

Design development sketches to follow soon. 

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P O S T   INDUSTRIAL LANDSCAPE 

Our Urban design project for the second semester featured a seminar which we had to give in groups of two. Our topic was Post industrial landscaping and how it shapes and affects the character of our cites. 

Landscape Urbanism is a theory of urban planning arguing that the best way to organize cities is through the design of the city's landscape, rather than the design of its buildings. The phrase 'Landscape Urbanism' first appeared in the mid 1990′s. Since this time, the phrase 'Landscape Urbanism' has taken on many different uses, but is most often cited as a Postmodernist or Post-postmodernist response to the "failings" of New Urbanism and the shift away from the comprehensive visions, and demands, for Modern architecture and Urban planning.

We investigated Docklands and other industrial spaces, redevelopments etc. We were on a quest to discover how the effects of a change in consumption and manufacture change the urban landscape. The above images are a summary of our discoveries. 

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I made it to the finals!!!!!

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" The only way to do great work is to do what you love. If you haven't found it, keep looking, don't settle. " - Steve Jobs #art #architecture #arquitectura #architecturalTechnology #applieddesign #passion (at Faculty of Arts at Nelson Mandela University) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bn05oWXl0HV/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=6mkn8mpp9gug

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U R B A N   DESIGN POSTER

Port Elizabeth has a lack of planned public entertainment space which promotes social and cultural interaction, while acting as a building or place of importance to the structure of the city and its immediate surroundings. Hence the necessity for this project.

Students are required to Design a building which comprises of two indoor theatre spaces and an outdoor performance amphitheatre. The site for this project is in Baakens Valley which is already a tourist attraction and a social hub with a few industrial buildings. With this much activity in the valley, It would be essential to create a path which allows pedestrians to manoeuvre and interact throughout the valley. Currently the only pedestrian path in the valley is a 2.5m wide pavement which does not allow the users to embrace the nature of the valley. 

My Aim for this project is to create an urban walkway which will form part of the city’s identity and establish Baakens Valley as a Destination in P.E while also promoting social and cultural interaction.

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Humerail Speedway.

For our first project of the semester we were given a site in Humerail & the choice to either design a bowling alley or a go-karting centre.

Both options seemed viable, however after I conducted research on the history of humerail, I discovered that humerail was initially a race track for trains. Therefore since the site has a historical record of racing i thought the option of Go-Karts would resonate well with the site. According to the critical regionalist theory of designing, if I succeed in metaphorically recreating the history of humerail and merging it with future technologies it will and create a contextually sensitive project which the masses will relate to.

This is the beginning of the project, more content to follow soon.

#skrrrtskrrt