Abstract
M.Tech. (Interior Design)
Commissioned public buildings in post-apartheid South Africa exhibit a synergy
between local craft and contemporary design in their interiors. Tasked with the
design of buildings representative of a democratic South Africa, architects
looked to the surrounding communities, recognizing and incorporating local craft
skills and products into their designs. The buildings selected as examples for
this study are the Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature (2001) in Nelspruit, the
Northern Cape Provincial Legislature (2003) in Kimberley, and the
Constitutional Court (2004) in Johannesburg. These have been selected as they
are the three buildings commissioned after 1994 by the democratically elected
South African government.
This research aims to determine how national identity has been communicated
and represented in the interior design of these public buildings, through the
inclusion of local craft. As key public buildinqs of this time there has been
considerable research done based on these examples in the field of
architecture, notably by the authors Freschi (2006,2007) and Noble (2011),
however, no research has been done in the field of interior design.
By taking an interpretivist approach, this qualitative study seeks to find meaning
and deeper understanding. Data was collected in transcribed interviews,
observations in the field as well as a literature review. Qualitative content
analysis was used to initiate a comparison between the interior design of the
buildings. Through the use of crystallization as a methodology it attempts to
offer a thickly described interpretation of three public interiors undertaken in the
development of a national design identity. This study could be of interest to
interior design students, interior design and architectural professionals
undertaking similar projects and government departments interested in this
field.