Abstract
Revitalising fortified civic spaces in church
square, Pretoria.
INTRODUCTION
This research focuses on the fortified civic spaces
in Church Square, Pretoria, which are designed
to be impenetrable for ordinary South African citizens.
The study explores the transformative nature
of place identity and monumental character
in response to societal changes. It examines the
concepts of “fortification” and “civic infrastructures”
and their influence on our lives and societies,
as defined by Paul Hirst (1997:18), and Patrick
and Brady (2015:12), respectively. The research
raises the question of how architecture can be
used to break through barriers in civic infrastructures
and create a universal spatial framework for
contested civic spaces.
Church Square in Pretoria serves as the primary
location for this study, analysing the power dynamics
within its fortified civic spaces at various
levels, considering political, social, economic,
and cultural factors. Historical events, such as
the church street bombing in 1983 and the Silverton
siege in 1980, are taken into account. The
study also acknowledges the impact of exploitation
and colonization on resource management,
particularly in relation to land reform policies. The
achievement of land reform objectives, originally
envisioned as part of South Africa’s democratization
process in 1994, remains uncertain according
to Edward Lahiff (2016:181).
PROBLEM STATEMENT
To a certain extent, modernity has brought positive
advancements to civilization. Concurrently,
the discovery of gold triggered a rapid process
of industrialization, where an obsession with economic
growth and progress was driven by capitalist
pursuits of profit maximization,
, often at the expense of indigenous populations
who were left impoverished and marginalized.
Even today, this capitalist approach perpetuates
the lingering effects of colonialism, including social
tensions stemming from fractured and disadvantaged
families, as well as individuals whose
aspirations have been shattered.
These ongoing struggles afflict the indigenous
people, giving rise to violent political protests and
contributing to the presence of architectural ruins,
climate crises, social inequality, and “spatial injustice”
within Church Square. The ruggedness and
intricacies ingrained within these fortified civic
spaces will raise a series of questions concerning
coloniality that will be further explored in this research.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
• Who have occupied, currently occupy, and will
occupy the fortified civic spaces in Church
Square?
• What role did fortifications play in the civic infrastructures
of Church Square?
• How can architecture restore identity within
fortified spaces for the present and future society
in Church Square?
• In constructing new “fortifications,” how can
they embody a plurality of power, symbolizing
democracy and the equitable distribution of
wealth?
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
The project delves into the concept of city and
spatial justice within fortified civic spaces in Pretoria.
It aims to restore identity and democratic
infrastructures through the utilization of Sepideh
Karami’s (2015,25) work.
Karami's approach incorporates the principles
of decolonization, decoloniality, minor politics,
critical perspectives from within, and writing
practices that foster the creation of dissenting
spaces for marginalized individuals, including
those from underprivileged and inarticulate
backgrounds, as well as broken families and
citizens.
Karami's investigation focuses on the infrastructures
typically situated in the hidden corners of
everyday life, where the pressure for economic
resource extraction clashes with the ecological
vulnerability of both material and social ecologies.
Furthermore, the study applies Karami's
theory of the "moment," which involves questioning
and provoking a sense of urgency by examining
the significance of pauses as a means
to disrupt capitalist routines. One potential contribution
that architectural practice can make is
to collaborate with these interruptions and expand
their duration by embracing the power of
pauses.
STUDY OBJECTIVES
The proposal aims to delink identity and utilize
the pause and interruption as tools to establish
a counterspace, referred to as an "Interruptive
site," that elicits, gathers, and reflects upon
emotions. The significance of this intervention
lies in how architecture empowers people by
extending the duration of pauses, thus creating
interruptive sites within fortified civic spaces in
Pretoria. This approach attempts to prevent political
ambiguity. The research also investigates
the potential of Dissident spaces in revitalizing
fortified civic spaces in Church Square. It employs
design methods, such as notations and
metaphoric approaches, to analyse the site and
convey narratives associated with sight or site
stories.
Additionally, film will serve as a medium to represent
the experimental findings, prototype system
solutions, and demonstrate how these solutions
will function and evolve over time.The research
aims to spark discussions regarding the potential
of fortified civic spaces in achieving city and spatial
justice.
DESIGN CONCEPT :
Delink, pause, and interrupt.
The proposal suggests a hybrid concept merging
a museum and a civic infrastructural system with
the objective of reflecting and reorienting the public,
shedding light on the experiences of underprivileged
yet neglected citizens. By combining these
elements, the aim is to dismantle the existing
fortifications within civic spaces and reconnect
individuals with urban civic infrastructural systems
that often operate behind the scenes of daily
urban life. This approach raises questions about
reimagining the museum typology in conjunction
with these infrastructural systems to promote social
cohesion, solidarity, and the creation of a democratic,
just civic space in Church Square, Pretoria.
In an attempt to implement the concept, Laura
Levin discusses the tactics of dissenting, which
involve camouflaging and constructing an identity
capable of deceiving dominant powers. This process,
known as "kitman" or 'covert dissent,' entails
keeping one's true thoughts beneath the surface
rather than expressing them explicitly. It serves as
a strategy for surviving under oppressive regimes,
similar to the NON Plan tactic of dissent that
seeks to create an environment free from the constraints
of planning systems. By adopting these
tactics, dissidents can live within the gaps of
these systems without conforming to their values
or obeying their rules, allowing them to maintain
a level of autonomy and resistance in challenging
circumstances.
Abstract:
Infrastructure of despotism.
“Throughout histrory and across the globe,achitecture and
urban design have been manipulated in the service of politics.Government buildings
are,I would argue,an attempt to build governements and to support specific regimes.
More than mere homes for government leaders,they serve as symbols of the state.
We can therefore ,learn much about a political regime by observing closely what it
builds” Lawrence