Doctoral Degrees (Architecture)

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Open Access
The acceptability of earth constructed houses in central areas of South Africa
(University of the Free State, 2015) Bosman, Gerhard; Steÿn, Das; Van der Westhuizen, Diaan; Atkinson, Doreen
English: The traditional earth building techniques of South Africans are well documented, but little research reflects the current perceptions of these building materials and techniques. The thesis explores the factors (independent variables) that can be addressed in order to make earth constructed houses in general more acceptable in central areas of South Africa. The thesis draws on data obtained from the SANPAD project (South Africa-Netherlands Research Programme on Alternatives in Development) with a household survey (n=1790) from respondents regarding their perceptions and attitudes towards earth construction. Multiple qualitative and quantitative responses were recorded both for and against the use of sun dried earth blocks (adobe). Correlation and regression analyses were used to test for the characteristics (significant variables) that influence the acceptability of earth constructed houses. The findings show that respondents regard traditional earth building materials as inferior. Negative attitudes were found to be linked to the structural performance of unbaked earth materials regarding stability in wet conditions and maintenance. Limited other studies confirmed the low acceptability of traditional earth constructed walls. Regression analysis could not confirm that personal and household characteristics are associated with the housing, context and acceptability characteristics. Correlation analyses confirmed that certain housing characteristics (basic services such as water born toilets connected to sewerage systems, running water and electricity) influence the acceptability of traditional earth constructed houses. Correlation analyses confirmed that context characteristics (location and area types) influence the acceptability of traditional earth constructed houses. Furthermore, the data and literature confirm that the building culture (available material and buildings skills) and upward social mobility together with Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) houses (with basic services) influence the acceptability of traditional earth constructed housing. The findings concluded that attitudes toward traditional earth construction are more positive in 1) informal urban areas where informal houses do not have access to basic services and 2) rural households where the building culture dictates the norm even without basic services. The effects of conformity, imitation and upward social mobility were confirmed, as stated by the literature and the data. Together with upgraded earth construction techniques (such as cement stabilised compressed earth blocks or bricks) wall components for earth buildings in parts of central South Africa may be more acceptable. The hypothesis is that if the influencing factors on the acceptability of traditional earth constructed housing are known, it can be used in the promotion of contemporary earth construction. The thesis aims to promote contemporary earth construction techniques. This thesis states that the public should be equipped and educated about the importance of preserving existing forms and methods of earth construction, in order to support useful applications within contemporary architecture.
Open Access
Care, place and architecture: a critical reading of Christian Norberg-Schulz’s architectural interpretation of Martin Heidegger’s philosophy
(University of the Free State, 2015-05) Auret, Hendrik Andries; Peters, Walter; Duvenage, Pieter
English: This thesis questions the theoretical contribution of the renowned 20th century Norwegian architect and theorist, Christian Norberg-Schulz (1926-2000), by considering the cogency of his pioneering architectural ‘translation’ of the prominent German philosopher, Martin Heidegger’s (1889-1976) writings. It is argued that Norberg-Schulz neglected one of the key aspects of Heidegger’s philosophical contributions; the temporal nature of Dasein’s concerned being-in-the-world as care (Sorge). Heidegger’s concept of care simultaneously acknowledged the way human dwellers are ‘concerned about’ their mortal existence, and how they cultivate their world by ‘taking care’. Instead of referring to Heidegger’s formulation of lived temporality (as Norberg- Schulz did when describing the emplaced nature of lived spatiality), Norberg-Schulz relied on his mentor, the Swiss historian and architecture critic, Sigfried Giedion’s (1888-1968), understanding of time as ‘continuity and change’. Norberg-Schulz’s failure to develop the temporal implications of Heidegger’s ontological concept of care, constitutes the principal omission that prevents the fruition of Norberg-Schulz’s ultimate aim; transforming his “art of place” (stedskunst) into the “art of the experience of living” (2000b: 356) (livskunst). As an alternative, it is proposed that Norberg-Schulz’s art of place be elaborated upon (and re-interpreted) in terms of a new approach grounded in Heidegger’s understanding of concerned being-in-the-world; the art of care. The main contribution of this thesis consists in composing the art of care as the phenomenological ‘ground’ enabling the architectural poiesis of Dasein’s concerned (ecstatic) temporality. By grafting the art of care into the art of place, new possibilities are revealed within Norberg-Schulz’s oeuvre. In the marriage of the art of care and the art of place dwells the potential for appreciating and designing works of architecture as livskunst. Livskunst celebrates building as the care-full poiesis of human being-in-the-world. Secondary aims include formulating a comprehensive understanding of Norberg-Schulz’s theoretical contribution and describing the difficulties that ensue from engaging with time as continuity and change. The conceptual development of the art of care calls for a form of critical reading based on Heidegger’s account of the hermeneutic “circle”. Since Heidegger believed that Dasein is a “circular being”, grounded in the circular “structure of care” (1927a: 315), this hermeneutic approach offers the most appropriate way to engage with Dasein's emplaced existence within regions of concern.
Open Access
A critical interpretation of the temporal impact of landscape, space and power on the built environment of Church Square, Pretoria
(University of the Free State, 2018) Van der Vyver, Elizabeth Yolanda; Peters, Walter; Duvenage, Pieter
This thesis critically interprets the temporal impact of landscape, space and power on the built environment of Church Square, Pretoria. It proposes to reveal, through critical analysis and comparison, the powers behind the processes of the making of Church Square as urban space, as well as the social and spatial relationships embedded in it. Four distinct periods or episodes can be identified in the history of Church Square and certain seminal moments caused the change from one episode to another. During each episode the physical composition of the space represented and reflected the powers that were the driving forces behind change. A two-dimensional representation of Pretoria in the middle of the nineteenth century shows that the landscape had been shaped by forces of nature and human dominance. The first aim is to determine the powers through which Pretoria was established and then to describe the advent of the philosophy of change, to identify the change from movement to settlement and to determine how the powers of law, state and church formed the Boer worldview. The authority of the state through which the beacons of the first Boer farms were erected is determined and the influence of the prevailing geography on primary settlement is explored. The change in landscape from agricultural settlement to town for the purpose of establishing a 𝘡𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘢𝘵𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘝𝘰𝘭𝘬𝘴𝘳𝘢𝘢𝘥𝘴…𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘵 𝘮𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴¹ is documented. The reason for setting out Pretoria according to a grid pattern is described as both a sign of human dominance over landscape and of water management. Once the wider historical context has been established, the focus moves to the historical area in an around the Square. Although data collection from Surveyor-General diagrams (SG diagrams) and title deeds is rarely seen as part of the creative process, it forms an essential part of any architect’s design methodology and the findings from these legal documents finally find a proud, albeit understated, place in the visual, architectural design outcome. The same is true of an historical architectural study. Any attempt at reconstructing the past of the built environment in context will inevitably refer to land parcels, -ownership and -use, which often provide more insight into the powers that shaped and reshaped the landscape over time, than the buildings themselves. A visual record[ing] of surveyed change over time confirms the notion that landscapes are always temporal, of the moment and in process, that they reflect human agency and action, and that they provoke memory and facilitate or impede action. The study proposes to reveal both the dimension of historical time and the dimension of historical space, therefore including both meanings of temporality: as the real physical world and as one being limited by time. It aims to offer a new focus and approach to historiography of the area and to reveal the significance that the temporal relationship gives to data gathered in architectural history writing. The establishment and development history of Pretoria and Church Square hinted on the frequent change in dynamic between Boer and Brit and the sixth chapter aims to elaborate on this dynamic. It attempts to determine how the built environment in and around Church Square reflected change. It identifies four distinct periods or episodes in the history of the town that can be linked directly to the changed dynamic between Boer and Brit. It proposes to describe the seminal moments that caused change and to determine the powers that were the driving forces behind the change that was made visible in the physical composition of Church Square during each episode. Although the Boer-Brit dynamic visibly influenced the built environment of Pretoria right at its establishment in 1855, the strife between Boer and Brit can be traced back to the first conflict of 1795, when the British occupied the Dutch-owned Cape of Good Hope. A summary of the historical context is followed by a description of the run-up to the tragic Anglo-Boer Wars that were waged at the end of the nineteenth century in the 𝘡𝘶𝘪𝘥 𝘈𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘬𝘢𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘦 𝘙𝘦𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘤 (the ZAR or the South African Republic). The aftermath of the War is investigated and the opposing worldviews of the two cultures are presented. The aim is to critically interpret the impact that the changed Boer-Brit dynamic had on the built environment in and around Church Square. The struggle between the desire to preserve memories and the desire to suppress them has been a global topic of discourse since the middle of the twentieth century. On Church Square the presence and absence of memories can best be illustrated in the name of the Square. The name “Church Square” has prevailed even though the central church was demolished over 114 years ago. Recent political protests proved that the Square is still loaded with political meaning and the trauma associated with colonialism and apartheid. As some oppose the offensive idea of Church Square and attempt to destroy the images of past powers, others try to protect their cultural heritage and memory. Since apartheid was introduced as a political system in 1948, the physical composition of the space has remained more or less the same. There has only been one significant change, namely the insertion during apartheid of Paul Kruger’s monumental ensemble in the centre of the Square in 1954, where it remained through the transition into democracy in 1994, up until the present post-apartheid condition. The ambiguous term post-apartheid is used to denote the current South African period as a definitive break from apartheid. Although apartheid and post-apartheid seem on the surface to be two very distinct political and social systems they are inextricably intertwined and the different and opposing discourses on Church Square during these two time periods are presented in one chapter under different discursive headings or topical foci. These include the Afrikaner worldview that led up to apartheid, commemoration of traumatic events during apartheid, the Rivonia trial, modernisation and development proposals. Despite the relative stagnation of the physical appearance of Church Square, there has been a significant shift in the ideologies of the powers behind change. The activities in and around the Square during this time were thus not manifested in the physical, but in the rhetorical. Change was not structural but ideological and the debates surrounding the Square reflected the turbulence of the discourse. The topical foci confirm that even if the built environment does not change significantly, its landscape is always temporal, of the moment and in process. The urban landscape still reflects human agency and action and provokes memory and facilitates or impedes action.
Open Access
Lived reality, perception and architecture: two community centres interrogated through the lens of Lefebvre’s spatial triad
(University of the Free State, 2015) Stoffberg, Madelein; Peters, Walter; Van der Westhuizen, Diaan
English: Community centres are ideally at the heart of society as a platform for social interaction. Moreover, these centres often provide direly needed services such as basic health care and educational or family guidance that sustain and improve human life. Spatially, community centres form nodes from which other informal commercial or institutional facilities can branch providing a civic presence in a relative homogeneous residential area. These catalytic structures help create new networks bridging the barriers of spatial segregation that is still remnant of apartheids legacy. Consequently, the central research question investigates the spatial production of community centres built after 1994. This inquiry is further interrogated through three research questions. First, what is the relationship between lived reality of community members (Spatial Practice) and the two-dimensional representation thereof as designed by architects (Representations of Space)? Second, what is the relationship between user‟s perception (Representational Space) and architects intent (Representations of Space) of symbolism, images and signs? Third, how do community centres, in the macro-context, reconfigure boundaries, form and function (Spatial Practice), as well as areas of centralization, condensation and displacement (Representational Space)? Through Henri Lefebvre‟s‟ spatial triad, the lived reality, the representational and inherent embedded codes are inspected. The three spatial concepts of the two respective case studies, the Helenvale multi-purpose resources centre and the Ubuntu community centre in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipal area are investigated through semi-structured interviews which are supported by a mapping and sort-chart process. A cross-case analysis interrogates the current public space as perceived by the users and designed by the architects. It is the thesis of a reciprocal relationship between lived reality, perception and architecture that investigates the impact of community centres on spatial transformation to inform future development.
Open Access
Towards an architecture of explorative divergence: an autoethnographic interrogation of explorative divergence as a mode of design and practice underpinning the oeuvre of Mathews and Associates Architects
(University of the Free State, 2023) Mathews, Pieter J.; Auret, Hendrik
A recurring theme in architectural theory is the question of “meaning”. To what purpose do we create architecture? My own personal credo can be defined as an intention to foster a bias for good architecture amongst the public by creating buildings which offer a holistic, embodied experience to which the dweller can relate. Expressed more simply, I care about the quality of the relationship between the public and architecture. I postulate that good architecture can be achieved on the basis of the symbiosis of two core ingredients, namely propositional density and narrative depth. “Propositional density” is a term borrowed from graphic design theory and can be defined as “the relationship between elements of a design and the meaning they convey” (Lidwell, Holden & Butler 2003:190). The theory states that a design is more intriguing and memorable when its elements have layered meanings; when one simple element conveys multiple meanings. In this study the term is used to refer to the complexity (density) of the meanings (propositions) of an architectural element or elements. Propositions can be further distinguished as being surface propositions – the multifunctionality of architectural elements – or deep propositions – the underlying sculptural and cinematic propositions of these elements. “Narrative depth” refers to the attempt to reveal the narratives of sites and cultures by conveying stories through architectural elements, thereby making buildings contextual. One can differentiate between visible and unseen narratives. Visible, or seen narratives, are direct references or representations of the narratives associated with the site. Unseen narratives refer to those representations that can only be understood if the viewer has specific insight. The reading of underlying, unseen narratives depends in part on the personal history and knowledge of the person interacting with the built environment. Perhaps more important than arguing the definition of good architecture is the following: understanding how architects can set about achieving or creating architecture with sufficient propositional density and narrative depth, in order to establish meaningful relationships between dweller and building (i.e. so that people can relate to buildings in such a way that a bias for this kind of architecture is established). The above represents the intention with this practice-based study: to unearth the ‘how’ so that we can reflect on and improve our methods of design and praxis. Explorative divergence can be described as an open-ended, interdisciplinary working method which goes hand in hand with a receptive mindset. Simultaneously, I argue that architecture practices would benefit from dabbling in a wide range of projects (from publishing and running a think tank, to curating art exhibitions and initiating guerrilla projects), as this would enrich the toolset of the practice. To unearth the characteristics of E-D, as it pertains to the practice of Mathews and Associates Architects, I will focus on three dominant divergencies or core competencies as lenses through which E-D can be understood: • Curation (including composition, judgement and intuition) • Sculpture (referring to aspects like making, form and materiality, texture, material and construction, innovation, and designing for semi-skilled labour) • Cinematic architectural choreography (including investigations into sequence, routes, movement, framing and temporal experience) These core competencies (which are areas of study in their own right) will be approached ‘as an architect’, and even more specifically, as ‘this architect’ has experienced them through architectural practice. Consequently, the method of inquiry is grounded in an auto-ethnographic exploration of the origins of E-D practice in my upbringing, education, travels and career. An exegesis of early student travel journals will reveal influential buildings and architects that inspired my E-D thinking. The places I experienced, and the discussion of like-minded creatives, will establish the thesis within the discipline of architecture. The style of the thesis is anecdotal, recounting stories to illustrate principles which are supported by academic references. In this manner the characteristics of E-D, as it pertains to the praxis of Mathews and Associates Architects, are defined; thus, a case can be made for the E-D method to produce architecture with high propositional density and narrative depth. Ultimately, I believe this kind of architecture has the greatest potential to allow people to relate to the work, and thereby find meaning in it.

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