Steeping the intangible: an experiential rooibos tea house in the Wupperthal valley, unearthing the intangible cultural heritage of the Khoi and San

Abstract

The architectural dissertation aims to contextualise the Tea House typology in the South African Cederberg landscape by envisioning a Rooibos Tea House The Critical Regionalist contextualisation specifically considers the genius loci of Wupperthal as the expression of cultural heritage intimately linked with place to appropriately synthesise a Rooibos Tea House, which celebrates the intangible Khoi and San Rooibos cultural heritage Consequently, the dissertation aims to conceptualise a Rooibos Tea House as a region and culture specific architectural response to a foreign typology in South Africa In order to successfully contextualise the typology, it was essential to extract the genius loci of Wupperthal through a contextual analysis focused on the culture and lived narratives of the town Through various interviews with locals, personal experience and historical research, the dissertation embodies an understanding of the genius loci of Wupperthal and aims to express the understanding in an architectural expression supported by other case studies The architectural dissertation envisions a Rooibos Tea House in Wupperthal, South Africa, rooted in the intangible Rooibos cultural heritage of the Cederberg Khoi and San to unearth the poetics of the herbal tea.