Articulating the real and the numinous: a Flood Control and Research Centre at the historic St. Helens Pump Station on the banks of the uMzimkhulu river
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Date
2023
Authors
du Plessis, Cara
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
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Publisher
University of the Free State
Abstract
There is potential magic within a hybrid โthird spaceโ of science and divination where the past omens and present practises can be tied together by string to aid the current flooding crisis. ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฎ๐น๐ผ๐ด๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐บ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ป ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป, ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐๐น๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ด๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ด๐ฎ๐ฝ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ป๐๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ผ๐๐, ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐บ๐ฒ๐๐ต๐ผ๐ฑ๐ผ๐น๐ผ๐ด๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ถ๐๐๐ถ๐ฐ ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐น๐ฒ, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ต๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐น๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ถ๐บ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐บ๐ฒ๐บ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ree๐ฝ๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ณ๐น๐ผ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด? Past efforts to address the South African flooding crisis have led to many quantitative and scientific approaches that evaluate rainfall, water management and infrastructure but seldom approach the crisis by way of divination, through which a higher realm of information can be tapped into. This dissertation introduces a new way of approaching flooding by designing a Flood Control and Research Centre that highlights the potential within the intertwined relationship between science and divination in an attempt to respectfully articulate the two where the roles of divination and the roles of science meet and work together in a hermeneutic relationship. Further investigation included analyzing the existing context regarding the project theme, testing three different theoretical stances and studying appropriate precedents. This design approach is able to broaden and challenge the dwellerโs perspective of seemingly opposite practices and provide a paradigm for future flood crisis approaches.
Description
Dissertation (M.Arch. (Architecture))--University of the Free State, 2023
Keywords
Hybridity, science, divination, flooding, omens