In modern times it has become common practice for architects to work freely around the globe, Japanese architects in Italy or Italians in China, as universal connections are made easier through modern means of transport. The aspects of identity and culture are important to designers which can be seen in many cities that have long and sustained pasts evident in their architectural traditions and commonly expressed within their historic centers. These are been lost as people are changing the way they perceive and envision their surroundings as globalisation is forcibly imposing global cultures upon local dogmas. As a result, architects often look at international precedent for influence when designing, importing ideas which often disregard local contextual factors in aspiring for global recognition. To understand if these new technological, iconic and trend driven buildings are socially, economically and environmentally appropriate, one must analyse how the respond to their surrounding contextual aspects within the region. / Thesis (M.Arch.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2011.

The concept of the African Renaissance has gained ground over the past couple of years since it was first introduce to the mass public in the mid 1990’s. It aims to address a variety of challenges that affect the African continent and the people that reside within it. These challenges are mostly as a result of the centuries of oppression that the continent and its people had to endure as well as the latent effects that persist as a result of those oppressive regimes even though they no longer exist. The African Renaissance is meant to be a tool that will transform all aspects of society throughout the entire continent. The African Renaissance has been associated with a number of different social, economic and cultural issues, but has yet to be adequately investigated in relation to the built environment and architecture in particular. The investigation is therefore a quest to determine whether there is a link or relationship between the concept and architecture, and if so, how can architecture be utilized to further the concept of the renaissance. / Thesis (M.Arch.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2011.

Since the turn of the 20th century, industrialisation and technological development of the machine has brought about mass production of almost everything from spaces, food, environments, experiences, and architecture. The dominance of machine-based processes has diluted the experience of the hand-made environment, once rich with tactility, quality, honesty, and craft; by means of reproduction and standardisation (Frampton, 1983). This has inevitably created a ‘“universal sameness” (Augè, 2008:xii) which spans the globe and reiterates what Ricouer (1961) declares as the formulation of a ‘Universal Civilisation’. Modern Architecture, which is formulated exclusively through machine construction methodologies, has also influenced a sense of “placelessness” (Frampton, 1983:26) whereby the built environment is facing a surge of monotonous machine generated interventions. Within a predominately machine built environment, there are, however, concurrent calls for a reflective engagement of Craft (Pallasmaa, 2005). Although craft has not disappeared, there is a weakening of one’s connection to an ‘existential ground’ (Pallasmaa, 2009) through the advent of the machine and its ability to render mass-produced environments that are not necessarily honest to its place and its inner workings (Pallasmaa, 2009, Sudjic, 2008). A more directly hand-made crafted architecture could then, by definition, have the ability to respond and reignite one’s existential ground and strengthen one’s relationship with the built environment. This could then have a direct influence for one’s reconnection and experience with architecture in the progressive yet inhumane machine-built environment so evident in the Modern world today. This dissertation sets out to explore where architecture is positioned within the 21st century of universal technique, standardisation, industrial processes and contemporary consumer culture. A dialectical method will set the discourse of the research, which is made up of 3 components. The thesis; being architecture as a Machine, the opposing antithesis; being architecture as Craft and the synthesis; being architecture as a dialectic modern handcrafted. This dissertation seeks a unification of machine-built and hand-made technologies through machine processes richly layered with craft, that may well perpetuate a progressive and responsive modern handcrafted dialectic architecture in South Africa. This research could then be implemented towards the design of a collaborative skills development facility in Durban. / Thesis (M.Arch.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2012.

Art for centuries has been a medium or a means for humans to communicate their views of the world and how we see ourselves in it. It is significant in the development of a society through the narratives we gain from the experience of observing it. However, art which aims to be a subject of the people can often neglect to truly reflect this in the manner it represents itself, or rather in which spaces it represents itself. The notion of „art galleries‟ and „art museums‟ strips art from connecting to the masses, giving it a sense of prestige and an elitist status, not addressing the man on the street, who himself has many narratives that require expression. This can then misinterpret the role and significance art has within society. Nevertheless, street art has become the connection between the man on the street and society who move past it on their paths to their destination. Mural art within the street and urban environment therefore represents the paintings one would see within a gallery. Mural art is especially significant in South Africa‟s urban streetscape, where the streets are now the platforms for mass education and cultural memory of the many diverse unheard narratives of those who occupy our cities. “Murals play a pivotal and vastly underestimated role in South Africa’s process of reinventing itself and redefining its identity as a multi-cultural, peaceful, and democratic society”. (Marschall. 2002) The purpose of this research is to then take this further, it aims to explore how mural art can be investigated and utilised as a social mechanism to empower the indigent community of Durban, whilst simultaneously creating more vibrant urban and built environments. Three social theories are identified within the research which will be coherent in understanding the basis of the dissertation, they are; ‗perception‘, ‗empowerment‘ and ‗representation‘ theory. These key theories will be investigated to generate the relevant literature to review, which is a key component of the dissertation, furthermore this review will inform the relevant precedent and case studies that will be critically analysed. From these theories, a key architectural theory is identified to connect the literature and the architectural intervention that shall be proposed. This is ‗critical regionalism‘ and the understanding of this is pivotal in the research‟s aim to generate a meaningful architecture that is of the place and its people. This dissertation will create an understanding of the indigent community and the circumstances that have led to these individuals experiencing their hardships. This shall then investigate how mural art can be used to empower these individuals by giving them a „voice‟ and allowing them to positively contribute to the urban environment through this subject. The gathered information of this research document will then determine a relevant response and appropriate architecture for the design of a Community Art and Assistance Centre for the indigent in Durban, South Africa. / Thesis (M.Arch.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2014.