Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references.

Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references.

Includes abstract. / Includes bibliographical references. / Impeding Efficiency is based on my interest in the manner in which we experience space and in particular, the moment we become conscious of our surrounding built environment. The point of change between spaces, the threshold. Contemporary society lives in fast-forward; everything we do has been streamlined, developed in principles of efficiency. This phenomenon has caused a divide between user and the experience of architecture. We move rapidly, only with goal in mind, very rarely pausing, to adjust and reflect on our surroundings. This sparked a study of the threshold in architecture through the lens of four architects and the architectural strategies they have applied in a manner that impedes efficiency, hinders mobility, slows down time and allows for personal interpretation of the build environment.

Includes abstract. / Includes bibliographical references. / With this in mind, the underlying notion of my thesis is that of the everyday and the extraordinary, and how within the ordinary, the (extra)ordinary may be revealed. A part of my personal everyday experience and one that is shared by many Capetonians traveling to and from the Cape Town CBO on a daily basis is the image and presence of the Cape Town Harbour which has become an everyday backdrop and like our majestic Table Mountain, often goes unnoticed. In particular, an aspect of my everyday harbour experience which stands out is the image of the shipping containers at the container terminal. When seen as individual objects, the shipping containers appear quite ordinary - a corrugated steel box. However, when combined and stacked vertically and positioned side by side, the multitude of colours an d configurations of the seemingly ordinary steel boxes begin to reveal intriguing forms and spatial qualities and I often found myself envisioning the spaces which may be revealed within and around the containers. With the notion of the shipping container as a spatial object of an ordinary, everyday nature, my architectural proposal intends to explore the making of an extraordinary space utilising these ordinary steel boxes of the everyday. As the shipping containers are standardised and modular, and therefore the space within the box is essentially a given, the focus of my thesis is not constrained to the space within the box, but instead it is more an investigation into the spatial qualities which can be created between and around the boxes and how one deals with the making of these (extra)ordinary spaces.

Includes abstract. / Includes bibliographical references. / This paper serves as a pretext to the resulting architectural project and traces the progression of the design process born from the entry point of this thesis, of a site. It portrays an attempt to conceive a considered methodology for approaching architectural design. Thus this dissertation traces the unexpected route from conception to product. The experimentations and research direct, divert and redirect the trajectory of the design process with the intention of creating an investigation that is hopefully personal, rich and most certainly not predetermined.

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 112-115).

This dissertation proposes an automated land-use zoning system based on the context of an urban scene. Automated zoning is an important step toward improving object extraction in an urban scene.

Includes bibliographical references. / Water is essential to life. However, the current urban water system and environment is degrading freshwater ecosystems, nature’s ability to replenish resources and the relationship between people and the environment due to unsustainable consumption and discharge patterns. This is an international phenomenon and in the City of Cape Town, where water is considered a scarce resource, it is particularly urgent and important. This is due to the expected population growth, and an increased water demand as the current services backlog is addressed and living standards increase which when combined with the stresses of Climate Change and the associated future uncertainty make it even more alarming. These issues have direct and indirect implications that are too often hidden from and invisible to the public, especially with regard to the spatial form and structure of the City, which occurs through formal or informal processes of management and investment. While there is a movement towards tackling these issues, through the Integrated Urban Water Management Paradigm, there has been little physical change manifest in urban areas where the source and effects of these problems are so acutely experienced. This study has therefore sought to understand how spatial planning can be utilised as a tool to aid the transition to a more water-secure future through enabling sectoral integration and spatial co-ordination; where water influences the form and structure of the City. This is based on the premise that freshwater ecosystems and the role and effects of the urban water system are poorly addressed in spatial planning. Strategic Spatial Planning, unlike land use management, is a process of long term future imagining that is well-positioned to address the conflicts and tensions that arise through the implementation of a variety of sectoral policies with competing interests while including the voice of multiple stakeholders. In light of this, this study has undertaken a review of international and local literature to theoretically locate this study. This is followed by a contextual spatial and policy analysis of Cape Town to better understand the key priorities for water and urban development in the area. Using these two as a platform to guide appropriate intervention, a Spatial Development Water Framework (SDWF) has been created to propose a new water and development paradigm in Cape Town. This plan is governed by the principles of reverence, restoration, restraint and responsibility. Through acknowledging the spatial relationships between people, their activities and freshwater ecosystems this SDWF offers the opportunity to promote a more cyclical flow of resource use, the use of ecosystem services for more resilient and less energy dependant infrastructure, increased local subsistence and an improved relationship and connection between people and their water environments. It is through these strategies that it could be possible to transition to an increasingly secure water future in the City of Cape Town for improved social and ecological health, connected communities, shared prosperity and an intelligent water system.

Includes bibliographical references. / The inner city of Port Elizabeth has faced a series of problems since the 1960s. These include forced removals, relocation of critical functions and the implementation of obdurate infrastructure. One of the most destructive of these forces was the construction of the Settlers Way Freeway in 1963. This freeway cuts through the inner city and had many buildings and neighbourhoods demolished for it to be realised. Since then it has caused more harm than good by only serving a select few while degrading inner city public space for others. This project investigates the possibility of the demolition of the Settlers Way freeway as it is essential for the appropriate future growth of Port Elizabeth's City centre. This will also have a large positive impact on the metro area in terms of spatial and economic benefit. The city centre is centrally located in the region and has a major spatial advantage in terms of trade and commerce. This alone should be enough reason for concern when it comes to social and economic reasons. An argument is formulated for the removal of the Settlers Way freeway and suggests a viable and realistic alternative in its place. This is done through a lens of economic rejuvenation of the inner city by using the freeway removal as a catalytic device for future development by unlocking land that is currently underutilised. This initiative is now more urgent than ever as continued urban sprawl is occurring on the peripheries of the city in the form of shopping malls drawing much needed economic investment further away from the city centre.

Includes bibliographical references. / The project developed out of a theoretical inquiry into the use of food as a design tool to facilitate urban regeneration. The need for change arises from the loss of public space due to corporate control over food and food retail taking place in privatised environments. This socio- spatial polarisation becomes visible when mapping the change from historic marketplace to supermarket. The two primary concerns which arise from this socio-spatial polarisation are that of food being viewed as a utilitarian commodity, which allows routine shopping to take place in a supermarket rather than a market, and an evacuation of the public realm with the disappearance of food from public marketplaces. Spatial and infrastructure analyses of existing food retail models within the existing food system in Cape Town identify an appropriate supermarket-market hybrid that facilitates the flows of people and produce while regenerating public space.