Abstract: I have chosen to design an urban wellness public space in Durban Blue Lagoon. The aim of this research is to understand and find out the use and spatial qualities of public urban spaces that work well. The idea behind this research is to explore how this space can activate and reconnect the Durban Blue Lagoon site, by re-imagining the boundaries of the Umgeni River and how this space can connect to the city. The primary theme for my project is looking at the urban public spaces, buildings and cultural activities on the site that encourage and can attract a diversified public through an environment that enhances social and physical wellbeing. The most effective public spaces are multi-use destinations with many planned activities that create a platform of exchange and where citizens can find common ground and activity zones to relax, gather, learn and play. This theory has informed the design. The proposed site for the programme is in the city, the Durban’s Blue Lagoon recreation area, between the main road and the shoreline. The Blue Lagoon and Umgeni River junction site is close to the city and proposes opportunities for connection and engagement with the Beachwood Mangrove reserve. It is surrounded by water systems on the edges of the site, where the Indian Ocean and Umgeni River meet. Twill reflect on the Umgeni River as a conceptual starting point. The concept for the Urban Wellness Public Facility will reflect on the Umgeni River as a conceptual starting point. The site is surrounded by natural landscapes and greenery, which would further enhance the essence of enjoyment which adds to social and physical wellbeing. The programme integrates an urban wellness public facility with the principal idea of leisure, health and wellbeing spaces coming together. The programme will include an educational centre, urban wellness space, viewing platform and river taxi stop that bring awareness of social and physical wellbeing with leisure and recreational facilities. There are existing jogging, cycling, skating and fishing activities on the site and the existing jogging route will run through the urban wellness space and educational centre. The users will be the general public and tourists who will engage with exhibits, public talks and will enjoy leisure and recreational spaces. / EM2017

Thesis (M.Arch. (Professional))--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, 2016. / “People love escapism and there should be a place for it” (Hiddleston, n.d.) There are two primary states that constitute our human experiences. On the one side, there is the known, the real, the concrete, the everyday, the routine, normal and banal aspects of human life and on the other, the imagined, the alternative, the exploratory, unknown, abstract and fantastical elements that arguably make us feel alive. Although these two phenomena are preconceived as separate entities, they are interdependent and as humans, we need both. In the midst of these two extremities lies a world of in-between spaces known as ‘middle landscapes’. These are the places that allow us to transition between two states that make up our human experiences. Herein lies the bridge from the known to the unknown and the connection between reality and retreat. In a world where the demands of work are taking an increasing toll on our time and energy, the middle landscapes constitute our means of escape; the process that enables us to retreat from reality. The city of Durban in Kwa-Zulu Natal is a thriving cosmopolitan metropolis with a large array of places focused on diversion from reality. Its enviable connection with the sea and expansion of the tourist industry are the bones of its potential to become a 21st century escapist city; a place where people are encouraged to retreat. The exploration and adventure found on the edges of the ocean attract many to its shorelines, seeking distraction, diversion, retreat and escape. There is something about the mystery of the sea, the unquantifiable majesty of its waters that lures us in, allowing us to be drawn away from our everyday lives and to give in to rest, relaxation and holiday before the grasp of the real pulls us back. How can architecture provide a transition between everyday life and retreat, between land and sea? This thesis seeks to explore the role of architecture in connecting people to the ultimate place of escape, the sea, through a seaport at Durban Harbour. The building, sited in the Point Area of Durban Harbour, will provide a connection with the sea and the retreat it embodies at a variety of different scales. It will reconnect the CBD with the Point, the beachfront with the harbour and give the citizens of Durban a refuge from the real while meeting an urgent need for a new cruise passenger terminal and activating the Point Waterfront Development. The building will become the middle landscape, sited on the boundary between land and sea, meeting the practical needs of the city and the tourist industry while providing for the leisure needs of Durban’s people. Whilst displaying sensitivity to the existing harbour architecture and context, the building will become a recognisable beacon for the city, visible from shoreline and sea. / EM2017