This document is submitted in partial fulfilment for the degree:
Masters of Architecture (Professional) University of the Witwatersrand,
Johannesburg, South Africa, 2015 / Globally people are at the edge of their seats wide-eyed with passion and awe for the spectacular and entertaining world of
motor racing, admiring the world’s most powerful machines and talented drivers battling through the race tracks with lightning
speed and outstanding agility. Due to lack of public support, poor management and funding the motorsport culture is rapidly
dying out and race tracks are becoming exceedingly underutilized in South Africa. Through Architectural intervention,
the aim is to transform the underutilized Kyalami race track into a vibrant and entertaining
motorsport venue that will integrate motorsport back into society and preserve this iconic race
track that maintains the national motorsport culture alive.
Apart from the shear entertainment value motorsport provides it has always united people from around the globe and enabled
the production of some of the most technologically advanced machines of our time. Recognising the tremendous value motor racing
had, the iconic Kyalami race track was built in South Africa, situated between Johannesburg and Pretoria, which hosted a great
number of International Grand Prix events. Motorsport soon gained a major cultural, political, social, economic and spatial
presence in South Africa. After almost three decades the race track was removed from the Formula 1 Grand Prix calendar, among
other major motorsport calendars, due to sanctions. The poor entertainment value over recent years has led to a major decline in
public and sponsor interest in local motorsport. In return Kyalami has become unsustainable which, in the past year, nearly led to
the loss of the iconic race track which would have further rendered the local motorsport culture extinct. This recurring
scenario around the country becomes the vital point of enquiry for this thesis; the role of
Architecture in promoting the motorsport culture; the long-standing relationship between the
automobile and Man and its influence on the urban fabric and architecture that is part of our
everyday experience.
Sited on the Kyalami race track, the architectural design will include an urban framework that will better integrate the current
isolated race track with its surrounding context. The framework will include outdoor public activity spaces as well as research,
training and workshop facilities that will accommodate the public’s needs and interests at the same time uplift and promote both
the automobile and motorsport industry. The primary Kyalami Motorsport Centre sited by the existing southern pit complex will not
only offer an enhanced trackside and racing experience to both spectators and race teams but the necessary auto-tecture that will
host thrilling motorsport events and promote the nation’s young talented drivers / GR2017
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:wits/oai:wiredspace.wits.ac.za:10539/22076 |
| Date | January 2016 |
| Creators | Andrade, Ricardo Miguel Gois |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | Online resource (pages 133 ), application/pdf |
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