Thesis is submitted in partial fulfilment for the degree of Master of Architecture (Professional) to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, School of Architecture and Planning at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2017 / In a world of speed, where
everythingseemingly happens in an instant,
the context of this thesis is fully
engrained in contemporary society.
With an increase in pace of life,
brought about through technological
developments, we are enveloped in
a new sense of connection. For the
first time, people who are across
the world can be reached within
the touch of a button. No longer do
we wait; no longer do we slow and
no longer do we pause. We have
entered a societal race that appears
to be unending by the pressures of
perpetual modernity.
Johannesburg is continually growing
as a 21st century city as it adapts to
new technologies and industries as
speed develops the urban landscape.
Through investigations into this
contemporary way of life of My City
and an inherent increase
in pace of the everyday, people living in the city are being driven
by the mundane. It is within the modern city, that slow becomes
a phenomena and an importance of place is emphasized. With little
space to take time and appreciate the city amidst this fast-paced
way of life, the disconnection between people and place is ever increasingly growing. A virtual gap between real and unreal begins to create a rift between the city and the people. People are pulled into a ‘mobile hello’ where there is a lack of awareness in spaces around the
city. The notions of time, movement and pace of life translate into
a contemporary condition that identifies the importance that
people and the city have placed on the virtual. Thrust by the tension
between the virtual and real in every day, people are being pulled
into a new sense of telepresence1.This telepresence and the current
pace of life translate into a condition that emphasises the need
for deceleration as a means of
reconnection. By looking at theories
around third place as a means
of gathering within architectural
discourse, the work challenges
Johannesburg to prepare for its
future by allowing for place of pause
amidst this condition.
Around the city a sense of
timelessness comes with spiritual
space, thus the proposed programme
of the House of the Spirit becomes a
space of accessibility, connectivity
and sociability. This space rekindles
the ideas of slow, by allowing for
people to take pause from the
everyday in a common space. The
architecture brings about a way
to stimulate the past and looking
towards a future of our people while
dealing with conditions that surround
the city in the present and an inherent increase in pace of
the everyday, people living in the city
are being driven by the mundane. It
is within the modern city, that slow
becomes a phenomenon and an
importance of place is emphasized.
With little space to take time and
appreciate the city amidst this fast paced
way of life, the disconnection
between people and place is ever increasingly
growing.
A virtual gap between real and unreal
begins to create a rift between the
city and the people. People are
pulled into a ‘mobile hello’ where
there is a lack of awareness in spaces
around the city. The notions of time, movement and pace of life translate
into a contemporary condition that
identifies the importance that people
and the city have placed on the
virtual. Thrust by the tension between
the virtual and real in every day, people are being pulled into a new
sense of telepresence.
This telepresence and the current pace of life translate into
a condition that emphasises the need for deceleration as a means
of reconnection. By looking at theories around third place as
a means of gathering within architectural discourse, the work challenges Johannesburg to prepare for its future by allowing
for place of pause amidst this condition. Mapping the city draws light
activities and places that are preparing for its people. Around
the city a sense of timelessness comes with spiritual space, thus
the proposed programme of the House of the Spirit becomes a
space of accessibility, connectivity and sociability. This space rekindles
the ideas of slow, by allowing for people to take pause from the
everyday in a common space. The architecture brings about a way
to stimulate the past and looking towards a future of our people
while dealing with conditions that surround the city in the present. / GR2017
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:wits/oai:wiredspace.wits.ac.za:10539/23028 |
| Date | January 2017 |
| Creators | Ryder, Kylie Alex |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | Online resource (253 pages), application/pdf |
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