“There is no keener revelation to a society’s soul than the way it treats its children”
-Nelson Mandela
In places deemed safe for our children, they are being exposed, tainted and scarred
by the darkness of crime - eight times as much as our adults. In desperation, some
of our children seek support within their dysfunctional families but they fail. As their
cries for a way out are unheard, the soul of our nation turns to crime as an alternative.
This thesis explores the physical and emotional instability of children as a result of
prevailing crime. Instability that, in cases, leads children into a life of crime. The look
into statistics regarding children and crime intensifies the urgency of the problem. The
aim of the new justice act is to divert children away from the formal justice system (a
fairly new approach launched in 2010). An interview with social worker Esmé Jacobs
pointed out that the use of a diversion center was a step in the right direction.
In this thesis, the use of Martial Arts is being promoted and highlighted as the diversion.
Martial Arts is used as a means to allow our brittle children to be nurtured, to be
integrated in a safe environment, to be guided onto the best path, and can be seen
as an alternative family entity. Martial arts was uncovered through its history and
philosophies, and analyzed through its structures and composition. The effects of the
practice of Martial Arts are prominent in the interview with Paul De Beer – an architect and one of the highest qualified aikido practitioners. De Beer introduces the look
into a Clinical Martial Arts Programme for rehabilitation for children at risk.
Martial Arts and nature are one. Architecturally, the concept embodies the amalgamation of nature and architectural design: The flow from one into the other; the
concepts of openness and all-inclusiveness within Martial Arts are points to respect
when creating the space for the recuperation of our children, and the architectural
challenge of giving our at-risk children a chance at life by creating a second home
and not an incarceration facility. Dojo Stara Wiés, the world’s largest performance
training centre and a home for Martial Arts and Martial Artists alike, offers a platform
to experience of the spirit, atmosphere and philosophy of Japanese Martial Arts. Dojo
Stara Wiés was analysed to correctly expose the connection between Martial Arts and
architecture and how they both embody the same energy and philosophies.
Site selection had the prerequisites of educational, recreational and community facilities.
Belief systems show the importance of water in cleansing and rebirth, therefore a
site with water was crucial as it would aid change. The above elements were a priority
when choosing a site so that children would be fully integrated within the environment and the community. Germiston Lake was chosen and analysed as the site for the
Diversion Centre.
A Martial Arts Diversion Centre: a young architect’s conscious effort to heal our children through the use of architecture in conjunction with the principles of Martial Arts.
“Architects today tend to depreciate themselves, to regard themselves as no more
than just ordinary citizens without the power to reform the future.”
– Kenzo Tange
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:wits/oai:wiredspace.wits.ac.za:10539/17584 |
| Date | 30 April 2015 |
| Creators | Rodrigues, Fàbio Armando Matos |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | application/pdf, application/pdf |
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