studio Cape Town-Brussels
studio Cape Town-Brussels
global perspectives edition 2O22 projects for Cape Town - projects for Brussels all editions
Parallel design studio Hasselt University (BE) – Cape Peninsula University of Technology (SA)
As architects, we cannot design happiness, liveliness or friendly neighbours, but we can imagine and envision places that people feel connected to, and wich facilitate interaction and creativity. We can design places that make a difference, places where one feels at home.
In this studio we tackle the challenge of place-making through the concept of Kanalah (helping each other) and buurt maken (creating a neighbourhood), exploring two locations on opposite sides of the world: District Six in Cape Town and Canal North-East in Brussels, using research-by-design, sharing experience, knowledge and visions.
Five projects for District Six by the UHasselt students are presented below as a cross-section of the fine results for Cape Town of this collaborative design studio. On the next page, you can find five projects for Canal North-east by the CPUT students.
URBAN GARDENS
Charlotte Bussels & Wintha Van Den AbbeeleURBAN GARDENS
A sequence of public spaces to reclaim human scale and slow down the hectic city
Creating a series of public and green spaces in the paved city as social opportunities to meet and interact for citizens and visitors of all walks of life
Keywords: co-living, public space, gardens and terraces, density, mountain view
Creating a series of public and green spaces in the paved city as social opportunities to meet and interact for citizens and visitors of all walks of life
Keywords: co-living, public space, gardens and terraces, density, mountain view
2022 vertical gardens.pptxmore about Urban Gardens
Urban Gardens transforms a meaningless block of the paved, anonymous city into a sequence of places and atmospheres, of opportunities to meet and interact by bringing back the vibrancy and atmosphere of former District Six, shaping a community of former, present and future inhabitants.In contrast to the existing suffocating environment where skyscrapers and monotonous parking lots are predominant, a new vertical cohousing project delineates a series of public gardens and spaces. There is the plaza, the (indoor) market with a rooftop vegetable garden, the enclosed sculpture garden, the arcade, the agora, the patio, the skybar… each with its own identity and unique atmosphere. Wrapped around the gardens, a veil of housing units, starter studios, family apartments and student housing welcome a colorful mix of home-comers and new residents.The gardens are embedded in their surroundings through the connection with the existing functions around the site. Local shops and cafés, the market, the art gallery, workshop spaces, the boxing club and of course the unique rooftop Table Mountain view, transform this place into an urban hotspot. With its arches and greenery, Urban Gardens adds a sense of habitation and human scale to the city quarter, highlighting its ambition to create a connective place where the vibes of former District Six resonate.
The creation of new urban spaces and integration of the architectural features of the former District Six in a contemporary layout/to generate social interaction, make this dense, vertical housing project stand out. The coherence and consistency in all phases of the design journey, from narrative over design, up to visual presentation were much appreciated
KAT AND THE KINGS
Havva Konak & Emilie NeuteleersKAT AND THE KINGS
Where people come together to 'make, rehearse and celebrate'
Celebrating the musical identity of District Six and bringing it back to the streets
Keywords: incubator & hub - upcoming talent - showcase - cheerful, vibrant & colorful
Celebrating the musical identity of District Six and bringing it back to the streets
Keywords: incubator & hub - upcoming talent - showcase - cheerful, vibrant & colorful
2022 kat and the kings.pptxmore about Kat and the Kings
Kat and the Kings is a place to sing, dance, rehearse and perform. Located on District Six’s pedestrian boulevard - the Rambla - this project is an incubator and a hub for young talent and seasoned artists, a meeting place for local theater groups and stage directors.Its name refers to the internationally recognised musical inspired by the memories of Salie Daniels, who was considered to be the best singer and dancer in District Six. This project promotes District Six’s creativity and festive identity by providing a platform for artists to showcase their talents. It is a place to make, rehearse and perform.Three brick volumes and an open, steel structure with platforms and stairs, create the urban setting of Kat and the Kings. The platforms and balconies function not only as a connector between the volumes but also between the different performers. Our concept of “make, rehearse, celebrate” consists of making costumes and instruments, rehearsing performances and celebrating on the Rambla, balconies, terraces and roofs. Every Thursday night, the building becomes the setting for open-air performances. Numerous spectators gather along the rambla and the camissa to watch District Six’s up-and-coming talent give their best. As a result of this project the busy Darling Street can be reclaimed and transformed into a cheerful, vibrant and colorful Rambla.
Its programme, but even more the informality of its architectural appearance, where the building becomes a street and a stage, make this project special. The joyfulness and social interaction of the former District Six immediately come to live in the drawings, short movie and model.
Its programme, but even more the informality of its architectural appearance, where the building becomes a street and a stage, make this project special. The joyfulness and social interaction of the former District Six immediately come to live in the drawings, short movie and model.
SAAM
Demy Hochstenbach & Merel LeemansSAAM
The strategy of Kinstugi to create a healing place
Transforming the sloped site into a poetic park that highlights the spatial and social uniqueness of this city quarter
Keywords: heritage, identity, greenery, a space to pause
Transforming the sloped site into a poetic park that highlights the spatial and social uniqueness of this city quarter
Keywords: heritage, identity, greenery, a space to pause
2022 saam.pptxmore about SAAM
Kintsugi is the japanese art of repairing broken ceramics with golden lacquer. Here the flaw is seen as a unique feature of the object’s history, which adds to its beauty and identity.Building further on the concept of Kintsugi, SAAM generates an open, cultural landscape where the city and District Six meet. The project heals the historic, social tissue through the landscape of the Camissa and by integrating the surrounding neglected buildings. Starting from the Camissa’s topography, stone walls, following the contours of the demolished buildings, provide shade, seating areas, platforms and gardens. The interventions blend in naturally, creating space for the stream and reconnecting the city, its residents and visitors, with nature. This is a unique place to escape the city’s daily bustle and reflects upon its (future hi)-stories - to interact and unwind. The lines and moments of the landscape extend into the surrounding, worn-down buildings, highlighting the beauty of the existing whilst reclaiming precious space for a diversity of social activities. Here, the boundaries between interior and exterior are faded by light, noises, materiality and greenery, to become and open, welcoming moment for people of all walks of life... Now, it’s up to the community to fill the outdoor spaces and buildings with activities and liveliness, to revive the former District Six vibes of togetherness and mend the broken (hi)stories of District 6.
This project excels because it succeeds in blending history and nature, while creating a unique public park… the present parking space is transformed in a place of memory and brings a new, shared future. Throughout the entire project, the poetry is envisioned.
This project excels because it succeeds in blending history and nature, while creating a unique public park… the present parking space is transformed in a place of memory and brings a new, shared future. Throughout the entire project, the poetry is envisioned.
BACK 2 THE STREETS
Michelle Doucé & Robbe MulierBACK 2 THE STREETS
Lost space under the Nelson Mandela Highway is turned into wanderspace!
Envisioning a positive future by reclaiming forgotten urban spaces
Keywords: youth, activism, reclaiming, community, affordable, reconnecting, highway, skating, circus school
Envisioning a positive future by reclaiming forgotten urban spaces
Keywords: youth, activism, reclaiming, community, affordable, reconnecting, highway, skating, circus school
2022 back 2 the streets.pptxmore about Back 2 the streets
Initiated by OTS, a community-based activist group op D6 enthusiasts, Back 2 the Streets successfully transformed the derelict, challenged space under Nelson Mandela Highway into a joyful and safe meeting place for the young at heart!
It all started with a pile of salvaged metal door frames. The creative minds of OTS welded and bolted the frames into folding walls to delineate an 'indoor' space for all sorts of sportive activities, in between the concrete columns of the highway. Soon the city, local entrepreneurs and individuals started to support the initiative and the centre slowly but steadily expanded.With the helping hands of many, Back 2 the Streets now has a skate park with graffiti walls, a number of sports halls, dressing rooms and sanitary facilities, a park with greenery and a humble but convenient shelter for the administration of the organisation, all built with a minimal budget. Gem of the transformation is the trapeze box. Here, the circus school trains young acrobats to become pro's. 'Looking at the people here, enjoying themselves, meeting with neighbours, play and chill with friends, you can barely imagine that this was a dark and dirty place, a dangerous area that you better avoided. Full of color and fun, it now is a 'home' for young and old. This is the starting point. From here on we will scan the city for derelict spaces and inject them cheerfulness and new life into District Six.'- Jessy Cirugeda, founder of OTS and circus artist
Envisioning the potential of a community joining hands to reclaim forgotten spaces and to revive the neighbourhood vibes is the strength of this project. It is a perfect way to bring a positive perspective to the participatory meetings with former District Six inhabitants.
It all started with a pile of salvaged metal door frames. The creative minds of OTS welded and bolted the frames into folding walls to delineate an 'indoor' space for all sorts of sportive activities, in between the concrete columns of the highway. Soon the city, local entrepreneurs and individuals started to support the initiative and the centre slowly but steadily expanded.With the helping hands of many, Back 2 the Streets now has a skate park with graffiti walls, a number of sports halls, dressing rooms and sanitary facilities, a park with greenery and a humble but convenient shelter for the administration of the organisation, all built with a minimal budget. Gem of the transformation is the trapeze box. Here, the circus school trains young acrobats to become pro's. 'Looking at the people here, enjoying themselves, meeting with neighbours, play and chill with friends, you can barely imagine that this was a dark and dirty place, a dangerous area that you better avoided. Full of color and fun, it now is a 'home' for young and old. This is the starting point. From here on we will scan the city for derelict spaces and inject them cheerfulness and new life into District Six.'- Jessy Cirugeda, founder of OTS and circus artist
Envisioning the potential of a community joining hands to reclaim forgotten spaces and to revive the neighbourhood vibes is the strength of this project. It is a perfect way to bring a positive perspective to the participatory meetings with former District Six inhabitants.
DIE (HOUT)VERBINDING
Britt Vossen & Stijn BusetDIE (HOUT)VERBINDING
Rescaling and intertwining the campus using beams and columns
Integrating the campus site in District Six's daily life
Keywords: reclaiming, giving back - bringing back, nostalgia, togetherness, connectivity, intertwining
Integrating the campus site in District Six's daily life
Keywords: reclaiming, giving back - bringing back, nostalgia, togetherness, connectivity, intertwining
2022 die houtverbinding.pptxmore about Die (hout)verbinding
Before the construction of the university buildings, this site was a lively neighbourhood where streets were for social interaction, where shops, beauty salons, cafés and workshops articulated the corners.“We want to reinject the connectivity and cheerful vibes into the campus area, to create a place where students, professors, local residents and visitors can meet and mingle. Our students have made a perfect start, but it couldn’t have been realised without the enthusiasm of our neighbours”. - CPUT Dean On this site, there used to be a public washing place, The Wesminster Café, a fish market, the Star Cinema, the Post Office, the Seven Steps… open to all. Some entrepreneurial minds joined ‘Die (HOUT)verbinding, adding a wasbar, which combines the washing house and the café. They also reintroduced the local markets. Creating and intertwining articulated corners into the university buildings.The wooden structure of ‘Die (HOUT)verbinding’ was assembled by a number of students and the spontaneous help of District Six residents, under the supervision of Cape Town craftsmen. With local wood as its basic material, this a regenerative and circular solution, but also an opportunity to create new jobs. Being easily dismountable and expandable, the structure is still changing and growing, giving the campus architecture a new identity and a more human scale. It has become an informal, welcoming place for people to spontaneously meet and connect, supporting the community feeling and the local economy.Showing times have changed, Die (HOUT)verbinding is a real-life connector, blending past, present and future of District Six.
The introduction of an easy-to-build wooden structure to merge the university campus with its surroundings and generate interaction between students and (former) District Six residents is inspiring! The attention to history and architectural detailing makes this project special.
The introduction of an easy-to-build wooden structure to merge the university campus with its surroundings and generate interaction between students and (former) District Six residents is inspiring! The attention to history and architectural detailing makes this project special.
team
studio coordinators Hasselt University: arch. Ludo Schouterden, arch. Peggy Winkels,
coordinator internationalisation Hasselt University:dr. Els Hannes
studio coordinators Cape Peninsula University of Technology (SA)dr. Rudolf Perold, arch. Jacobus Naude
guest jury: dr. Fortunatus Bahendwa (ARU, TZ), arch. Dolf Wieers, arch. Jan Keymis, arch. Johannes Berry (KULeuven Brussel), int. arch. Carike Abrahamse (CPUT, SA)
coordinator internationalisation Hasselt University:dr. Els Hannes
studio coordinators Cape Peninsula University of Technology (SA)dr. Rudolf Perold, arch. Jacobus Naude
guest jury: dr. Fortunatus Bahendwa (ARU, TZ), arch. Dolf Wieers, arch. Jan Keymis, arch. Johannes Berry (KULeuven Brussel), int. arch. Carike Abrahamse (CPUT, SA)
studio CPT-BXL 22 google site.pptx