Acknowledgements:
EXHIBITION COORDINATOR: TULIZA SINDI
EXHIBITION DESIGN AND INSTALLATION: THE COLOURED CUBE
PHOTOGRAPHY: ANGEL KHUMALO AND AMIRA OSMAN
VENUE: BJALA (JJ MAIA, CHANTAL MANN, QUEEN NCUBE)
In July, UJ_UNIT2 exhibited the outcomes of the first semester at Bjala Square in Jeppestown (http://bjala.org). We welcomed the visitors to the exhibition opening, explaining that this was an educational experiment which started many years ago at various institutions across two countries – and recently found residence within the newly launched UJ UNIT SYSTEM and may be shifting soon to another programme within UJ.
The intention of the exhibition, communicated to the visitors at the opening, was to showcase the work of the unit – but more importantly to invite all to a debate around the themes being covered by the unit.
The way we teach now is very different from the way we were taught in the 80s. At that time, buildings were very much seen as beautiful objects with their impact beyond the confines of a site rarely being considered. Today, broadening the definition of architecture is something that all schools are grappling with – as well as instilling an understanding for buildings within their urban context.
As UNIT2, we keep oscillating between the spatial/physical to the socio-cultural. We have acknowledged that, sometimes feeling overwhelmed by the challenges facing South Africa, professionals and academics tend to shy away from our core skills as spatial and technical practitioners. Rather we tend to delve into complex sociological and economic issues in which we feel rather inadequate. We tend to shy away from the the production of space and buildings – claiming that that design may be inappropriate in some contexts. Many times we also fail to remember that our human needs, and indeed, human rights are similar, whatever socio-economic conditions we find ourselves in.
What we design and build has the capacity to empower, educate and facilitate progress. What we design and build, and the funding process and spatial implications of the built environment, may also alienate, disempower, disadvantage and hinder progress. UJ_UNIT2 has had a very particular approach to the concept of “agency” and “community engagement” where the spatial/physical is seen to have profound impact on socio-cultural and economic conditions and allows for on-going participation rather than ineffective once-off participation at the start of a project.
Identifying partners in the city has been important towards the achievement of the intentions of the unit. Bjala’s work in Johannesburg has great resonance with these intentions – I refer to them as “developers with a social conscience”, repurposing buildings in the city, with the aim to support and retain the existing communities that inhabit those neighbourhoods. These buildings usually have great “capacity” and have qualities that resonate with many users over time. Buildings such as these are referred to as being “loveable” by some Open Building practitioners. Open Building is about managing collective and individual decision making and aspirations – with the built environment mediating between the two. These are the principles which the students of UJ_UNIT2 explored through their individual projects.
The students were challenged to think beyond “cosmetic, surface and facade” variation to explore spatial and functional variation that adds value and quality to the day-to-day experience of users. This was taken further in exploring cost variation and rental/ownership diversity within the same development – thus avoiding solutions that perpetuate difference between people with diverse income levels.
The group also aimed to explore collaborations at the urban design level, as collective decision making, and how these higher level decisions influenced their own decision making at project and site level. In that way UJ_UNIT2 has aimed to dissolve the distinctions between the urban level and the architectural level – making decisions across the two levels simultaneously in some cases, but also acknowledging the dominance of the higher level decisions in other cases.
Thank you to the visitors that attended the opening and engaged with us on these issues.
Acknowledgements:
EXHIBITION COORDINATOR: TULIZA SINDI
EXHIBITION DESIGN AND INSTALLATION: THE COLOURED CUBE
PHOTOGRAPHY: ANGEL KHUMALO AND AMIRA OSMAN
VENUE: BJALA (JJ MAIA, CHANTAL MANN, QUEEN NCUBE)
