HERITAGE PROJECTS
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Johannesburg | Gauteng, South Africa
Johannesburg | Gauteng, South Africa
Johannesburg | Gauteng, South Africa
Johannesburg | Gauteng, South Africa
CONSTITUTION HILL AWAITING TRIAL BLOCK VISITOR CENTRE
Location
Johannesburg, Gauteng,
South Africa
Date
Completed 2007
Client
Johannesburg Development Agency
Project Value
ZAR 600 000
Sister practice, Ikemeleng Architects worked on the reconstruction of the old Awaiting Trial Block Visitor Centre at Constitution Hill for the Johannesburg Development Agency. This work included the detailed cataloguing and labelling of salvaged materials from the building dismantled to make way for the New Constitutional Court building.
Tshwane | Gauteng, South Africa
Tshwane | Gauteng, South Africa
Tshwane | Gauteng, South Africa
Tshwane | Gauteng, South Africa
SOLOMON MAHLANGU FREEDOM SQUARE
Location
Tshwane, Gauteng,
South Africa
Date
Completed 2014
Client
City of Tshwane
Project Value
ZAR 27 Million
Mamelodi Heritage Impact Assessment in association with HRM
Solomon Mahlangu Freedom Square is a site of national heritage significance located at the entrance to Mamelodi from Tshwane. Bearing the name of Solomon Mahlangu, a young MK soldier executed in 1979, the square was also the site of an apartheid era atrocity, the 21 November 1985 massacre of civilians marching to the adjoining Municipal Offices by the security forces.The design for the upgraded square is anchored by two narrative spines. The 21 November spine traces the route of the 1985 march by Mamelodi residents to the Municipal offices, connecting a number of historically significant sites.
Interventions along this spine focus on the marking of important sites through public artworks, plaques and exhibition boards, and through sensitive upgrading of the public environment. The Liberation spine links the existing Solomon Mahlangu statue to a new plaza to be constructed at the corner of Makhubela and J. Letwaba Streets and a future Museum building. As the spine bisects the seating berm that envelopes the gathering space, a pair of Memorial Walls are planned to commemorate fallen heroes of MK. The Liberation spine is criss-crossed by a meandering ribbon pathway which divides the park up into a series of discrete pockets, some of which will be paved, others ornamental ground cover, and others grassy mounds.
Mthatha | Eastern Cape, South Africa
Mthatha | Eastern Cape, South Africa
NELSON MANDELA MUSEUM (BHUNGA BUILDING)
Location
Mthatha, Eastern Cape,
South Africa
Date
Completed 2011
Client
Department of Public Works via
Impendulo Design Architects
Project Value
ZAR 170 000
Heritage Impact Assessment
A Heritage Impact Assessment on the Nelson Mandela Museum (Bhunga Building) compiled by Osmond Lange Architects for the Department of Public Works was conferred an Award for Architecture by the BKIA for 2011 and an Award of Merit by the South African Institute of Architects in 2012. The citation noted that:
The Heritage Impact Assessment sets out clearly the objectives of the detailed research, namely the need to assess the cultural significance of the building. This in turn allows for the formulation of development and management guidelines for the future changes planned for the building.
The report demonstrates thorough research. It succinctly summarises the requirements of the National Heritage Resources Act, a summary which can be used as a guide by others working in the field. The basic principles of the legislative framework are well understood. International best practice as set out in the Burra Charter is also applied through the study.
The time lines setting out the 83 year history of the construction, function and alteration of the building are described. The report is well illustrated. The research report is a model for other similar Heritage Impact Assessments and is already being used in a web site to this end. The report receives an award for adding to the wealth of architectural knowledge.