From Township to Town

In brief words the project is showing a new way of social housing in capetown. The design is giving a new home for minorities in capetown which where pushed away from the city centre into townships. The spatial ideas are based on a research of townships. What can we learn from townships and how can we transform the vibrant life into city housing?

From township to town\nHistory: South-africa is looking back on a recent and moving history. The big rise of racism in the early 20th century is giving the present age of the rainbow nation a dark tint. Throughout the social and political development of the country the darkest hour of south Africa has its peak in 1944. The beginning of the apartheid. After a long and sad government of the white south africans the segregation has found its end in 1994 in the election of nelson mandela.\nIdea: The wounds of the apartheid is still present in the city centre of capetown. The project site is located in the former „District Six“. A part of the city which was totally demolished during the apartheid. \nThe project focusses on the spatial segregation as a consequence of south africa history. Where the minority were pushed to the outskirts of the city, the whites stayed in the city centres. Near to work, urban life and infrastructures. \nLearning from townships: The project „From township to town“ is a pilot project for redesigning and rethinking housing, urbanism and social life in the city centre for the victims of the apartheid. \nThe suggested building is a scheme for translate the benefits of the vibrant life in townships to urban housing. The community as a architectural tool.\nArchitecture: The idea for the project was to find a way to transform the randomness of the townships in a urban design. Throughout big variety architecture has the opportunity to emerge different spaces for social interactions.\nIn the project there are three different floorpans, with three different settings for installations. With this amount there can be set up endless variations of the housing blocks. By stacking, rotating or moving the housing units it is possible to form different and vibrant spaces. \nWith the use of pre-fabrication, simple floorplans and a stringent structure the project is capable of reinventing the modern types of social housing in south africa. \nFrom township to town.