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Diepsloot, a post-apartheid township on the urban fringes of northern Johannesburg, is a socially and economically fragile environment, yet it provides an entry point into the urban economy for many. This context tests architectural and urban design notions to the limits, demanding practical and tough interventions in order to realise dignified civic spaces for traders, pedestrians, commuters and taxis.
Through a series of retro-fitting steps additional functions, elements and spaces are added to an existing taxi rank. The project is about making simple design decisions, which improve the general environmental, social and commercial sustainability of the rank, integrating it into daily Diepsloot of life. To this effect an existing market has been integrated into the public edge of the rank. Due to the sporadic electricity supply fireplaces are provided in food stalls and their chimney stacks boxed out as large billboards generating additional income towards the management and maintenance of the rank.
Upon entering Diepsloot the most prominent part of the taxi rank, the back of an existing toilet block, greets visitors. It is screened and transformed into a public space welcoming people to Diepsloot and offering a sheltered meeting point - an urban lounge in which to socialise and consume food and refreshments purchased at the market. Built-in seating takes a cue from existing urban furniture built by local traders and cooks. A large roof provides shade and shelter from rain. At night this space is brightly and permanently lit (powered by photovoltaic collectors) to ensure surveillance and safety.
The existing admin office is extended with a new meeting space and kitchenette and a new car wash and repair workshop are introduced to generate additional income and regulate informal activity on the site. The existing roof over the aisles is extended and opened up to allow better light into the spaces below. Currently the roof is so low that lights need to be switched on during the day, attesting to the lack of adequate design consideration places such as Diepsloot have received in the past.
Project team: Thorsten Deckler, Anne Graupner, Stephen Reid, Carl Jacobs, Guy Trangos, Lara Wilson, Nzinga Biegueng Mboup, Mtembekhi Ngema, Leigh Hartl, Sebastian Fischbeck
Featured in Urban Green File April 2009
Diepsloot, a post-apartheid township on the urban fringes of northern Johannesburg, is a socially and economically fragile environment, yet it provides an entry point into the urban economy for many. This context tests architectural and urban design notions to the limits, demanding practical and tough interventions in order to realise dignified civic spaces for traders, pedestrians, commuters and taxis.
Through a series of retro-fitting steps additional functions, elements and spaces are added to an existing taxi rank. The project is about making simple design decisions, which improve the general environmental, social and commercial sustainability of the rank, integrating it into daily Diepsloot of life. To this effect an existing market has been integrated into the public edge of the rank. Due to the sporadic electricity supply fireplaces are provided in food stalls and their chimney stacks boxed out as large billboards generating additional income towards the management and maintenance of the rank.
Upon entering Diepsloot the most prominent part of the taxi rank, the back of an existing toilet block, greets visitors. It is screened and transformed into a public space welcoming people to Diepsloot and offering a sheltered meeting point - an urban lounge in which to socialise and consume food and refreshments purchased at the market. Built-in seating takes a cue from existing urban furniture built by local traders and cooks. A large roof provides shade and shelter from rain. At night this space is brightly and permanently lit (powered by photovoltaic collectors) to ensure surveillance and safety.
The existing admin office is extended with a new meeting space and kitchenette and a new car wash and repair workshop are introduced to generate additional income and regulate informal activity on the site. The existing roof over the aisles is extended and opened up to allow better light into the spaces below. Currently the roof is so low that lights need to be switched on during the day, attesting to the lack of adequate design consideration places such as Diepsloot have received in the past.
Project team: Thorsten Deckler, Anne Graupner, Stephen Reid, Carl Jacobs, Guy Trangos, Lara Wilson, Nzinga Biegueng Mboup, Mtembekhi Ngema, Leigh Hartl, Sebastian Fischbeck
Featured in Urban Green File April 2009
