INVITATION TO PhD PRESENTATION 27 MAY 2015 13H00
Lecture Hall 3-3, Boukunde Building Hatfield Main Campus
University of Pretoria
Thesis title A model to address marginality of the architectural profession in the
South African discourse on informal settlement upgrade
Abstract
Informal urbanism is regarded as a global concern challenging formal systems of
governance, economy and social justice. The architectural profession is largely
considered to be marginal to this discourse, with recognised contributions seen as
intermittent, exceptional and once off. The research is interested in determining the
causal factors contributing to this continued marginality and determining whether it is
possible to mitigate such apparent indifference. It investigates the current discourse
internationally as it pertains to the global south, as well as in the South African context
to establish some of the noted contributions made by architects and how this has
resonated within the debate. From this reflection, main issues underpinning the
conditions surrounding informal urbanism are extrapolated, that in turn contribute to
the identification of certain key factors that can be considered causal to the
marginality of the profession. The research will illustrate that the process of
architectural engagement requires transformation in order to be more responsive to
the complexity of the circumstances surrounding informal settlement upgrade.
Learning from internationally accepted methods of engagement, it is proposed that
the Community Action Planning method developed by Goethert & Hamdi (1997) can
serve as a basis for such transformative practices, inasmuch as it requires
augmentation in order to be successfully applied to architectural design processes.
Applying this proposed method to a studio module in a school of architecture over a
period of four years, the research illustrates that key issues contributing to the existing
marginality of the profession can be mitigated to a certain degree, with the
understanding that such an approach is required at various levels of professional
education and praxis to ensure true transformation.
Carin Combrinck [VERY SHORT] biography
For most of my adulthood, I have been an architect. I was educated as well as
trained in architecture, revelled in it, thrilled to it and practiced (at) it for about fifteen
years before teaching it to other young adults. In the process of teaching much un-
learning has happened, revealing aspects of the humanism of architecture that have
always appealed to me: implicit to my experience, yet less explicit in the intentions
proclaimed in the profession. My career has continually folded itself into the complex
narrative of my family, thereby grounding it in that wonderful tapestry called life.
Upgrade of Community Hall in Slovo Park (Bennett 2012)