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)