Orchestrating a Performance[land]scape from city to structure.
Johannesburg is a city with many contrasts that we have been fortunate enough to discover throughout this year over the course of our projects. From the indistinct scape of campus square where our first brief was introduced, to a few kilometers away where we experienced the wholly different vibe that is Soweto, here our green week collaboration took place. We further delved into the edge scape of the south and arrived at our final project in Ferrierasdrop. We have been introduced to not only different scales of design through the Des baker competition, but have also been reminded of the importance of play through our Malawi brief. This year has allowed us to test our limits and push our perceived boundaries. It has given us the tools to respond to our final design from an urban and architectural scale, allowing us to create a design at a human scale that emphasises the role of the body, specifically in terms of performance (Opper & Wright 2016).
The final brief asked for a complex building rooted and informed by the context, creating relevant connections to existing networks and systems expanding the potential of the site.
It called for an understanding of the current locale and further develop the precinct with the knowledge gained from previous projects, the required reading and experience gathered from being in the city. In addition we were asked to transform this urban fabric towards an architectural design (Opper & Wright 2016). In this essay, I will unpack my process of what lead to my design and directed me to my concept of people orchestrating the Gauteng opera; creating a place of performance.
Ordinary cities by Jennifer Robinson
Ordinary cities by Jennifer Robinson explains how urban theory creates categories for cities; however, she argues, they are all different. Cities are not only built and designed differently depending on lifestyle and circumstance, they also have their own characteristics that should enable each of them to be seen as diverse and unique. Robinson believes that three decisive factors shape cities; the density, the functions and relationships to others in the city (Robinson 2005:44). It is about bringing people together from a wide range of cultural backgrounds and allowing their own identities to develop the personality of the interurban (Robinson 2005:52). I interpreted Ferrierasdrop’s uniqueness specifically through sound as different people at different times move through the city.
One of the points that I took from Jennifer Robinson was her notion of bringing people of multi-cultural backgrounds into the city and to nurture a sociable and traditional atmosphere that allows them to associate themselves to the context of the city (Robinson 2005:47) I saw this as a great opportunity for Ferrierasdorp.
The precinct is surrounded by various multi-cultural developments, such as the market theatre, museum of Africa and numerous dance and music venues (Newtown, Johannesburg [sa]). They offer a unique understanding into the development of Ferrierasdorp and greater Johannesburg. They also provide the social, political, industrial, artistic and cultural trends that have developed the precincts mould from a Victorian mining camp to a trendy urban performance hub (Newtown on the map [sa]).
The UDF recognises the precinct as being multi-cultural and unique. I represented this uniqueness with sound as seen in figure 1 below. Ferrierasdorp has a variety of different people and functions, with this comes a distinct personality. Emphasising the uses of sound to create a feeling within the precinct is what lead to the SDP; by creating intense experiences in the precinct with the use of sound, the space can break through a shield of awareness (Robinson 2005: 55,56), allowing Ferrierasdorp to draw people deeper into the realms of experience.
Figure 1 Site section showing sound recordings, Ferrierasdorp, 2016 (Drawing by Author).
The SDP creates forms that provide different types of sound experiences; Echo, Anechoic, amplify and noise. These sound qualities are reflected in specific functions; echo chambers which serve as a gallery and a spiritual nexus; An anechoic structure which is surrounded by trees that work as buffers to eliminate noise as you go further into the centre; an amphitheatre, serving as a space for events as well as a high-rise multi-use industrial building that plays on the performance of noise. The opera house becomes the core of the SDP, where the sound experience of the building is orchestrated by the people using it.
People from different parts of the precinct such as the public transport users, residents and tourists are directed from the SDP into the Gauteng Opera through public and private spaces of the building, allowing a multicultural interaction of users. My concept stemmed from the sounds being orchestrated by the city to Spectromorphology, which is a term given to the footprint of sound and how it can manifest in time (Smalley 1997). I further developed this concept into an architectural design that provides a variety of programs and encourages performance from them all. By using the footprint from parts of the building, I created three central cone shaped voids that all the programs interact with. The cones have a historical reference to the cooling towers that use to feature as a landmark in Newtown. Sound is emphasised throughout these three spaces; the opera theatre; the secondary ‘black box’ performance space and the open mike stage.
I took concepts from The Creative Counsel by Paragon Architects, where circular structures are used as forms for creative spaces (Velocity [sa]). I further gained inspiration from the Sendai Mediatheque by Toyo Ito, in Japan, that uses vertical hollow columns which run though the building, as shown in figure 2 below, and function as light shafts as well as service cores (Sveiven 2011). In my proposed design the voids provide cores for experience.
Figure 2 Sendai Mediatheque, [sa], (Photographer unknown).
The main cone, that surrounds the opera, has louvers with acoustic properties that absorb sound when closed and when open, can let the sound reflect through the building as shown in figure 3. The secondary cone has visual connections to a djembe drum with its steel cords that can be seen from the exterior of the building.
The word Djembe originates from the Bambara saying “Anke dje, anke be” which translates to “everyone gather together in peace” (10 facts about the Djembe drum 2012). This emphasises that it is a public space where anyone can express themselves with sound and art, as it doubles as a gallery space when not being used for performances. The third cone is used as a stage for anyone and can rotate to serve the market in the day and the bar at night. By opening different floors to the voids, sound can be projected for others to hear, creating connections between users. The building however still allows quietness by closing the entrances to the voids.
Figure3 Section through voids, 2016, (Drawing by Author).
The skin of the building, as shown in figure 4, also plays on the concept of sound in more of a literal manner, by having steel chords that resemble the strings of musical instruments as well as the djembe drum. They also serve a secondary function of providing shading whilst allowing the cones to be seen at certain moments from the peripheral.
Figure 4 Northern elevation of proposed design, 2016, (Drawing by Author).
To conclude, my proposed design of the Gauteng opera creates roots that are informed by performance. By using existing networks such as the taxi rank and places of interest around the precinct, my design proposes to encourage a multi-cultural interwoven building that uses the original footprint of performance; the opera house, as the main attraction. The design resembles characteristics of the city where noise is created and develops into an atmosphere by allowing people to orchestrate the building where a musical machine of emotion is created.
To conclude, my proposed design of the Gauteng opera creates roots that are informed by performance. By using existing networks such as the taxi rank and places of interest around the precinct, my design proposes to encourage a multi-cultural interwoven building that uses the original footprint of performance; the opera house, as the main attraction. The design resembles characteristics of the city where noise is created and develops into an atmosphere by allowing people to orchestrate the building where a musical machine of emotion is created.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10 facts about the Djembe drum. 2012. [O]. Available:
http://www.motherrhythm.com/articles/10-facts-about-the-djembe/
Accessed 9th November
Newtown, Johannesburg. [SA]. [O]. Available:
http://www.sa-venues.com/attractionsga/newtown.php
Accessed: 10th October 2016
Newtown on the map.[SA].[O]. Available:
http://www.newtown.co.za/heritage/history
Accessed: 10th October 2016
Opper, A & Wright, E. 2016. Performance(Land)Scape brief. University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg.
Robinson, J. 2005. Ordinary Cities: Between Modernity and development. Routledge, London.
Smalley, D. 1997. Spectromorphology: Explaining sound shapes . Cambridge University press, New York.
Sveiven, M. 2011. AD Classics: Sendai Mediatheque/ Toyo Ito. [O]. Available:
http://www.archdaily.com/118627/ad-classics-sendai-mediatheque-toyo-ito
Accessed 16th October 2016
Velocity [sa]. [O]. Available:
http://www.velocityfilms.com/the-creative-counsel-a-visual-wonderland/
Accessed: 16th October 2016
