Architectural preservation: rehabilitating identity: a new chapter for an existing construct
Date
2014-10-07
Authors
Schekman, Suzanne
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Abstract
This dissertation document began as a journey of discovery of a new city, filled with many hidden historical treasures, some
sadly forgotten about, left abandoned and neglected falling to ruins, misused and unappreciated. Relocating from Durban
to Johannesburg, my eyes where opened to a completely new city scape, sparking an interest in the layered history of it
development and growth over the years. Through my journeys of the many streets of Jo’burg I began to notice the
abundance of charmingly crafted architecture, quietly resting between the busy streets, many neglected and unused,
creating a sense of sadness amongst the vibrant and multicultural movement surrounding them. I began to question the
possibility of reviving such buildings to included them back into the city where they can once again be filled with life and
no longer simply passed by without a care. The aim of the document was to research the many opinions and approaches
surrounding preservation of historic architecture, resulting in a formal strategy of rehabilitating the old structures and
breathing new life into them. The strategy adopted was to imagine the life of a building as a book of many chapter, with
the view that building need not reach their final lines, through the continued writing on new pages, adding in whole to the
layered tapestry of uses, events and years through which it was witness to. The new chapter proposed for the building
became that of a safe house for victims of trafficking where the process of rehabilitating their identity and image of self
became possible within a building which too had undergone a process of rehabilitation. Through research of statistical
information and theoretical theories, strategies are formed to create a building in which layers of time are woven together
and architecture is created allowing for users to feel safe whilst remaining connected to the city, regaining a sense of
identity through contact with the building witnessing it transformation from once being in a state of disrepair to that of
becoming a striking example of persevered architecture and history.