Adaptive reuse : the Salt River market

Komane, Fatima Thapelo

Adaptive reuse : the Salt River market

Master Thesis

2010

Publisher

University of Cape Town

Department

School of Architecture, Planning and Geomatics

Faculty

Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment

Abstract

We live in a society that is constantly in change. As society moves forward, we experience social, political and economic shifts that somehow prove difficult for our buildings to survive in this rapid change. My Interest therefore looks to adaptive reuse as an approach to dealing with the change in our built environment. How do you deal, in an urban setting, with a neglected urban fabric without compromising Its historical and architectural memory which becomes important to a community? How do we begin to engage with the built fabric? It begins with accepting that transformation needs to occur. Adaptive reuse ensures the evolving life of any old building by expanding its practical use in its contemporary context. Existing and abandoned buildings represent a substantial resource. Through adaptive reuse, many buildings can continue to be brought back into use and contribute to a more sustainable development pattern. Old buildings in my opinion possess a timeless character. The aim of this document is to Investigate the potential of adaptive reuse as a response in transforming an existing structure on the brink of neglect into potentially a space that could be reused and function in a way that it supports the community and promote social engagement. The design and research develops a theoretically informed and sustainable approach to recycling built fabric in its contemporary urban context by linking patterns of adaptation and reuse to the change experienced in the contemporary built environment.

Keywords

Architecture

Urban Design

Reference:

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