DIEPKLOOK PARK (zintathu mazamane)

DIEPKLOOF PARK situated in Soweto before you reach Bara taxi rank is my favourite place in Joburg and it makes me relax and feel free because of the exposure and there is a lot of space to move around. The park is divided into three sections. On the first section there is a big screen television where people can watch the soccer games together as a society. This then reminds me of what Cullen classify as the PLACE. When one enters in the three different spheres, the spirit and emotions change because of the environment they are in and when you go to the next section of the park, the atmosphere changes again because of the different environment from the previous one.
The second part has games where children can play and where parents sit and watch their children play, some people use the sport to have their picnics and enjoy each others company. What i like about this park is the view and because the topography is at an incline and differs in all three sections, it allows one to observe and enjoy the different views of the place.

link between pathways

socialising and watching children

 I feel that the park makes children feel safe because there are security guards, many people using the park as path or a link into different pathways, the trees surrounding the park and the houses are facing to the park, all of those make the Diepkloof park a safer place compared to the other parks I know.The cars move slowly when they reach there and the are speed humps as well. 

An Openly Working Space (Wetu Memela)

An opening in a concrete jungle

The academic buildings of ISSA

The International School of South Africa is Cambridge syllabus educational institution situated in Mafikeng, North-West, South Africa. Nestled on several acres of land is the delicate balance of urban concrete and tranquil vegetation. I chose the encircled area because it best shows this balance. The first thing is apparent is that the space can be marked as a district on its own; the grass on either side of the path is enclosed within the hard edges created by the buildings that surround it. Other elements within the district are the path going through the middle, the two land marks and the nodes of activity within it.

Landmarks

The picture above shows the two landmarks in the district, this is also the first view of the school that an observer would see as soon as the exit their vehicle.

 The fountain is one of the minor landmarks on the schools campus. Being situated at the entrance of the school, the perfect circular shape and clean hard edges of the concrete the encase the grass, give a sense of formality and order from the very start of anyone's journey into the school.  Being the first thing that you see in stays in your mind only to be confirmed again because it is the last thing you see as you get back in your car to leave the campus. The fountain leads directly to the general assembly hall of the school (below). This serves as the major landmark on the campus,  it shows the school logo and a giant clock on the face of the building, expressing its significance and importance. The height of the face of the building means that it can bee seen from any point in the surrounding academic buildings, making it n ever present aspect of your experience in the space.

The Path

The path that goes through the district is made more than clear by the soft edges formed by the bushes around it. The concrete of the path is very well contrasted by the rich vegetation around it, this contrast greatly contributes to the success of this path; as stated by Cullen the human mind reacts well to contrast along any straight or long path. The changes in color and texture as your eyes moves from the path to the grass provide this contrast. This path is also the connector of two nodes of administrative activity. it links the the assembly hall to the office of the senior school (below). Thus, the path always has a steady flow of human traffic (accommodated by the width) from one side to the other seeing as it links the two landmarks of the district passing nodes of activity along the way

The path ends at the administrative office and leads out to the fountain.

** some of the pictures were taken my me, aerial pictures obtained from:  http://www.issa.co.za/gallery/index/view/id/1/page/4

A path in Alberton (MItchel Phiri)

What a Sidewalk should look like

MITCHEL PHIRI

        

This is a pathway located next to Alberton City- A mall located in Alberton. The reason i choose this path is because it was one of the very few paths that i feel comfortable in and the considering what a small space this is, this is a difficult task. How was this done though?

The most obvious thing firstly is the edge created by the row of trees planted along the right side. This causes the pedestrian to take less notice of the traffic of cars. Thus seperating the physical road from the people. The path serves its purpose as a route of circulation for people to move about as defined by Spreiregen.

Although the path is small it remains wide enough for people to walk past eachother comfortablely without having one's space invaded. On warm days such as the one shown in the above picture the space provides shade from the harsh sun. The problem may be in Winter when the space may be too cold.

The greenery of the area as well as the patterns found on the wall add to the visual complexity of the space. This is an important attribute because it allows the eyes to keep moving as Jacoubs describes in his Great Streets. The height of this building also complements the path, it does not cause the space to be overwhelming or intimidating.  The path does not only have trees but there are a few street lamps to light up the path at night,. maintaining that sense of safety as you walk away and from the car park.

The path is relatively short so there is no need for benches or any other social features. This is simply a path which allows for an enjoyable transition from the parking area to the doors of the mall.

The path is well maintained and is always looking clean due to the cleaning staff as well as the location of a dustbin before, after and along the path itself.

The lighting of the path cause by the orientation of trees and height of the building make the space private without taking away from the fact that its a public space.


I believe in the context of its position and use. This path is extremely effective

VOLKSWAGEN DOBSONVILLE STADIUM

(www.googleimages.com)   

 

Letlhogonolo Tshidiso Moletsane

FACTS
Address:  Montlahla and Majova Street, Dobsonville, Soweto
City:        Johannesburg, GA
Opened:  1975
Capacity: 24 000
It was renovated in 2009 and has recently been renamed as the VOLKSWAGEN DOBSONVILLE STADIUM.

Founded in 1975, Dobsonville Stadium is the youngest stadium in Soweto and is home to Moroka Swallows F.C. It is a multi-purpose stadium, mostly used for soccer matches, but also is equipped with an athletics track. It cost R69 million to renovate and was renovated in 2009, and in 2010 was briefly the practice ground for the Brazil National side. I was fortunate enough to be able to see them.

Despite the large amounts of money spent on renovating the stadium it still falls short on some basic aspects.
The stadium does not have a designated parking area which is a problem when big clubs come to Dobsonville. Supporters with vehicles find themselves having to park in the middle of the street, in or on peoples property and usually quite far from the venue. The lack of proper parking also causes major traffic build up, especially in bigger games. And like most stadiums in South Africa, leaving the stadium can take up to an hour because of no real traffic control put in place and no proper 'exits' are specified so people just drive wherever they wish. Inside the stadium, the quality of the pitch is usually poor and the Dobsonville Stadium has one of the worst drainage systems in the country. There is also no screen, so if you miss something, you are going to wait until you get home to be able to see it.