Marabastad Trader's Centre For Arts
The branding and logo designed by the author represents quality, sustainability, community spirit and pride. It is a symbol the author envisions as being part of the restoration and rehabilitation of the vibrant Marabastad neighbourhood. The symbol can be seen as a catalyst for sustainable development in Marabastad, as well as representing the future and the restoration of the Marabastad community as a whole. The City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality is currently investing in the Marabastad neighbourhood. A Jazz Centre is being built on the curve where Bloed Street enters the neighbourhood; this is the focus and study area of this thesis document. In the future this area will be a place where people can meet and gather freely, a freedom previously denied by the Apartheid government. South Africa’s democracy is so recent that the signs of fragmented communities can still be seen throughout the country. This fact needs to be addressed by town planners, developers and architects. The study area is only the beginning of the restoration process and represents many possibilities and opportunities; it is here where the African sun will always shine, will always create opportunities for its citizens and will always provide for them. The discourse attempts to provide a design solution that best reflects the current issues of our times. It promotes a sustainable development that is proudly South African. Culture and location is what identifies communities and people from other cities and other countries. It is what binds us as a people. Culture is best illustrated by artworks and performing arts; art is integral to a society and integral to rebuilding it in order for it to identify itself as a community. Art forms the basis of this exploration and informs the author throughout the design process. Through the use of art as a cultural guiding principle, and through the theoretical understanding of urban design and urban principles, an architectural solution can be found. Copyright