A new typology - re-imagining a civic building
type: CreativeWork
description: My personal interest in cities and their layering of spaces and functions served as a starting point for this dissertation. Cities evolve over time, and the resultant networks of movement and public spaces are the filters through which most inhabitants experience the city they live in. By examining the Cape Town CBD and surrounds, it became apparent that these networks have become secondary to other commercial systems. Whilst Cape Town has some open public spaces of historic significance such as the Grand Parade and Greenmarket Square, the public space network has become fragmented and often overwhelmed by commercial interests which inevitably limit public access and use. Upon closer examination, it seems that economic concerns have shaped the city rather than a layering and balance between public and private, access and control. A discernible building typology can be found in the inner city, one which I have referred to as the tower block. The tower blocks have varying programmes but hold in common private ownership and controlled access, thereby limiting the connection to the city severely, and in most cases do not add anything of value to the public urban fabric. Instead, where the tower block access meets the movement and public space network of the city a hostile environment is created, where loiterers and security guards jostle for control. The inhabitants and users of the tower blocks step from the city into a controlled, sterile environment, and do not interact with the urban environment further. Most of these tower blocks naturally accommodate office space in the CBD. Whilst it is not realistic to lay the onus on private investors and developers putting up tall buildings in the city to contribute extensively to the public urban space, civic buildings should shoulder that responsibility. Historically, as with the Old Town Hall overlooking the Grand Parade, this is how the public space network was constructed. Civic building and the publicly accessible space …
abstract: My personal interest in cities and their layering of spaces and functions served as a starting point for this dissertation. Cities evolve over time, and the resultant networks of movement and public spaces are the filters through which most inhabitants experience the city they live in. By examining the Cape Town CBD and surrounds, it became apparent that these networks have become secondary to other commercial systems. Whilst Cape Town has some open public spaces of historic significance such as the Grand Parade and Greenmarket Square, the public space network has become fragmented and often overwhelmed by commercial interests which inevitably limit public access and use. Upon closer examination, it seems that economic concerns have shaped the city rather than a layering and balance between public and private, access and control. A discernible building typology can be found in the inner city, one which I have referred to as the tower block. The tower blocks have varying programmes but hold in common private ownership and controlled access, thereby limiting the connection to the city severely, and in most cases do not add anything of value to the public urban fabric. Instead, where the tower block access meets the movement and public space network of the city a hostile environment is created, where loiterers and security guards jostle for control. The inhabitants and users of the tower blocks step from the city into a controlled, sterile environment, and do not interact with the urban environment further. Most of these tower blocks naturally accommodate office space in the CBD. Whilst it is not realistic to lay the onus on private investors and developers putting up tall buildings in the city to contribute extensively to the public urban space, civic buildings should shoulder that responsibility. Historically, as with the Old Town Hall overlooking the Grand Parade, this is how the public space network was constructed. Civic building and the publicly accessible space …
author: Roland, Stephanie
language: eng
date published: 2009
date modified: 2026-07-22T22:23:13Z
provider: University of Cape Town
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: School of Architecture, Planning and Geomatics

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/24369