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| Kopanong
By Neil Fraser
The motivational literature states that the concept that "underpins the urban and architectural design of the precinct is that of 'Kopanong' a Tswana word meaning 'coming together' or, in Afrikaans, 'Verenig'". From this concept, the intention is "to create an urban and architectural environment that fosters cultural integration, creates a space for shared exchanges, and a common home".
In order to do this it is proposed to create a "public square" and a "government court". The public square is intended to be "a focal point for community convergence and a breathing space within the urban environment".
The way that this is written completely ignores the fact that there is already a "public square" - the Beyers Naude Square - which fulfils all the needs that are listed.
Instead, what is suggested is that the Beyers Naude Square be "added to" (not enlarged, as the "addition" is at right angles to the existing square, providing an asymmetrical configuration).
Apart from resulting in extremely poor urban
design, this can only be achieved by demolishing eight historic buildings. The sop that is offered is that one of the external walls of the most important of the buildings to be demolished will be conserved (but moved) and a new heritage complex will be built as an urban entertainment mall.
Market Street
A five-level parking garage providing 1 480 parking bays will be constructed below the square that will be created by demolishing the historic buildings, and will be accessed via an underground re-routing of Market Street - entered before Kort Street and exited after Harrison Street.
It is interesting that a number of recent private sector investigations into building parking garages below or above ground have resulted in all of them being built above because of the excessive costs of basement parking. Now we are also going to build underground roads.
It is a lot easier to throw money around when it isn't yours!
I have made my opinions clear in previous Citichats. Ultimately my interest is in what is good for the city and I cannot see that the city needs a huge square, poorly conceived and at the expense of good heritage buildings, as is the case in the present proposal.
After all, the city already has got Beyers Naude Square and Mary Fitzgerald Square, which was built exactly for the purpose of hosting events and gatherings of up to 50 000 people.
But what do the experts say?
HIA report
There are 16 main findings in the final HIA report. Essentially they state that the 10 buildings proposed for demolition are all considered to be places of "cultural significance", namely "heritage resources".
One, the Rand Water Board building, is considered to be of exceptional cultural significance, eight are considered to be of considerable cultural significance and one, the RSA Building, is of limited cultural significance.
The demolition of the Rand Water Board building will have a "potentially irreversible impact" and the proposal to incorporate its façade elsewhere would be "an inappropriate memorialisation".
The loss of the other buildings would have a severe impact which cannot be effectively mitigated.
Indirect heritage impacts include "compromising the historic configuration and spatial structure" of the existing Beyers Naude Square; the ingress and egress ramps of the proposed underpass in Market Street constitute "an irreversible impact"; the principle of new symbolic axes and the introduction of a vertical focal point in Market Street at the crossing of these axes "cannot be supported from a heritage viewpoint"; the proposal to align the proposed new paving grid with the points of the compass "conflicts with the historic meaning and importance of the existing grid pattern".
According to a Sunday Independent report of 25 September, Sahra appointed independent assessors who reportedly stated that the plan was invasive and failed to meet basic requirements for public open space design.
It also, in their opinion, failed to meet the stated aim that the project would be "African", saying that "The stated African intent fails due to a borrowing of traditional images devoid of content ... the square represents an unbroken continuity that the proposal rejects in favour of a radical interpretation of change."
Well, enough said.
Democracy
Why did I choose to headline this Citichat that the issue provides a testing time for our new democracy? Well, the matter now rests before the South African Heritage Resource Agency and the question is whether it will accept the overwhelming expert evidence and objections placed before it and/or will the provincial government find a way to impose its will on the citizens of the city irrespective?
After all, the disastrous redesign some years ago of what was then the Library Gardens was approved by the relevant authorities at that time, notwithstanding huge public criticism of the design - which turned out to be well founded.
But another aspect that concerns me comes from a different quarter. According to an article in the Sunday Times last weekend, an application for rezoning land in Hyde Park, reputedly rejected by the City council, rejected by the Townships Board and rejected by the Gauteng Development Tribunal was upheld by the Gauteng Development Appeal Tribunal. No reasons were given.
In the case of the Gauteng provincial government precinct, if Sahra should turn down the current proposal, the matter can be referred to the relevant central government minister for a final decision. And then?
On the macro front, should the project, as it is now proposed, be accepted, then the implications for heritage conservation and quality public open space are bleak indeed. It would send a signal to every developer that heritage buildings are fair game for demolition and redevelopment.
Government, the custodians of the national estate, should be setting an example, particularly in regard to the preservation of historic resources which are directly under its control and ownership.
It should also be using every opportunity, when adding to our existing resources, to ensure that its projects are of the very best and most appropriate design for the citizens of the city and for our future generations.
View original text on http://www.joburg.org.za/citichat/2005/oct3_citichat.stm |
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Gauteng
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| 19
November 2001 |
Joburg's City Hall
to be sold for R20m
THE Johannesburg City Council has approved the sale of the Johannesburg City Hall to the Gauteng Provincial Legislature, which already occupies the building, for R20-million.
Included in the R20-million price tag is the Harry Hofmeyer Parking Garage and the Dr Beyers Naude Square between the City Hall and the Public Library.
Gauteng's provincial administration, which owns or rents a number of buildings in the inner city, will invest around R60-million to improve the City Hall. It is felt that this investment will encourage other investments in the city.
The Council will still be able to use the City Hall and must approve any proposed improvements or development projects. The Council has a pre-emptive right to purchase the building back at its sale price and value of improvements, should the Legislature wish to sell.
Johannesburg has earned R26-million from the sale of City Council properties over the year June 2001 to July 2002.
"This is from the sale of 50 stands of land," says Leila McKenna, executive director of Propcom (Pty) Ltd (JPC), Johannesburg's corporatised property development company formed under the iGoli 2002 plan. "A further R8,8-million is being earned from leasing buildings."
The City of Johannesburg has some 30 000 properties, approximately 20 000 servitudes and a further 100 properties of significant revenue income.
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| 14
November 2003 |
Mayor hands over
City Hall to province
By Lucille Davie
AT a relaxed ceremony on Thursday night, the title deeds of the City Hall were formally handed over to the new owners, the Gauteng legislature.
A smiling executive mayor Amos Masondo handed the documents to the Speaker of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature, Firoz Cachalia, under a glittering chandelier in one of the west rooms of the City Hall. The event was witnessed by around 60 people, consisting of city councillors and officials, provincial MECs and business people.
Masondo said: "As we hand over City Hall to the Gauteng Provincial Legislature, we do so with pride and hope that you will continue with the old but positive tradition that characterises the stature and charisma of City Hall."
The City sold the 88-year-old City Hall two years ago, in November 2001, for an amount of R20-million. The legal transfer finally occurred this year, and so far two of four R5-million payments have been made.
The legislature intends investing R60-million over an eight-year period in refurbishing and modernising, and creating new office space in the
building.
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complete article
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| 17
November 2003 |
Statement by Premier Shilowa on the announcement of the Gauteng Provincial Government precinct
Issued by the Office of the Premier, Gauteng Provincial Government
As announced in my end-of-year address to the legislature, the Gauteng Provincial Government is ready to proceed with the establishment of a government precinct within the Johannesburg inner city.
The establishment of the precinct is an indication of our confidence in the future of the city and our efforts, together with the City of Johannesburg and other stakeholders, including the private sector, to revive the city and turn it into a world-class African city.
We believe the initiative will send an unequivocal message that, as government, we are here to stay. Our status will change from being just tenants in rented property into one of the biggest property owners in the central business district. There are already indications that others will follow suit and that the development will have a positive impact on the property market in the city.
Together with the Legislature precinct and the High Court and Magistrate's Court precincts, we are confident that we will restore the Johannesburg CBD's status as the preferred location for business.
As we move towards the tenth anniversary of our democracy, the establishment of the precinct also symbolizes the stability and permanence of our democracy and governance in the province.
More |
| 18
November 2003 |
Shilowa unveils
government precinct
By Thomas Thale
THE Gauteng provincial government has revealed more details about the portion of the Johannesburg inner city it intends developing into a government precinct.
The announcement follows weeks of speculation following Premier Mbhazima Shilowa's announcement in October that the provincial government will be buying up property in the Central Business District (CBD) to use as office space. The announcement was heralded as a shot in the arm for the regeneration of the inner city.
Addressing the provincial legislature on Monday, Shilowa said the government precinct will be the area which extends "from Rissik Street in the east to Sauer Street in the west, Pritchard Street in the north and Fox Street in the south".
Altogether, Shilowa said, the buildings identified make up 150 000 square metres, which constitutes 6% of the existing property market in the CBD. "We have completed all the relevant negotiations with property owners and have secured the relevant buildings," Shilowa said.
Since 1995, the Gauteng government has been renting some 120 000 square meters of office space in the CBD. "The creation of the government precinct means the provincial government's status will shift from being just a tenant in Johannesburg into one of the biggest property owners within the Johannesburg CBD," Shilowa said.
Tshepo Nkosi, spokesman for the Johannesburg Development Agency, welcomed the premier's announcement, describing it as an "affirmation of the work that the JDA has been doing in the past two years. We are delighted that once again the provincial government has shown a commitment to the regeneration of the inner city of Johannesburg".
Nkosi said the announcement is in line with the City of Johannesburg's vision of a world class African city.
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| 13
January 2004 |
It's not 5 buildings
for demolition, but 10!
By Lucille Davie
THE Gauteng provincial government submitted a report on Monday on its proposal to demolish not five inner city buildings, as reported in the media last week, but 10 buildings.
The provincial government moved into the city in 1995 and has since been acquiring property. It has purchased 18 buildings at a cost of some R150-million, and plans to demolish 10 of them.
Five of the ten buildings are 60 years and older, therefore considered of historical value, and the other five buildings are 55 years and younger. Once demolished, two inner city blocks will have been flattened to create a square alongside the present Beyers Naude Square between Market and President streets.
The square would be bordered by Sauer Street in the west, Market Street in the north, Commissioner Street in the south, and Simmonds Street in the east.
The newer buildings are: Custom House (Fraser Street, 1967), Volkskas, now Absa (Market Street, 1948), Litorn House (Fraser Street, 1959), Absa (Market Street, 1952), and First National Bank (Market Street, 1960). The older buildings are: the New Library Hotel (1938), People's Bank (1939), the South African Reserve Bank House (date unknown), Clegg House (1935), all in Commissioner Street, and the Rand Water Board Building (1941) in Fraser Street.
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| 29
January 2004 |
New square focus
of Gauteng precinct
By Lucille Davie
THE Gauteng provincial government has finalised plans for its proposed new precinct in Johannesburg's CBD, centred around a new square to be created alongside the Beyers Naude Square.
The precinct will encompass a street underpass, skywalks joining buildings, underground parking, and the focal point, a square called the New Heritage Square, to the south of and adjoining the present Beyers Naude Square. The square, to be created from the demolition of 10 inner city buildings, will contain an amphitheatre, a multi-functional Tswana homestead and a symbolic obelisk and "Orientation Wall".
The precinct is to be called the Kopanong Gauteng Provincial Government Precinct, and a Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) report outlining the plan, is presently lodged with the South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA) for approval, and consideration
and comment by the public. The reason for this is that five of the 10 buildings proposed for demolition are older than 60 years and therefore need SAHRA approval prior to demolition.
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| 9
February 2004 |
KopanongThe Kopanong Gauteng Government Precinct -
a watershed for conservation and public consultation
(By Neil Fraser)
FEW aspects of a city provide better evidence of the relationship between the authorities and the private sector or the general cultural climate of a particular period than do squares and parks - Mining Camp to Metropolis
Comments on the proposed Kopanong Gauteng Provincial Government Precinct which encircles much of the Beyers Naude Gardens, had to be submitted by Wednesday, 4 February.
Hopefully the comments express appreciation of Provincial Government's commitment to the centre city which is demonstrated by their desire to restore the significance of such an important historic urban space. But, I would guess, many of the comments will also focus on some major negative aspects of the proposals.
Read
complete article here.
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| 5
July 2004 |
The inner-city in-crowd
Neil Fraser
I'M often asked to explain who does what in the inner city and to describe the differences between the organisations that are linked in some way or another to the regeneration process.
So here's a start. My list doesn't include many developers, professional consultants and individuals. It also doesn't include intermediaries such as specialist funding organisations. However, I would like to build up a useful reference document that eventually will cover the organisations that are contributing to the revival of the inner city.
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| 18
July 2005 |
It's the singing premier,
the train and the plain
TWO provincial projects are under scrutiny - the progress of the Gautrain rapid rail system and the proposed Gauteng Provincial Government Precinct in downtown Johannesburg.
By Neil Fraser
IN THE early stages of the celebrations marking the 50th Anniversary of the signing of the Freedom Charter, it appeared two groups of protesters were trying to make their presence felt.
The celebrations were held on 26 June at the Walter Sisulu Square of Dedication in Kliptown.
One was evidently a pro-Zuma faction and the other local residents who were voicing their concern about the slow delivery of desperately needed houses and employment opportunities.
The master of ceremonies had difficulty getting them to be quiet during the initial speeches. That all changed, however, when it came to the turn of Gauteng Premier Mbhazima Shilowa.
Before he even uttered one word of his speech, he started singing and immediately united the considerable crowd as he led them through a number of songs from the struggle period.
He proved to be a man of chutzpah and presence clearly able to engage openly with all and, let's face it, a powerful and rich baritone.
Why do I tell this story? Read on. |
| 16
September 2005 |
Two views on
GPG precinct plan
PUBLIC comment is now being sought on the proposed development of a inner city square as part of the Gauteng government precinct in Joburg's
CBD.
By Lucille Davie
THE public now has a chance to have their say on the proposed creation of a large square in the CBD - part of the Gauteng provincial government (GPG) precinct.
The final Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) report has been completed and lodged at the offices of the South African Heritage Resources Agency (Sahra). Various heritage architects and groups have submitted their responses to the report. The public has until 26 September to peruse the report and offer objections or comments to the proposal.
The new square and precinct could either be a "rainbow precinct for a rainbow nation", or "a disaster", depending on which architect you speak to.
Architect of the development, Fanuel Motsepe of NOA Architects, says the aim of the precinct is "not to devalue the history of the city nor is it to overvalue it, but rather to embrace the multiplicities of historic meanings of the city while evenly paving a way forward out the camouflaged city planning nuances which maintain the ideologies of the past. A past, which if it were not for its social and racial prejudices, would not need to be transformed but would instead be extended upon".
The proposal has elicited heated responses from the heritage community, with only one heritage architect, Clive Chipkin, expressing approval. "The beauty of Fanuel Motsepe's design is that he has taken pains to creatively preserve our colonial, post-colonial and apartheid pasts while at the same time find space for a new architecture - a rainbow precinct for a rainbow nation, in fact," Chipkin says.
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| 3
October 2005 |
GPG precinct
tests democracy
THE final Heritage Impact Assessment Report has found that the proposed new Gauteng provincial government precinct is not such a good idea.
By Neil Fraser
AFTER a long silence, the final Heritage Impact Assessment Report (HIA) and revised development proposal for the planned Gauteng provincial government (GPG) precinct has been publicly tabled.
In fact, these form part of a number of documents regarding the proposal that have been made available for scrutiny at the public library in the city and at the South African Heritage Resources Agency (Sahra) provincial offices in Parktown.
That the HIA alone is more than 250 pages makes it extremely impractical to scrutinise the information in such limited surroundings - government at all levels spends money freely on insignificant events or issues that suit them but give the smallest consideration to something of such importance.
You would have thought, as the number of parties greatly concerned with this issue have been known for some time, that copies of the documentation could have been prepared for each party, even if it was at their cost. This would have greatly facilitated the process.
So, what is this all about? Read
the complete article
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| 24
October 2005 |
Demolition of 10
buildings gets go ahead
THE South African Heritage Resources Agency has agreed to the demolition of 10 buildings in the CBD to make way for the GPG precinct.
By Lucille Davie
THE new precinct for the Gauteng provincial government (GPG), situated in Joburg's CBD, is now a step closer.
Approval has been given to demolish 10 inner city buildings - part of a plan to develop a large public space in the centre of the precinct. This will be an extension of Beyers Naude Square and create a space double the size of the present square.
The South African Heritage Resources Agency (Sahra) has given the go-ahead for the demolition of the buildings to make way for the New Heritage Square, part of the broader Kopanong Precinct.
The agency had to give permission because five of the 10 buildings concerned are more than 60 years old.
The buildings are: the RSA building,the New Library Hotel, the second Rand Water Board building, Custom House, the People's Bank Building, Volkskas building, the FNB building, the Thusanong building, Clegg House and the South African Reserve Bank building.
Two of the 10 buildings are in the Art Deco style. Read
more
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| 24
October 2005 |
Farewell to old buildings
Sahra's decision is a sad day for heritage preservation, writes Neil Fraser.
I WAS going to write something more on transport but that will have to wait until next week as the laissez faire decision by the South African Heritage Resources Agency (Sahra) regarding the demolition of heritage buildings, basically to create an unwanted public square, has made me so mad I could spit!
Why "unwanted" when we desperately need more open public space in our overbuilt city environment? I dealt with this issue last year in my column The Kopanong Gauteng Government Precinct when I wrote that, "Efforts to increase and improve public space and public life must be applauded - they strengthen the role of the city as a democratic forum.
"This becomes more and more critical in a society that is shrinking through privatisation of space and increasing personal isolation. Just look at the cars going to and from the workplace: seldom do they carry more than the driver.
Read
the complete article
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| 27
October |
Government precinct will scar Jozi,
writes Guy Trangos
I am a third-year architecture student at Wits University, and am appalled at the South African Heritage Resources Agency's (SAHRA) decision to tear down ten inner-city buildings.
Johannesburg is undergoing a rejuvenation, a redevelopment in which the inner-city will become a place where people want to go, where business is successful and crime has diminished.
The process is on track and it's wonderful to see the signs of a changing city already.
The agency's decision, however, throws a massive hurdle that will create an empty void - a scar on the social and architectural profile of our city.
I find it incomprehensible that an organisation which calls itself a heritage agency can so blatantly act against the heritage of our city.
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| 31
October 2005 |
Controversy swirls
around GPG precinct
WHILE supporting the proposal to form a provincial government precinct, Neil Fraser believes the decision to demolish 10 heritage buildings must be appealed.
JUST to state clearly again: I am highly supportive of the proposal by the Gauteng provincial government (GPG) to "bring together different GPG departments in a cost-effective manner".
I am equally highly appreciative of the published "potential benefits" of the project, which include improving service delivery, identifying a vehicle for changing equity ownership of the property estate in the CBD, improving space functionality and working environment, eliminating process and work disruption, and creating an urban design of a government precinct through consolidation of office space structures that will act as a stimulus for urban regeneration and socio-economic empowerment.
I am also supportive of creating a resource that celebrates the heritage of African peoples who were here before the "discovery" of gold in 1886.
What I am totally opposed to, is creating a poorly conceived public open space at the expense of culturally significant buildings and irretrievable damage to an important existing heritage resource. The celebration of those African peoples here prior to 1886 must be done, but in an appropriate place and manner.
So, having again nailed my colours to the mast, an update.
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