The Critical Assessment of Social Housing in South Africa in Terms of Its Appropriateness.
APG 4040F RESEARCH METHODS RESEARCH PROJECT PROPOSAL
The critical assessment of social housing in South Africa in terms of its appropriateness. The appropriateness of the housing to meet the needs of the intended user; such as future adaptability or growth, along with flexibility, in addition to the environment produced by the housing.
RDP House (Architecture South Africa,March/April 2009; pg 102)
TANYA VILJOEN 15/01/2013
THE ISSUE
The issue this research proposal will deal with is the critical appraisal of social housing in South Africa in terms of its ability to provide for flexibility; “a quality by which to measure the capacity of physical settings to be easily modified, which could undergo a series of incremental transformations in order to ensure good fit through time.Harbraken”- (Hamdi;1995) while at the same time producing successful environments.
ISSUE ELABORATION
As a result of rapid urbanization in South Africa, a vast number of people are moving to the cities. This has resulted in a gross under-supply of houses. In accordance with the Bill of Rights of South Africa – “everyone has the right to have access to adequate housing” – the responsibility of providing everyone with a house lies, therefore, with the state 1 (Constitution of the Republic of South Africa of 1996, Chapter 2) The pressure, caused by the backlog of housing provision and the speed with which the houses then get built, leaves little to no room for responsive design; design which adequately serves the intended user and creates quality environments. In order for the housing to be responsive it has to accommodate the needs of the user. These needs my differ depending on the user, and as a result a certain amount of flexibility within the design is needed. A second, yet inseparable issue that has to be addressed when creating housing, is the environment the housing produces; as it directly influences the quality of life of the inhabitant. In order to provide for the
The critical assessment of social housing in South Africa in terms of its appropriateness. The appropriateness of the housing to meet the needs of the intended user; such as future adaptability or growth, along with flexibility, in addition to the environment produced by the housing.
RDP House (Architecture South Africa,March/April 2009; pg 102)
TANYA VILJOEN 15/01/2013
THE ISSUE
The issue this research proposal will deal with is the critical appraisal of social housing in South Africa in terms of its ability to provide for flexibility; “a quality by which to measure the capacity of physical settings to be easily modified, which could undergo a series of incremental transformations in order to ensure good fit through time.Harbraken”- (Hamdi;1995) while at the same time producing successful environments.
ISSUE ELABORATION
As a result of rapid urbanization in South Africa, a vast number of people are moving to the cities. This has resulted in a gross under-supply of houses. In accordance with the Bill of Rights of South Africa – “everyone has the right to have access to adequate housing” – the responsibility of providing everyone with a house lies, therefore, with the state 1 (Constitution of the Republic of South Africa of 1996, Chapter 2) The pressure, caused by the backlog of housing provision and the speed with which the houses then get built, leaves little to no room for responsive design; design which adequately serves the intended user and creates quality environments. In order for the housing to be responsive it has to accommodate the needs of the user. These needs my differ depending on the user, and as a result a certain amount of flexibility within the design is needed. A second, yet inseparable issue that has to be addressed when creating housing, is the environment the housing produces; as it directly influences the quality of life of the inhabitant. In order to provide for the
Bibliography: This relates to the research on flexibility; as it discusses how inappropriate the houses are in terms of space and flexibility for its user. • Low, I., 2003. Space and Transformation, in Digest of South African Architecture 2003. • Low, I. 2005. Elemental Chile: Alejandro Aravena and The SA Experience, in Architecture South Africa January/February 2011, Picasso Headline Cape Town.