- Santarém, Portugal
- ISCTE - University Institute of Lisbon (ISCTE-IUL), Architecture, Faculty MemberUniversity of Johannesburg, South Africa, Faculty of Art Design and Architecture, Faculty Memberadd
- Edna holds a doctorate in architecture from the University of Pretoria and an equivalency from the Instituto Universi... moreEdna holds a doctorate in architecture from the University of Pretoria and an equivalency from the Instituto Universitário de Lisboa. Her research interests include resilience thinking, regenerative design, heritage, and sustainable urban development. She tutored undergrad and postgrad design studios and supervised 10 Masters students at the University of Pretoria (2013 and 2016) and 16 first and second-year Masters students at the University of Johannesburg's Graduate School of Architecture under the direction of Lesley Lokko and where she co-led Unit 15x in 2016 with Finzi Saidi. She is currently an independent researcher.edit
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View online: https://www.ajlajournal.org/articles/engaging-with-place-at-coromandel-house This article explores place-making at Coromandel House and its relationship with the landscape. It begins by introducing sense of place at... more
View online: https://www.ajlajournal.org/articles/engaging-with-place-at-coromandel-house
This article explores place-making at Coromandel House and its relationship with the landscape. It begins by introducing sense of place at Coromandel as originating in its ancient geological landscape with more recent archaeological remnants of the Bokoni people, and vestiges left by farm Settlers in the region in the late 19th C. Coromandel House is then contextualised, focusing on its origins and noteworthy collaborators’ response to the place they encountered, and their choices to enhance a particular experience of place. A synopsis follows of the main landscape and architecture design decisions which have over time allowed for its spirit of place to mature. In its prime, the balance between architecture, interior, and landscape heightened one’s senses first of the greater environment and the farm through to the immediate sense of place from the surrounding landscape, and lastly, a new hybrid sense of place that has emerged from the architect’s interpretation of place. Now with the passage of time and changes to its ownership, the continued presence of genius loci suggests there is something to learn.
This article explores place-making at Coromandel House and its relationship with the landscape. It begins by introducing sense of place at Coromandel as originating in its ancient geological landscape with more recent archaeological remnants of the Bokoni people, and vestiges left by farm Settlers in the region in the late 19th C. Coromandel House is then contextualised, focusing on its origins and noteworthy collaborators’ response to the place they encountered, and their choices to enhance a particular experience of place. A synopsis follows of the main landscape and architecture design decisions which have over time allowed for its spirit of place to mature. In its prime, the balance between architecture, interior, and landscape heightened one’s senses first of the greater environment and the farm through to the immediate sense of place from the surrounding landscape, and lastly, a new hybrid sense of place that has emerged from the architect’s interpretation of place. Now with the passage of time and changes to its ownership, the continued presence of genius loci suggests there is something to learn.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
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Rock art and the new Origins Centre Rock Art Gallery at the University of the Witwatersrand share a fundamental characteristic: intention. They are examples of artefacts that record what was meaningful to their makers at the time and... more
Rock art and the new Origins Centre Rock Art Gallery at the University of the Witwatersrand share a fundamental characteristic: intention. They are examples of artefacts that record what was meaningful to their makers at the time and guided the purposeful process of making. While there is no precise record of the intention guiding the ancient rock artists, this essay reveals the intention behind the new and unique gallery that is home to the largest rock art collection in the world by exploring the hidden meaning, thinking and events that led to its
creation. It traces Mashabane Rose and Associates’ design rationale within a much longer story of artistic expression and cultural documentation, thereby contextualising their new contribution to Johannesburg’s urban identity on the university’s public edge along Enoch Sontonga Avenue.
This essay shows the connection between past events and ideas, and present-day responses and uses the notion of connection as a tool to describe the historical narrative and the design. An aspect of the design that the gallery space incubates so well (and which this essay endeavours to transmit) is that it invites deeper thinking and further questioning: to try to creatively engage with diffcult questions about origins, identity and how we want to be in the world now, and in future.
creation. It traces Mashabane Rose and Associates’ design rationale within a much longer story of artistic expression and cultural documentation, thereby contextualising their new contribution to Johannesburg’s urban identity on the university’s public edge along Enoch Sontonga Avenue.
This essay shows the connection between past events and ideas, and present-day responses and uses the notion of connection as a tool to describe the historical narrative and the design. An aspect of the design that the gallery space incubates so well (and which this essay endeavours to transmit) is that it invites deeper thinking and further questioning: to try to creatively engage with diffcult questions about origins, identity and how we want to be in the world now, and in future.
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This paper examines the important yet largely misunderstood relationship between resilience and sustainability and the gap between these theoretical constructs and the practice of urban development. It explores how these two separate... more
This paper examines the important yet largely misunderstood relationship between resilience and sustainability and the gap between these theoretical constructs and the practice of urban development. It explores how these two separate constructs, each with its own theoretical framework, complement and support each other as approaches to the complex issues arising from fast-changing urban conditions and unprecedented pressures on the urban social-ecological system.
The City of Tshwane metropolitan urban system, which includes Pretoria, the administrative capital of South Africa, forms the exploration ground for this study. As a metropolitan area undergoing rapid urbanization along with increasing resource depletion, service delivery issues and social injustices, Tshwane provides a number of extreme urban design and planning problems of varying scales within a single urban system that are directly related to the constructs of resilience and sustainability. The paper uses the example of gated communities, a common spatial response to the sustainability goal of security, to examine and elucidate a broader understanding of the relationship between sustainability and resilience attributes and their application to spatial development practices.
It is proposed that the understanding of the structure and dynamics of the city provided by resilience thinking, combined with the normative positions offered by sustainability offers, a) a way for urban design and planning interventions to constructively engage with the realities of a fast-changing city; and b) a new understanding of resilience within urban design and planning fields which includes interpretations that extend beyond climate change mitigation or rapid urbanization adaptation, seeing its potential as means of informing transformative development across scales through establishing mechanisms for the development of spatial resilience.
The City of Tshwane metropolitan urban system, which includes Pretoria, the administrative capital of South Africa, forms the exploration ground for this study. As a metropolitan area undergoing rapid urbanization along with increasing resource depletion, service delivery issues and social injustices, Tshwane provides a number of extreme urban design and planning problems of varying scales within a single urban system that are directly related to the constructs of resilience and sustainability. The paper uses the example of gated communities, a common spatial response to the sustainability goal of security, to examine and elucidate a broader understanding of the relationship between sustainability and resilience attributes and their application to spatial development practices.
It is proposed that the understanding of the structure and dynamics of the city provided by resilience thinking, combined with the normative positions offered by sustainability offers, a) a way for urban design and planning interventions to constructively engage with the realities of a fast-changing city; and b) a new understanding of resilience within urban design and planning fields which includes interpretations that extend beyond climate change mitigation or rapid urbanization adaptation, seeing its potential as means of informing transformative development across scales through establishing mechanisms for the development of spatial resilience.
Research Interests:
Within a fast transforming world, the promotion of broader perspectives in the practice of architecture is becoming increasingly important. One such expanded perspective has been promoted by Unit 15(X) at the Graduate School of... more
Within a fast transforming world, the promotion of broader
perspectives in the practice of architecture is becoming
increasingly important. One such expanded perspective
has been promoted by Unit 15(X) at the Graduate School
of Architecture, University of Johannesburg, and titled
Regenerative Urban Landscapes.
perspectives in the practice of architecture is becoming
increasingly important. One such expanded perspective
has been promoted by Unit 15(X) at the Graduate School
of Architecture, University of Johannesburg, and titled
Regenerative Urban Landscapes.
Research Interests:
This paper explores Derick de Bruyn’s most recent project, house_derick. It tracks the architectural influences that inform his particular design approach to residential architecture, using his own home as the explanatory device. For the... more
This paper explores Derick de Bruyn’s most recent project, house_derick. It tracks the architectural influences that inform his particular design approach to residential architecture, using his own home as the explanatory device. For the purposes of this paper, his approach is called his autograph (the architectural design signature that is evident in all his projects) and consists of three themes. It considers in particular the influence of Charles Swanepoel on his architectural training at the University of Pretoria, as well as his relationship with Jack van Rensburg, as being formative in developing his own approach to site, context,
infrastructure and services in architectural design.
The paper is structured in four parts. The first is a description of what is put forward as the autograph; those processes that inform practice. The second is an introduction to Derick de Bruyn and house_derick, with the third taking the form of his design process or autograph. The last part looks at his autograph, as it plays out in house_derick.
All photos were taken in 2016 courtesy of photographer, Thomas de Bruyn.
infrastructure and services in architectural design.
The paper is structured in four parts. The first is a description of what is put forward as the autograph; those processes that inform practice. The second is an introduction to Derick de Bruyn and house_derick, with the third taking the form of his design process or autograph. The last part looks at his autograph, as it plays out in house_derick.
All photos were taken in 2016 courtesy of photographer, Thomas de Bruyn.
Research Interests: Architecture and Writing
One might find it strange that an all boys school known for its strong rugby traditions would invest in a new state-of-the-art music centre and art space. However, as the narrative behind the new Afrikaans Hoër Seunskool music centre... more
One might find it strange that an all boys school known for its strong rugby traditions would invest in a new state-of-the-art music centre and art space. However, as the narrative behind the new Afrikaans Hoër Seunskool music centre unfolds, this strangeness fades. In its place, emerges a considered composition of practical concerns with poetic intentions.
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While established arguments suggest that the sustainability movement is not achieving enough and that its tools are falling short of ethical imperatives, there are few constructive solutions. This paper suggests that an integral... more
While established arguments suggest that the sustainability movement is not achieving enough and that its tools are falling short of ethical imperatives, there are few constructive solutions. This paper suggests that an integral resilience approach might propel the movement forward.
Resilience theory has developed into various streams of inquiry and practice over the past forty years, offering a perspective to assess the strengths and weaknesses of a social-ecological system from which better decisions for the built environment can be taken. Apart from the useful clues that this externally quantifiable side of resilience offers, there is also the qualitative side of resilience, the internal dimension that guides decision-making. To effect sustainable change, both dimensions must be tackled. Using integral resilience both as an indicator of the quality of a place and a compass for making better decisions, tools can evolve to guide development.
Resilience theory has developed into various streams of inquiry and practice over the past forty years, offering a perspective to assess the strengths and weaknesses of a social-ecological system from which better decisions for the built environment can be taken. Apart from the useful clues that this externally quantifiable side of resilience offers, there is also the qualitative side of resilience, the internal dimension that guides decision-making. To effect sustainable change, both dimensions must be tackled. Using integral resilience both as an indicator of the quality of a place and a compass for making better decisions, tools can evolve to guide development.
Research Interests:
Within rapidly urbanising South African cities, understanding the dynamics of change and the rate at which change occurs can be used to manage or regenerate parts of the urban system, and may provide effective tools for planning and... more
Within rapidly urbanising South African cities, understanding the dynamics of change and the rate at which change occurs can be used to manage or regenerate parts of the urban system, and may provide effective tools for planning and monitoring ‘resilient’ development. A ‘resilience’ understanding may assist local authorities to transition toward cities that are more adaptive toward disasters, hazards and threats within flexible built environments. While most research conducted on the subject of urban resilience tackles issues relating to
short-term disasters (pulse disturbances) like flooding, earthquakes, or terrorism, this paper focuses on the relationships between the more persistent issues or slow variables that occur over long periods of time (press disturbances). Examples explored within this paper include natural disasters, rapid urbanisation and urban poverty, environmental degradation, health and safety, crime, informal settlements, and lastly, policy implementation.
While change relating to press disturbances like informality, environmental degradation and urban poverty impacts all countries to some extent, the assumption is that Africa is most at risk since it is experiencing high rates of urbanisation within the context of pervasive poverty and inequality. These city environments may also not have the adaptive capacity to leverage these changes or steer their socio-economic and environmental systems beyond survivalist conditions. This paper tackles these topics from the perspective of an informal settlement called Plastic View in the City of Tshwane, South Africa – a country which has yet to regenerate its cities into integrated environments. It comprises of a desktop study of articles in the press to build an understanding of press disturbances affecting the focal system of Plastic View and their relationships and dynamics. The paper concludes with a motivation toward building a strategy for policy and housing management in the City of Tshwane that incorporates principles of resilience like adaptability, diversity and the acceptance of change,as an important component for cities.
short-term disasters (pulse disturbances) like flooding, earthquakes, or terrorism, this paper focuses on the relationships between the more persistent issues or slow variables that occur over long periods of time (press disturbances). Examples explored within this paper include natural disasters, rapid urbanisation and urban poverty, environmental degradation, health and safety, crime, informal settlements, and lastly, policy implementation.
While change relating to press disturbances like informality, environmental degradation and urban poverty impacts all countries to some extent, the assumption is that Africa is most at risk since it is experiencing high rates of urbanisation within the context of pervasive poverty and inequality. These city environments may also not have the adaptive capacity to leverage these changes or steer their socio-economic and environmental systems beyond survivalist conditions. This paper tackles these topics from the perspective of an informal settlement called Plastic View in the City of Tshwane, South Africa – a country which has yet to regenerate its cities into integrated environments. It comprises of a desktop study of articles in the press to build an understanding of press disturbances affecting the focal system of Plastic View and their relationships and dynamics. The paper concludes with a motivation toward building a strategy for policy and housing management in the City of Tshwane that incorporates principles of resilience like adaptability, diversity and the acceptance of change,as an important component for cities.
Research Interests:
Within rapidly urbanising South Africa, „resilience‟ risks turning into another development trend‟ and losing credibility. Its application and usefulness could be misunderstood and it stands at an equal risk of manipulation as... more
Within rapidly urbanising South Africa, „resilience‟ risks turning into another development trend‟ and losing credibility. Its application and usefulness could be misunderstood and it
stands at an equal risk of manipulation as sustainability has been. Narrow resilience definitions that are limited to bounce back responses frequently substitute the full and rich scope of resilience theory, resulting in doubtful suggestions that resilience is a life strategy for poverty alleviation in communities or in the reconfiguration of government investment in the spatial economy. Well-established resilience theory and the inherent potential that lies in
its holistic translation into complex city systems, appears to be undervalued.
This paper builds awareness of the developmental potential that resilience thinking can unlock within the built environment; a means of proactively studying urban areas to engage policy and intervene in its design to foster conditions for life to thrive. Here, resilience indicates the strength of a system and is an emergent property thereof, not a normative principle. If used as a normative principle, then negative conditions like poverty (which can be highly resilient), are strengthened rather than collapsed, in other words, „resilience as the goal‟ could perpetuate poverty. Once the drivers of resilience in a focal area are recognised then engaging with design, implementation and management becomes enriched. This paper further argues that an urban resilience perspective provides an integrative and contextual approach for enhancing the positive properties of different city systems to build their overall general resilience; a framework to develop capacity for general resilience in the city is explored through narrative examples. Potentially, resilience could inform the process to create sustainable human(e) settlements, if founded on a holistic understanding of its theory
as applied to processes in the city system.
stands at an equal risk of manipulation as sustainability has been. Narrow resilience definitions that are limited to bounce back responses frequently substitute the full and rich scope of resilience theory, resulting in doubtful suggestions that resilience is a life strategy for poverty alleviation in communities or in the reconfiguration of government investment in the spatial economy. Well-established resilience theory and the inherent potential that lies in
its holistic translation into complex city systems, appears to be undervalued.
This paper builds awareness of the developmental potential that resilience thinking can unlock within the built environment; a means of proactively studying urban areas to engage policy and intervene in its design to foster conditions for life to thrive. Here, resilience indicates the strength of a system and is an emergent property thereof, not a normative principle. If used as a normative principle, then negative conditions like poverty (which can be highly resilient), are strengthened rather than collapsed, in other words, „resilience as the goal‟ could perpetuate poverty. Once the drivers of resilience in a focal area are recognised then engaging with design, implementation and management becomes enriched. This paper further argues that an urban resilience perspective provides an integrative and contextual approach for enhancing the positive properties of different city systems to build their overall general resilience; a framework to develop capacity for general resilience in the city is explored through narrative examples. Potentially, resilience could inform the process to create sustainable human(e) settlements, if founded on a holistic understanding of its theory
as applied to processes in the city system.
Research Interests:
Tshwane, capital of the Republic of South Africa, is a relatively young city with a colourful but conflicted past. It is now undergoing a deliberate transformation, steered by the City of Tshwane’s Tshwane Vision 2055 Remaking of the... more
Tshwane, capital of the Republic of South Africa, is a relatively young city with a colourful but conflicted past. It is now undergoing a deliberate transformation, steered by the City of Tshwane’s Tshwane Vision 2055 Remaking of the Capital City. This acknowledges that the city is steeped in cultural history. Three culturally important heritage resources, Church Square, the Old Synagogue and the Old Government Printing Works, formed the focus of an investigative student design laboratory, the Re-Centring Tshwane Lab. The Lab was undertaken in 2014 by the Department of Architecture at the University of Pretoria, supported by the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands and the University of Pretoria’s Capital Cities Programme.
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The Coromandel Estate Manor House (1975) lies camouflaged within the grasslands of Mpumalanga. This mysterious building has captivated many South African architects who have heard its story or explored its cavernous spaces (see Fig.1),... more
The Coromandel Estate Manor House (1975) lies camouflaged within the grasslands of Mpumalanga. This mysterious building has captivated many South African architects who have heard its story or explored its cavernous spaces (see Fig.1), and its vague history defies obscurity by repeatedly re-emerging
into popular culture and thereby affirming its importance within South Africa. Part building, part landscape, part historical tragedy, today its attraction lies in its embodiment of a 'ruin' that has seamlessly adapted and fused with its natural habitat. Inspired by this enigmatic landmark, this paper explores the influence that the Manor House and its architect, Marco Zanuso (1916-2001), have had on local architecture and will consider a link that exists with a subsequent noteworthy building, the Westcliff Estate (2002). It seeks to discover the associations between the client, Sydney Arnold Press (1919-1994),
and Zanuso, as well as a number of prominent local built environment professionals. Lastly, it is hoped that this paper might contribute toward an awareness of the significance of heritage buildings that are less than sixty years old, through means of association. Therein lie possibilities to guide development that regenerates and enriches the current heritage condition, of which the innovative and well-considered
architectural legacy that Zanuso and his patrons left South Africa, forms a part.
into popular culture and thereby affirming its importance within South Africa. Part building, part landscape, part historical tragedy, today its attraction lies in its embodiment of a 'ruin' that has seamlessly adapted and fused with its natural habitat. Inspired by this enigmatic landmark, this paper explores the influence that the Manor House and its architect, Marco Zanuso (1916-2001), have had on local architecture and will consider a link that exists with a subsequent noteworthy building, the Westcliff Estate (2002). It seeks to discover the associations between the client, Sydney Arnold Press (1919-1994),
and Zanuso, as well as a number of prominent local built environment professionals. Lastly, it is hoped that this paper might contribute toward an awareness of the significance of heritage buildings that are less than sixty years old, through means of association. Therein lie possibilities to guide development that regenerates and enriches the current heritage condition, of which the innovative and well-considered
architectural legacy that Zanuso and his patrons left South Africa, forms a part.
Research Interests:
As built environment theory evolves, so does the awareness that built environments form an integral part of natural systems. Living systems are capable of renewal and regeneration, resiliently adapting to pressures and disturbances in... more
As built environment theory evolves, so does the awareness that built environments form an integral part of natural systems. Living systems are capable of renewal and regeneration, resiliently adapting to pressures and disturbances in order to sustain life and avoid environmental collapse. Through this perspective, the role of architecture in our cities can be seen as an opportunity to catalyse renewal in the urban system by working with and integrating various systems of life. Using the theme of water, this paper explores the latent potential of degraded urban sites to inform architecture that unlocks processes of renewal, resilience and regeneration in natural and social systems.
Research Interests:
As an interdependent global society enters an era of unprecedented change, resulting from unforeseen natural and social disasters and vulnerabilities, the resilience of global cities to survive is a pressing concern. This dissertation... more
As an interdependent global society enters an era of unprecedented change, resulting from unforeseen natural and social disasters and vulnerabilities, the resilience of global cities to survive is a pressing concern. This dissertation aims to elucidate the application of resilience thinking by showing how ecological resilience concepts can translate into urban systems, using the capital of South Africa, Tshwane, as the exploration ground. Resilience simultaneously embodies the capacity of urban systems to bounce back, adapt or transform. Translating these concepts into a holistic urban resilience approach answers three questions: a) What is resilience theory? b) What are the core concepts of ecological resilience theory? and c) How might these concepts translate to cities?
The dissertation is structured in three parts; to establish the basis of resilience thinking, explore ecological resilience concepts in an urban system and lastly, assimilate findings into an urban resilience approach. Qualitative along with historical-comparative research methods, guided literature studies, and interdisciplinary research designs generated the finding that ecological resilience concepts translate well into the urban system, but that urban resilience is not a panacea for the ills of the urban environment. An urban resilience approach could comprise a) evolutionary or adaptive urban resilience involving an ongoing study and observation of the city system; and b) transformative urban resilience, that actively changes systems that reflect stronger or weaker resilience, so as to purposefully regenerate or collapse them. This requires responsible and holistic conduct. Urban resilience thinking implies an appreciation for the complexity that underlies life, and modesty about ambitions for managing it.
The dissertation is structured in three parts; to establish the basis of resilience thinking, explore ecological resilience concepts in an urban system and lastly, assimilate findings into an urban resilience approach. Qualitative along with historical-comparative research methods, guided literature studies, and interdisciplinary research designs generated the finding that ecological resilience concepts translate well into the urban system, but that urban resilience is not a panacea for the ills of the urban environment. An urban resilience approach could comprise a) evolutionary or adaptive urban resilience involving an ongoing study and observation of the city system; and b) transformative urban resilience, that actively changes systems that reflect stronger or weaker resilience, so as to purposefully regenerate or collapse them. This requires responsible and holistic conduct. Urban resilience thinking implies an appreciation for the complexity that underlies life, and modesty about ambitions for managing it.
Research Interests:
Creating Coromandel explores the decade-long partnership between architect and designer Marco Zanuso and the South African fashion retailer Sydney Arnold Press and Press's wife Victoria de Luria Press, whose shared passion for design... more
Creating Coromandel explores the decade-long partnership between architect and designer Marco Zanuso and the South African fashion retailer Sydney Arnold Press and Press's wife Victoria de Luria Press, whose shared passion for design spurred them to create Coromandel-part building, part ruin, part wilderness-an inspiration to anyone with an interest in building within a natural context.
Advance Information for UK, Ireland, Europe Order information for UK, Ireland, Europe - ISBN 978-1-911339-47-2
Advance Information for UK, Ireland, Europe Order information for UK, Ireland, Europe - ISBN 978-1-911339-47-2