MArch(Prof)

Recycling for Resilience

Project Location: Attridgeville, Pretoria

Project Focus Area: Regenerative and Resilient Cities & Design Ecologies

Supervisor: Dr Jan Hugo

Co-Supervisors: Dr Ida Breed and Abrie Vermeulen

Project Intentions 

This dissertation is an architectural exploration into informal waste picker upgrading at the open green space between Atteridgeville Township and Lotus Gardens. The project is a community Buy Back Centre designed following principles stipulated in the Waste Picker Integration Guidelines (DoEF & DoSI 2020) and the Neighbourhood Planning and Design Guide (DoHS 2019). This scheme provides a testable product that the community can review to continue developing waste picker upgrading. This community Buy Back Centre is part of a proposed framework designed with the principles of green infrastructure: connectivity, social inclusion, ecosystem services and green grey infrastructure integration (Pauleit 2017). This is to bolster the overall resilience of Atteridgeville and the waste pickers. The waste pickers are vulnerable and work in harsh conditions salvaging recycling of value from surrounding neighbourhood bins and open space dumps, returning to the open green space. They sort, store and dispose of invaluable materials (waste) by burning it on site. The waste pickers are illegal immigrants and refugees who live in communities in the open green space to guard their waste from authorities, as well as there is nowhere else for them. The presence and operation of the waste pickers are damaging the ecology of the open green space as well as is a threat to the skinnerspruit river running through the site. This dissertation provides an architectural solution that bolsters resilience by providing a safe platform for recycling, separated from sensitive ecologies on site. It seeks to change further than work conditions by creating a recycling identity and landmark to change perceptions of “waste picker” to “recycler”. Through the creation of a building, a landmark is established, and this project aims to be a community hub providing an educational platform to learn about waste. The building manifests the principles of resource circularity by utilizing passive and ecological design strategies to increase human well-being through connection with nature, natural light and ventilation. The buildings follow circular resource principles, as they are composed around concrete frame structures, with reclaimed materials such as bricks, rammed earth and local handmade concrete block as infill wall materials.