INTRODUCTION:

You have been approached by a Njoli Road businessman who owns a piece of land on the busy Mati / Ntshekisa road close to the Centenary Hall. Your client wishes to develop his land to accommodate his business which is a motor car dealership. The business will be a specific dealership dealing in the selling of new cars, a brand from a new Chinese entrant to the market, as well as dealing in second-hand cars. Also to be included on the site in the business venture is a bicycle repairing and car tyre repairing service.

The client is wishing to create a building and a business facility that rivals and is equal to anything to be found in the city centre. He is however also very aware of and sensitive to the township and Njoli road social context. He reads the site as needing a double storey building that will state the commercial nature of his business and that will promote and facilitate sales and service. It is also his observation that the bicycle repair and car tyre repair facility is a real need in the area and should thus be well supported by the community. It could also be a draw card for future clients. The possibility of some social gathering and social interaction, particularly related to the bicycle owning youth, could also occur, related to this repair component.

 

OBJECTIVES:

• To investigate and examine the existing commercial life of Njoli street.

• To examine and develop a sensitive awareness of the existing built fabric of the area.

• To create your proposal sensitive to a vision of the future of Njoli street.

• To examine and understand the ergonomics and dynamics of the particular commercial venture and its sub components.

• To investigate and understand the architectural implications of signage and branding associated with the business activities of your client.

• While satisfying the commercial needs and dreams of the client to remain sensitive to the vibrant character life of the site and context, this requiring thorough familiarization, analysis and assessment of the context.

• To incorporate the above objectives into the new development requiring the designer to engage with the issues of architectural tectonics, expression and commercialism so as to contribute to the richness of the urban context in which the site is situated.

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Below you will find the working drawings of my design.