South African Landscape Architecture: A Compendium

A COMPENDIUMH

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unisa pressEmail: [email protected] the Unisa Press Business Section: +27 12 429 3448+27 12 429 3515+27 12 429 2976

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Dr Hennie StoffbergDepartment of Architecture, University of Pretoria, South Africa

Hennie was a senior lecturer in landscape architecture and sustainability at the University of Pretoria until 2010. His academic qualifications and interests include sustainable design, green architecture, climate change com-merce, the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), corporate citizenship, environmental education, phyto carbon sequestration, phyto carbon footprints, urban ecology and landscape architecture. He also consults in the field of carbon commerce. During 2008, he held the position as the Programme Manager for the Exxaro Chair in Business and Climate Change at the Centre for Corporate Citizenship of the University of South Africa. Hennie publishes and conducts research in diverse fields and often reads papers internationally and locally. He co-authored a book entitled Climate Change: A Guide for Corporates (Unisa Press) in 2009.

Mr Clinton HindesSchool of Architecture, Planning and Geomatics, University of Cape Town, South Africa

Clinton Hindes is the Convenor of the two-year Master of Landscape Architecture programme. His teaching focus is primarily design studio and the history and theory of landscape architecture. He graduated with a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture and a Master of Landscape Architecture (by research) from the University of Pretoria. His Masters degree focused on teaching in landscape architecture. Clinton taught landscape architecture and archi-tecture at the University of Pretoria where he ran the second year combined design studio for a number of years before taking up his current position. His research interests lie in developing the theoretical foundations of the discipline of landscape architecture. He is currently working on his PhD, entitled ‘The application of an organisa-tional framework to the body of theory in landscape architecture for improved critical engagement’.

Ms Liana MüllerSchool of Architecture, Planning and Geomatics, University of Cape Town, South Africa

Liana Müller is a practising professional landscape architect with a Masters Degree in Anthropology. After lec-turing in the Department of Architecture at the University of Pretoria, she took up a position as lecturer in the Masters of Landscape Architecture Programme at the School of Architecture, Planning and Geomatics of the University of Cape Town. Liana is actively involved in the landscape architecture and heritage field, completing heritage audits, management plans and designs for cultural landscapes across Southern Africa and internationally. She also completed numerous Visual Impact Assessments for national-scale projects. Her academic research and publications revolve around the representation of cultural landscapes, specifically focusing on people’s present and past connection with the environment and landscape acting as anchoring point for memory and meaning.

About the editors

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Acronyms viiAcknowledgements ixForeword by Stuart Glen xForeword by Desiree Martínez xiForeword by Gerald Garner xiii

Introduction and Retrospective Overview 1

Section 1: Establishing Landscape Architecture in South Africa 171985 19 Berg-en-Dal Rest Camp, Kruger National Park, Mpumalanga Verwoerdburg City Lake & Verwoerdburg City Master Plan, Centurion, Gauteng TF Maartens-Poort, Pretoria, Gauteng

1986 23 Palmiet Pumped Storage Scheme – Environmental Impact Control Plan, Grabouw, Western Cape Church Square Master Plan, Grahamstown, Eastern Cape

1987 29 Durban South Beach Play Park, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal Durban Street Furniture, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal

1988 35 Norwich Office Park, Sandton, Gauteng

Section 2: Excellence in Design 391989 41 Reserve Bank, Pretoria, Gauteng Polar Bear Enclosure, Johannesburg Zoo, Gauteng

1990 45 Outeniqua Pass Rehabilitation, George, Western Cape

1991 49 Greefswald Limpopo Government Water Scheme, Greefswald, Limpopo Pierhead Precinct of the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, Cape Town, Western Cape Standard Bank Merriman Square, Cape Town, Western Cape

1992 81 Gillooly’s Farm, Johannesburg, Gauteng Strand Harmony Tidal Pool Resort, Strand, Western CapeVergelegen Estate, Somerset West, Western Cape D’MOSS: The Umbilo/Umhlatuzana River Park System, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal

Section 3: An Ecological Method and Cultural Landscapes 951998 99New Visitor Facilities at Cape Point, Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, Cape Town, Western Cape Atlantic Beach Golf Estate, Cape Town, Western CapeConservation and Development for Genadendal – A Motivation for Funding, Genadendal, Western CapeNorwich Oval Office Park, Cape Town, Western Cape

1999 117

Table Mountain Cableway Upgrade, Cape Town, Western Cape Bloubergstrand Beachfront Upgrade, Cape Town, Western Cape

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Khayelitsha Open Space Study, Cape Town, Western Cape Sibaya Resort and Entertainment World, Umhlanga Rocks, KwaZulu-Natal South African Manual for Outdoor Advertising Control (SAMOAC)

2001 125Capricorn Business & Technology Park, Cape Town, Western Cape Fairview Estate Memorial Garden, Cape Town, Western Cape Driekoppies Dam, Malelane, Mpumalanga N3 Toll Road – Cedara to Heidelberg, Free State

2003 141Riverside: Mpumalanga Provincial Government Complex, Nelspruit, Mpumalanga SA Eagle Square, Johannesburg, Gauteng Company’s Garden, Cape Town, Western Cape Centurion Environmental Management Framework, Centurion, Gauteng Bronberg Strategic Environmental Assessment, Pretoria, Gauteng Dinokeng, Cullinan, Gauteng Gongolo Wildlife Reserve Development Plan, Estcourt, KwaZulu-Natal

Section 4: Celebration of the South African Landscape 1552005 159Big Bay, Bloubergstrand, Cape Town, Western Cape Moroka Park Precinct, Soweto, Gauteng Dorothy Nyembe Park Sculptures, Soweto, Gauteng Mofolo-Moroka Open Space Framework, Soweto, Gauteng Freedom Park Isivivane, Pretoria, Gauteng Freedom Park Administrative Building and Parking Area, Pretoria, Gauteng Northern Cape Provincial Legislature, Kimberley, Northern Cape AEL Business Platform, Johannesburg, Gauteng Galeshewe Open Space and Landscape Plan, Kimberley, Northern Cape

2007 193Forum Homini Boutique Hotel, Krugersdorp, Gauteng Lake Michelle, Cape Town, Western Cape Mitchells Plain Public Transport Interchange, Cape Town, Western Cape The Taung Skull World Heritage Site, Krugersdorp, Gauteng

2009: Part I 215Thesen Islands, Knysna, Western Cape Freedom Park Intermediate Phase, Pretoria, Gauteng Liliesleaf, Johannesburg, Gauteng

2009: Part II 241House Engelbrecht, Centurion, Gauteng St Andrew’s Square, Cape Town, Western Cape New Kings and Majestic Residences, Cape Town, Western Cape Schonenberg Estate, Cape Town, Western Cape Khayelitsha Harare Precinct 3, Cape Town, Western Cape Cape Town Foreshore Pedestrianisation Projects, Cape Town, Western Cape Serengeti Golf & Wildlife Estate, Johannesburg, Gauteng Corniche Bay Resort (Banyan Tree) Landscape Architecture Framework, Mauritius Cotswold Downs Estate, Johannesburg, Gauteng Landscape Contracting in South Africa

Bibliography 276Index 278


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AcronymsASLA – American Society of Landscape ArchitectsBOCLASA – Board of Control for Landscape Architects in South AfricaBSMM – Brink Stokes Moolman & MaraisCARA – Conservation of Agricultural Resources ActCBD – Central Business DistrictCCTV – Closed Circuit TelevisionCCA – CCA EnvironmentalCMAI – Chris Mulder Associates IncCNdV – Chittenden Nicks De VilliersCKA – Cave Klapwijk AssociatesCPD – Continued Professional DevelopmentCSIR – Council for Scientific and Industrial ResearchCTICC – Cape Town International Convention CentreDACE – Department of Agriculture, Conservation and EnvironmentDACEL – Department of Agriculture, Conservation, Environment & Land AffairsDBSA – Development Bank of Southern AfricaDDV – Dayson, De Villiers & Van der MerweDETG – Driekoppies Environmental Task GroupDSSACS – Departments of Social Services, Arts, Culture and SportDWAF – Department of Water Affairs and ForestryECO – Environmental Control OfficerEDP – Environmental Design PartnershipEIA – Environmental Impact AssessmentEMF – Environmental Management FrameworkEMP – Environmental Management PlanEPM – Environmental Planning and ManagementESCOM – Electricity Supply CommissionESKOM – ElektrisiteitsvoorsieningskommissieETG – Environmental Task GroupEWG – Employment Working GroupFHSSSKE – Fossil Hominid Sites of Sterkfontein, Swartkrans, Kromdraai and EnvironsGIS – Geographical Information SystemGUW – Gouws, Uys & WhiteIAIAsa – International Association for Impact Assessment South AfricaIEM – Integrated Environmental ManagementIFLA – International Federation of Landscape ArchitectsILASA – Institute for Landscape Architecture in South AfricaIUCN/IOD – International Union for Conservation of Nature/Institute of DirectorsJBCC – Joint Building Contracts CommitteeK&T – Kantey and TemplerKOBWA – Komati Basin Water AuthorityKALA – Klitzner Anderson Landscape ArchitectsKWP – Kemp Wegelin and Partners Architects & Landscape ArchitectsKZN – KwaZulu-NatalLA – Landscape Architect Ac

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MCAC – Matsamo Community Action CommitteeNGO – Non-governmental OrganisationNLA – Newtown Landscape ArchitectsOvP – Oberholzer & Van PapendorpPOS – private open spacePCOMP – physical computingRA – Regulating AuthorityRAP – Relocation Action PlanRDP – Reconstruction and Development ProgrammeSAACE – South African Association for Consulting EngineersSAMOAC – South African Manual for Outdoor Advertising ControlSAHRA – South African Heritage Resources ActSEA – Swaziland Environmental AuthoritySEA – Strategic Environmental AssessmentTlEMC – Thesen Islands Environmental Monitoring CommitteeTMACC – Table Mountain Aerial Cableway CompanyUCT – University of Cape TownUK – United KingdomUNESCO – United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural OrganizationUP – University of PretoriaUSA – United States of AmericaVPUU – Violence Prevention through Urban UpgradingWCRSC – Western Cape Regional Services Council


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AcknowledgementsThe editors and authors of this compendium gratefully acknowledge the following people and institutions for their most valuable support and contributions to this Compendium:

u Mr Stuart Glen, President of ILASA, 2009–2011u Mr David Gibbs, President of ILASA, 2007–2009u Prof Karel Bakker, Head of Department of Architecture, University of Pretoriau The editors and in particular Dr Hennie Stoffberg would like to thank Prof Roelf Sandenbergh, Dean, EBIT,

University of Pretoria for financial support during the early stages of the preparation of the manuscript. Fund-ing was in part provided from the RDP grant. Prof Sandenbergh’s encouragement through research proposal iterations and approvals is thankfully acknowledged

u Prof Vanessa Watson, Acting Director (2009–2010): School of Architecture, Planning and Geomatics, Univer-sity of Cape Town

u Prof A. Steenkamp, Director (2011– ): School of Architecture, Planning and Geomatics, University of Cape Town

u Brooke Pattrick Publications and specifically Neil Pattrick for the permission granted for the use of articles and images from editions of Urban Green File between 1998 and 2009. Brooke Pattrick Publications have produced one of the most substantial bodies of writing on landscape architecture and the inclusion thereof in this book greatly contributes to its success. We acknowledge the significant time, expertise, skill and cost in-volved in the production of these articles and deeply appreciate the permission for the reproduction thereof

u Clare Burgess, Lucas Uys and David Gibbs for their contribution to the ILASA time lineu Mitha Theron and the following students who assisted with data gathering and text and image manipulations

during the production of the manuscript: Gloria Di Monte, Anneke Ras, Sune-Marie Steyn, Albertus Viljoen, Jason Nel

u The editors would like to thank our colleagues, families and friends for their support and encouragement during the creation of this book

u The editors express their gratitude on behalf of the Institute for Landscape Architecture in South Africa and landscape architecture and associated professions to the publishing and owner companies for providing the right to re-publish the project articles. We thank the below-mentioned companies and individuals for their support of this publication especially with regard to the granting of copyrights free of charge. These compa-nies and individuals support the work of our profession of landscape architecture through the granting of permissions to reproduce the text and visual materials for the life of this publication. They are the following organisations and individuals:u Landscape Southern Africau Environmental Planning and Management (EPM)u Parks and Groundsu Brooke Pattrick Publications (Pty) Ltd: Urban Green Fileu Environmental Management

u We thank each landscape architect and practice that contributed to the call for submission of merit award practice work and would like to acknowledge the companies that provided the editors with digital material. Some of this material is used in this compendium and it is acknowledged

u We would like to thank UNISA PRESS as academic publisher for the independent double-blind peer review process and the reviewers for their valuable contributions that we could incorporate into the finalised book.

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Foreword by Stuart GlenNews of this publication has caused a stir of excitement among landscape architects in South Africa – it is a pub-lishing event for the profession. It’s particularly important for ILASA, recording as it does one of the institute’s most important activities, namely the conferring of Awards of Excellence or Merit Awards as they used to be known.

Every landscape architecture project conferred with a Merit Award or Award of Excellence since 1985 is included in this book. The result is an unparalleled history of the profession in South Africa and a portrait of its personality. All of the projects included have been published before, but collating the articles on the award-winning projects gives a unique overview of the development of the profession and evokes the zeitgeist of each project. It also brings home how well the profession has been served by the source publications of the articles, especially The Urban Green File.

This book brings an increased appreciation of the significance of the awards by providing a record of the work of the profession. ILASA itself is more than twenty years older than the awards, and collating the records of the awards was a big enough task in itself. Researching the nature of the landscape architecture being produced pre-1985 would be an even more onerous task, given the scarcity of publications on the profession in South Africa. So the book highlights the importance of the awards in preserving a record of work, and I hope that it will encourage increased participation in the awards by landscape architects. The editors point out that it is not a complete his-tory of the profession as it only includes projects awarded by ILASA.

This Compendium is not a typical coffee-table volume of work that is en vogue. It is a history book, and also in-escapably an academic work, even if perhaps more accessible than its sister volume. It is not primarily a visual publication. A first glance at the earlier projects with their original photographs might even leave the casual browser initially disappointed. But those old photographs contribute invaluably to conveying the spirit and feel of the projects when they were current. Of course, it would have been impossible to photograph many of these award-winning projects today. It is stated in the text that some landscapes have fallen into disrepair, but the truth is that most of them no longer exist in their original forms. They have been modified to accommodate changing needs and sometimes removed to build parking lots, Awards of Excellence or not. This of course highlights the fundamental changeability of landscape. Parts of it can be ephemeral and it is always growing and changing, perhaps beyond the anticipation of the landscape architect. All of this goes to increase the value of a snapshot of each project as it was when its intentions were clear and of this book as an archive.

It is essential to look to the past to understand our current condition. This book will give a far greater understand-ing of the profession in South Africa than a book on current work alone. The Awards of Excellence, being about peer review, have always been important to the profession, but perhaps not very visible to the public. I know that this book will be a vital addition to every South African landscape architect’s library. It will help to bring the awards to a wider audience and demonstrate the size of the contribution of landscape architecture in general to the country.

Stuart GlenILASA President


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Foreword by Desiree MartínezIt is an honour and a pleasure to have been invited to write a foreword to this remarkable publication that docu-ments history of the places that have been shaped by our profession throughout South Africa.

For the International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA), this is an important cause of celebration as this publication represents a crucial step for the development of the profession in Africa.

This Compendium of excellent works in landscape architecture is directly connected to the evolution of our profes-sion in this beautiful country. South Africa has an astonishing natural history and a diverse physical environment that results in incredibly rich fauna and vegetation and possesses an ancient history related to all mankind and the coming together of different cultures and ways of understanding life. Our landscape architecture promotes the conservation and development of cultural and natural heritage, adapts and mitigates for the effects of climate change, fosters food security and manages water scarcity, among many other pressing issues.

The Institute of Landscape Architecture of South Africa (ILASA) was founded in 1962. In 1985 the ILASA established the Merit Award for outstanding projects, which is an unequivocal sign of the profession’s fortification and growth.

The projects are excellent from the beginning, addressing the aesthetic, social, economic and ecological compo-nents that our profession has to contend with. The evolution of examples documented in the Compendium also reflects the response of our profession to the history of South Africa and to the needs of ever more aware and evolving democratic society, increasingly fostering both inclusiveness and equity.

The publication offers the opportunity to understand the process of the projects from different perspectives and in varying levels of depth. At first glance, the photos, plans and drawings peak our interest while illustrating the evolution of the profession over time. Given that the projects and supporting graphic material are of excep-tional quality, the reader is provided with an excellent first impression of landscape architecture’s continued development.

The reader also has the opportunity to delve deeper into the process of each awarded project. Integrated in-terviews allow us to learn about the conceptual goals, the planning process, the recognition and overcoming of obstacles as well as the point of view of the authors of each project. Finally the criteria used for judging and the specific reasons that the jury selected each project for the award are documented.

Landscape architecture is a discipline that reflects, mainly in its public but also in its private works, the result of the interaction of society and government, as well as global trends and challenges. The work of landscape archi-tects can therefore be interpreted as a response to the political, economic, social and of course environmental conditions of a site, region and country. Successful and socially inclusive cities and regions count on public open space that is enjoyed by all members of society. In this way design has become a statement on quality of life.

This is definitely the case with the work represented in this publication. In the mid 80s and early 90s the projects focus mainly on environmental issues and on enhancing urban quality in tourist areas and waterfronts. The projects reflect the interest of a growing and developing economy to establish itself by improving the quality of life for the inhabitants of the affected areas. Over time, the projects become more and more complex. The cultural values inherent to this region, which witnessed the beginning evolution of humankind and which never lost sight of its direct link to the spirit of Mother Earth, are woven into the design proposals and contribute to the establishment of the identity of South African landscape architecture.

Such a publication is invaluable as historic documentation, but also as a teaching material; a compendium of ex-amples of landscape architecture work for professionals and for the promotion of the profession. While this work is focused on South Africa, the contents will be of interest to landscape architecture academics, students and


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professionals worldwide. It will also be relevant to other professionals and to the general public, as the approach and design principles documented in this publication can be applied to other regions for the purpose of facing challenges regarding public open space.

Finally, I would like to personally and sincerely congratulate the ILASA as well as the editors and authors of this magnificent work on their achievement, as well as all landscape architects who aid in the planning and design of South African urban, rural and natural landscapes with the common goal of creating a better quality of life.

I would also like to invite you, dear reader, to enjoy this incredible journey through time and space by exploring these truly outstanding works of landscape architecture in beautiful South Africa.

Desiree MartínezIFLA President


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The establishment of the new South Africa brought about a vision for “a better life for all”. It is this dream of im-proving South African society that affords the profession of landscape architecture untold opportunities. In many ways landscape architecture is about improving the public environment by creating “a better environment for all”. Faced with the legacy of apartheid and underdevelopment, South African landscape architects are uniquely positioned to be a force for the betterment of society.

Few other countries face as dire a need for improved public spaces, recreation spaces and a more sustainable and equitable built environment. Therefore, it is imperative that the role of landscape architecture within the South African built and natural environment is better understood. In this regard South African Landscape Architecture: A Compendium plays an invaluable role in expanding and concisely documenting the body of academic work avail-able. It successfully records some of the trend-setting projects that have helped to shape the face of South African landscape architecture since the 1980s.

It is evident from this book that the commercial business-to-business media have played a key role in promoting the concept of landscape architecture throughout South Africa – mostly so in the form of magazines. That various magazines over several decades have been able to operate successfully, commercially speaking, is proof that the landscape architectural field is dynamic, expanding and sizable. Publications such as Parks & Grounds, the original Landscape Southern Africa and Environmental Planning & Management (EPM) established the first-documented proof of the work undertaken by South African landscape architects.

In 1996 I was privileged to be part of the team that launched Green File magazine. Soon the name was changed to Urban Green File to better reflect its mission of covering the planning professions and the built environment as opposed to nature conservation. Over the years ownership changed several times but since 2001 the publication has been part of the Brooke Pattrick Publications stable where it has thrived. The continued subscription to Urban Green File by ILASA on behalf of its members has helped the magazine to grow and to cover landscape architec-ture on an ongoing and extensive basis. It is therefore not surprising to note just how many articles out of Urban Green File and its special ILASA Awards of Excellence supplements have been reproduced here.

Together with other industry magazines such as Landscape SA and Environmental Management, Urban Green File will continue to serve the field of environmental planning and design in order to inspire the creation of a better built environment in South Africa. The role of the media in documenting the advancement of the profession, but also in acting as an independent and critical evaluator of the impact of projects and policies, is crucial in ensuring that landscape architects are indeed committed to creating a “better environment for all”.

As former publishing director and editor of Urban Green File it has been a privilege to be part of the field of South African landscape architecture. I commend the editors of South African Landscape Architecture for their initiative to compile so many articles on ILASA’s Merit Awards and Awards of Excellence in one book. It is high time that South African landscape architecture is treated with such respect.

Gerald Garner Johannesburg

Foreword by Gerald Garner


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Timeline of the development of the profession of landscape architecture in South Africa 1933 Joane Pim visited England to recuperate from an illness and worked with Brenda Colvin, a

leading British landscape architect, who introduced her to what was to become her chosen profession.

1946 Joane Pim commissioned to design and lay out gardens in Johannesburg.1960 Joane Pim commissioned by Anglo American to design the mining town of Welkom. This was

her first large-scale project and in it she applied her theories and modern town planning principles.

1962 Establishment of the Institute of Landscape Architects in Southern Africa (ILASA). Founded by Joane Pim, Ann Sutton, Peter Leutscher and Roelf Botha who prepared the Constitution. Along with Wim Tijmens, they pushed for the establishment of a course in landscape architecture and started fund raising.

1964 ILASA became a member of the International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA). u Called for “immediate action to halt the environmental degradation taking place in South

Africa advocating the use of good environmental planning principles”.1971 Landscape Architecture course started at University of Pretoria. u Funded by chairman of SAPOA – M.A. Bezuidenhout, chairman of Sentrakor. u Roelf Botha became first professor and Ben Farrell was its first student. Prior to this date,

all landscape architects had been trained overseas. u Book by Joane Pim published – Beauty is necessary. Believed in ‘greening’ as a means

of creating more habitable environments that could in turn engender a sense of pride and well-being within those people who lived in them.

1973 South Africa hosted UNISA conference ‘Planning for Environmental Conservation’ with various overseas lecturers including:

u Roberto Burle-Marx, the famous Brazilian artist, plantsman and landscape architect. u Ian McHarg, University of Pennsylvania, USA author of Design with Nature. The American

environmental movements and ecological approach bore a direct influence on the teaching practices at the University of Pretoria and are a strong influence still today.

u Derek Lovejoy from a leading landscape architecture practice in London, UK. u The conference led to important environmental legislation including the promulgation of

the Environmental Conservation Act in 1981. Government organisations and departments (water, roads, environment, mines, etc.)

began utilising the services of landscape architects. Their role was to systematise their approach to environmental impact assessment and planning, establish landscape design standards, and monitor and control the effect of development and manage resources in both the natural and urban environments.

1977 ILASA published the Code of Professional Practice and Scale of Fees document and later the Code of Professional Conduct.

1980 Trends in landscape architecture: u Municipalities and local government began to consult landscape architects. u City of Cape Town employed Karie and Mike Fuller Gee (Norway), Bernard Oberholzer,

Johan van Papendorp, Clare Burgess, Steve Thompson (UK), Mark Smoot (USA), Hank Lith.


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u Development of urban open space strategies and recreational planning project; rapid development of housing, roads and industry needing planning co-ordination and landscape architectural input. ‘Greening the City’ Programme and first pedestrianisation scheme for St George’s Mall in Cape Town.

u Durban Beach Front development; Johannesburg’s Gillooly’s Farm. u Approximately 50 graduates of the University of Pretoria course in Landscape Architecture

practising throughout the country.1982 Roelf Botha became Executive Chairman of the Council for the Environment, showing the

increasing influence of landscape architects in the planning professions. u Committee formed by Council drew up Integrated Environmental Management (IEM)

procedures leading to current excellent environmental legislation (EIAs, EMPs, SEAs, etc.) u Projects developed using this legislation u Palmiet Pumped Storage System for Water Department u DuToitskloof Tunnel for Roads Department1986 The profession of landscape architecture became recognised and regulated through the

Architect’s Act with BOCLASA as governing body.1987 Eddie Goister met with other African delegates at IFLA Grand Council meeting in Switzerland

and established an African regional group with Cheikh Abdulaye Dieye from Senegal.1988 Graham Young noted at an IFLA symposium in Athens that there were only 51 practising

LAs in South Africa. He also noted “while maintaining contact with their Western roots, landscape architects in SA have had to develop a more holistic approach to their task than their overseas co-professionals. Experience has shown that we need to be careful not to impose Western, First World solutions on Third World problems”.

u UP Department of Landscape Architecture created under the leadership of Prof. Willem van Riet.

u Geographical Information System (GIS) established as a full environmental analysis tool. This system’s approach to resource management put the emphasis on conservation, employment of local inhabitants, development of eco-tourism and educational opportunities, highlighted in various projects:

u Gorongoza National Park in Mozambique u The Dwesa National Park.1990 Trends in landscape architecture: u Urban renewal projects (V & A Waterfront, Khayalitsha and Mitchells Plain in Cape Town)

and public participation processes developed. Role of landscape architects widens from designer and planner to facilitator, administrator, co-ordinater, project manager with greater emphasis on social issues and community participation.

u Range of work covered by landscape architects increases – exciting challenges and opportunities – environmental planning and management, ecological planning and design, site planning and detailed design, park and recreation planning, urban design and landscape design for outdoor spaces in residential, commercial, industrial and institutional places.

1993 30th IFLA World Congress held in Cape Town hosted by ILASA – including tours to township developments and beach resorts such as Strandfontein and Monwabisi.

1994 Constitutional changes in South Africa led to greater awareness of human and environmental rights issues and greater degree of public participation in both design and implementation – public/private sector partnerships developed; working with ‘grass roots’ organisations and other NGOs on projects like Edith Stephens Wetland Park in Cape Town.

1995 ILASA members from Cape Town and Johannesburg meet halfway across the country at Bethule in the Free State to plan for reconstitution.

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1996 Reconstitution of the Institute of Landscape Architects of South Africa.2000 University of Cape Town post-graduate Master of Landscape Architecture course created

under the leadership of Bernard Oberholzer, tying up with the two-degree system offered at UP (3 year BSc(Larch) and 2 year ML(Prof)).

2000 Landscape Architectural Professions Act (Act 45 of 2000), promulgated December. u Recognises landscape architecture as a distinct profession within the built environment

suite and makes allowance for the broader field of professions as well as the vertical hier- archy of landscape technologists, technicians and assistants including candidates with a horticultural and landscape technology background.

u Requirement for Continued Professional Development (CPD) introduced by Government and administered by ILASA for the landscape architecture profession.

u ILASA becomes IFLA member.2005 ILASA hosts Bisho Legislature landscape design competition. Winner: GREENinc. Landscape

Architects.2009 ILASA appoints Van der Walt & Co. as administrative managers for the activities of ILASA.2009 IFLA Africa Region initiates drive to use South Africa as a base for initiatives to strengthen

IFLA’s presence in the region.2010 ILASA hosts conference ‘Landscape Architecture...adding value’ 13–14 May, Johannesburg.2009 ILASA changes name to the Institute for Landscape Architecture in South Africa as proposed

by Gerald Garner at the 2009 AGM in Sandton, Johannesburg.2012 First comprehensive collection of South African landscape architecture projects and theory

is published, titled ‘South African Landscape Architecture’.2012 ILASA will host the International Federation of Landscape Architects’ (IFLA) World Congress

in Cape Town with theme ‘Landscapes in Transition’.


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The introduction covered a number of projects honoured with awards in the early years of the profession in South Africa. Considering the range of projects and their diversity in scale and subject, the list succinctly represents the scope of influence of landscape architects in the development field. Most importantly it illustrates the valuable role landscape architects play in an interdisciplinary team, especially when they are involved from the start of a project. In fact, the success of most of the projects in this Compendi-um can largely be attributed to the fact that landscape architects acted as co-ordinators or programme managers. The inherent nature of the profession is that of integration – ecological, social and infrastructural determinants are integrated into a policy, frame-work or design. A further recurrent theme of this compendium is thus the role of land-scape architects as integrators within a multi-disciplinary project team. This is especially true of the projects post-1994, but these early projects certainly set the stage for the success we’re witnessing now.

Gary Strang (1996:8–15) found that infrastructural systems, while, by virtue of their scale, ubiquity and inability to be hidden, are essential visual components of human set-tlements. They are usually designed in a piecemeal fashion by a host of professions such as engineers, town planners, architects, landscape architects and agriculturalists. The potential of these systems to positively shape and inform landscape forms is therefore never realised. However, as early as 1985, groundbreaking work done by Gouws Jordaan Uys & White and Pieter Jordaan on the TF Martins-Poort in Pretoria illustrated what is possible. Acting as project managers, the team set a clear example of how, through minimal effort, infrastructural development does not necessarily have to result in envi-ronmental degradation. The Palmiet Pumped Storage Scheme in Grabouw was another excellent example of this approach. Whereas these early projects were predominantly focused on impact management, it paved the way for strategic planning as exempli-fied by the extensive Environmental Impact Assessments, Environmental Management Plans and detail design proposals for projects such as the 1990 Outeniqua Pass Rehabili-tation Project and the 2001 N3 Toll Road between Cedara and Heidelberg.

The key role of landscape architects in the urban design process was clearly demonstrat-ed in the development of the Verwoerdburg (Centurion) City Masterplan. In the sub-sequent proposal for Church Square in Grahamstown, not only were large-scale urban design issues addressed, but detailed design proposals included that specifically aimed at improving the quality of place and pedestrian experience in this meaning-imbued

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city. This social focus in planning was elaborated on in later projects such as the various Open Space plans (Khayelitsha 1999, Galeshwe 2005).

Another project worthy of mentioning is the Durban Street Furniture that won a merit award in 1987. At its inception, this project received ample media coverage and acco-lades. However, more than twenty years after the fanfare, these same street furniture and hard scape elements had been demolished and replaced. A statement by Gerald Garner (UGF, June 2010) illuminates why: “in terms of public space, the city has a poor record – even in spite of the significant investment in the public realm with the beach-front developments of the 1970s and 1980s. It was probably lack of urban manage-ment and maintenance, as well as some fatal urban design flaws in the original pro-jects, which caused the famous Golden Mile and Durban as a city to lose its desirable reputation.” The new designs focus on interlinked public spaces and the beachfront promenades are wider and provide for uninterrupted views and a variety of activities. This is in direct contrast with the 1980s proposal of a conglomeration of entertainment structures all designed in a dated style. The case for timeless, context-specific design is well-illustrated in the collection of projects in this Compendium.

The early years of the landscape architecture profession in South Africa presented a host of projects that clearly illustrated the value and nature of the profession within the South African context. The projects ranged from infrastructural (roads) design, to urban and landscape design. As mentioned previously, excellence in detail design also received attention and will be elaborated on in the following section (Section 2: Excel-lence in Design).


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Berg-en-Dal Rest CampKruger National Park, Mpumalanga

Willem van Riet Landscape ArchitectsILASA Merit Award

Verwoerdburg City Lake &Verwoerdburg City Master Plan

Centurion, GautengGouws, Uys & White (GUW) & Pieter Jordaan

ILASA Merit Award

TF Maartens-PoortPretoria, Gauteng

Gouws, Uys & White (GUW) & Ben FarrellILASA Merit Award

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General article: Annual landscape architecture merit awards

ReferenceLandscape SA. 1985. Annual landscape architecture merit awards. Landscape SA. Spring.

pp 24–27.

The Institute of Landscape Architects of Southern Africa presented its annual awards at the AGM on 16 August 1985. The judges were Prof. Roelf Botha, Landscape Architect and Chairman of the Council for the Environment; Mr Okkie Gouws, Director of Envi-ronmental Affairs; and Prof. O. Holm, Acting Head of the School of Architecture at the University of Pretoria.

Completed projectsPlans and photographs of any completed design project were submitted under this category. The main criterion was that the construction phase of the project had been completed.

Mr Okkie Gouws presented the awards in the following categories:Project: Berg-en-Dal Rest CampLandscape architect: Willem van RietArchitects: Jordaan & SemradCivil Engineers: Kruger National Park Technical DivisionClient: National Parks BoardLocality: Kruger National Park

Berg-en-Dal Rest Camp, Kruger National Park, MpumalangaWillem van Riet Landscape Architects

Project descriptionThe site has been developed in accordance with specific landscape principles so that the camp appears to flow naturally into the surrounding veld.

Firstly, the camp is situated in an area representing, as clearly as possible, the ecological region. The original flora are retained unharmed as far as is practicable and minimum management is applied. This particularly gives the camp a veld atmosphere. Secondly, there is the area in which development with a view to tourist activities has taken place. Here shrubs and trees, indigenous to the region, are planted extensively to compliment huts and other buildings and to create privacy. The overall design of the Berg-en-Dal

Wesins Hut – Berg-en-Dal Swimming pool – Berg-en-Dal


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Rest Camp was planned according to these landscape principals, and was strictly adhered to throughout the construction phase.

StatisticsBerg-en-Dal can accommodate a total of 360 visitors in 23 fam-ily huts, 69 ordinary huts and 2 guest houses. Provision has also been made for 50 caravan/camping sites. There is a swimming hole for overnight visitors. In addition to the usual restaurant, shopping and administrative facilities, the main complex has a modern informal centre and conference facilities for 1 x 120 or 3 x 40 people.

Design studiesThis category included any aspect of landscape architecture of which plans were presented to a client during the current year, but with construction work still outstanding.

Project: Verwoerdburg City Master PlanLandscape architects: Gouws Jordaan Uys &WhiteArchitects: Wilhelm Meyer, Francois Pienaar & Partners Inc.Consulting engineers: Bruinette Kruger & Stoffberg Inc.Retail specialists: Market Research OfficerUrban geographics: Prof. A.J.G. Oosthuizen (RAU)

Verwoerdburg City Lake & Verwoerdburg City Master PlanCenturion, GautengGouws, Uys & White (GUW) & Pieter Jordaan

Project descriptionVerwoerdburg is situated in the economic centre of South Af-rica, between Pretoria in the north and the Johannesburg-Wit-watersrand-Vereeniging complex in the south. Over the past 25 years, the white population of Verwoerdburg has increased by about 11.8 percent to 46 500 in 1980. According to population projections, Verwoerdburg will have approximately 109 000 in-habitants by the end of the century.

The City Council has decided to make use of architects, land-scape architects, engineers, town planners, retail specialists and

economists in conjunction with their own town planning depart-ment in the planning of this high intensity business centre.

The choice of a suitable site was made in accordance with the large number of factors which could contribute to the success of such a development. Initially the inherent suitability of various sites with regard to geology, hydrology, climate, physiographic and soil condition, indicated several areas as possible develop-ment centres. After taking economic considerations such as infrastructure and situation into account, a site on the north-eastern side of the intersection of the Ben Schoeman and Pie-tersburg-Krugersdorp highways was chosen.

Because pleasant living, working and recreational conditions have been sought, a maximum mass factor of two has been laid down. This means that the city will be devoid of high buildings. Buildings with a maximum of eight storeys will be allowed only on the bigger squares. Land which is zoned for development for the first phase will be released to prospective developers on a de-sign and tender basis. The aim of the designing team is to create a pleasant, human environment which is achieved by ensuring there are sufficient open spaces with trees and other vegetation.

Particular attention has been paid to streets and pavements and directives for architectural development laid down by the devel-opers. As a whole, the city is made up of buildings with open ar-eas between or within buildings. There is a variety of these areas spread throughout the city, each having its own particular char-acter and function. Other uses for these areas could occur from time to time, and the necessary facilities must be provided for, in accordance with the City Council’s policy, e.g. musical concerts, drama and open air theatre, information counters, pavement sales, street festivals, flower shows, art exhibitions, exhibits of motor cars, boats, camping equipment, fashion shows, bazaars, coffee bars, beer gardens, a flea market and bazaar for the local farmers, possibly on a weekly basis.

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ing process would influence the landscape over a very long peri-od. Based on these assumptions, the road was designed forming a natural pass which would have taken nature millions of years to make.

The project was a multi-disciplinary one, involving engineers, ge-ologists, soil scientists, botanists and hydrologists, whose com-bined knowledge made it possible to preserve a beautiful sec-tion of the Magaliesberg.

The publisher would like to acknowledge the contribution made by Gouws Jordaan Uys & White towards the cost of the colour reproduction (of the originally published article).

A split-level roadway bridges the lake, carrying vehicular traffic on one level and pedestrians on the other. The opposite em-bankment will provide landscaped parks, playgrounds and recre-ational facilities without disturbing the ecological environment. It must be noted that particular emphasis has been placed on security in both the water and city areas by adequate illumina-tions and open spaces.

Other facilities included in the planning are the Atlantis Water Park Stadium for the Northern Transvaal Cricket Union, a golf course and various office parks.

Environmental studiesThis category included all aspects of environmental work.

TF Maartens-Poort, Pretoria, GautengGouws, Uys & White (GUW) & Ben Farrell

Project: TF Martins-PoortLandscape architects: Gouws Jordaan Uys & White & Ben FarrelCivil engineers: Bruinette Kruger Stoffberg Inc.Contractors: Fowler Construction (Pty) Ltd

Project descriptionWhen the officials of the Transvaal Roads Department and the consulting engineers realised that a magnificent piece of na-ture would be spoiled if a freeway was taken with a very deep conventional rock cutting right through the Magaliesberg range, the consulting engineers in conjunction with a firm of landscape architects investigated various designs which blended harmoni-ously with the landscape. This eventually resulted in the creation of a cutting contoured to resemble a natural poort.

In order to assess how best to minimise disturbance of the exist-ing landscape of the Beetgesberg section of the Magaliesberg, the landscape architects made a model of the area, showing the existing range of hills and noting the incidence of hard and soft rock. An assessment was then made of how the natural weather-


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A key project in the history of landscape architecture in South Africa is the design and development of the Pierhead Precinct of the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront in Cape Town. This was one of the first projects where large scale urban planning was successfully integrated with context-specific detail design of public spaces. Waterfront Landscape Architects formed part of a large interdisciplinary team and was integrally involved in every aspect of the design. The team members were never restricted to only their field of expertise and were encouraged to comment or make recommendations on all as-pects pertaining to the development of the precinct. The following statement by Johan van Papendorp (in Ford, Murray, Nel, Oberholzer & Van Papendorp, EPM, 1991:21) il-lustrates the process well:

“As landscape architects, we have been involved in the project in its holistic sense all the way. It is not the usual situation of somebody pre-determining the road and its charac-ter and then asking us to come in and ‘shrub it up’. We are involved in the process of designing the road, determining what the character of the sidewalks should be, where the trees should go – even what materials should be used, from road surfacing to kerb-stones. Although we’re not directly involved in the design of the individual buildings, we are involved in ensuring that allowance has been made for hard surfacing or tree plant-ing – adjustments are constantly being made to accommodate landscape concerns.”

A testimony to the success of the integrated design approach is the perpetual popular-ity of the precinct. This is a place that has attained significance through providing a setting that enabled the users to claim it as their own. Furthermore, the design details, implemented in the early 1990s have stood the test of time and successfully achieved seamless integration of the historic character of the harbour and the new land-uses introduced in the precinct. The number of urban and public projects resulting directly or indirectly from the various frameworks completed as part of the planning for the pre-cinct and the City of Cape Town as a whole – specifically the pre-1989 contextual frame-work and subsequent development frameworks – also underpins the success of this project. The 2009 Cape Town Foreshore Pedestrianisation projects (Pier Place and Jetty Square) and even St Andrew’s Square serve to further support the original design inten-tions of the original master plan. The entire precinct has been opened up for the users – pedestrians – and the urban experience and visual quality was improved in manifold ways. In the words of Peter Dayson (in Dayson, Wain, Young & Smoot EPM 1993:32): “…the landscape architect’s perception of urban space, which includes its relationship to those elements making up and defining that space, is more empathetic with human scale, behaviour and needs, due primarily, perhaps, to his training and professional up-bringing with its simple concept of ‘designing for people’”.

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According to Simon Swaffield (2002:227–230) a central concern in landscape architec-ture is how to configure the constructed and modified ecologies of human settlement; to find a balance between cultural conventions, perceptions and values on the one hand and ecological functions on the other – the interface of aesthetics and function or ecol-ogy. While some may call for a conceptual re-orientation of the discipline towards the fine arts, successful designs will continue to rely upon an ability to understand technical and ecological possibilities for intervention. This concept was illustrated in the planning and design of Gillooly’s Farm in Bedfordview. In this project, the landscape architects developed a master plan for land rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of a derelict site. The primary focus, however, was recreational design, taking into consideration the needs of the existing community and potential users of the place. This approach is especially evi-dent in the majority of projects post-1994, as will be discussed in the final two sections.

Concluding this section, mention should be made of the Greefswald Limpopo Water Scheme, primarily due to its proximity to the Mapungubwe UNESCO World Heritage Site, but also for the significant role the project methodology played in environmental impact assessment and management in a mining context. The methodology recently received significant media coverage when the Australian company Coal of Africa Limited (CoAL) announced that it had been awarded ‘unconditional new order mining rights’ for the Vele Coking Coal Project by the South African Department of Mineral Resources. The jury is out on whether the existing Venetia Diamond Mine at Greefswald, which obtained an ISO 9002 quality management certification and followed an intensive and peer reviewed Integrated Environmental Management process, will result in establish-ing a mining paradigm within this sensitive landscape to streamline the granting of posi-tive RoD, and in that case, will serve as a positive case study and example in a context where the environmental conservation is more than ever weighed against capital gain.


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Reserve BankPretoria, Gauteng

Chris Mulder Associates Inc. (CMAI)ILASA Merit Award

Polar Bear EnclosureJohannesburg Zoo, Gauteng

Chris Mulder Associates Inc. (CMAI)ILASA Merit Award

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Reserve Bank

Understanding the Reserve Bank’s landscape designReferenceText by Clinton Hindes in the absence of previously published material

Chris Mulder Associates Inc. (CMAI) ILASA Merit Award

The landscape surrounding the base of the South African Reserve Bank was designed in the mid to late eighties by Chris Mulder & Associates and is an excellent example of late twentieth century South African urban landscape design.

The Reserve Bank building is a typically (and powerful) modern architectural expres-sion. It is the tallest building in Tshwane and continues 25 metres into the ground. The landscape architecture continues the modernist spirit with its emphasis on formal ab-straction and geometric composition. The design of the landscape, however, unlike the architecture, jettisons cold corporate anonymity and embraces a welcoming oasis-like quality. The abstraction employed in the design to result in the large cube-like protru-sions over which water cascades no doubt echoes the modern landscape architectural design technique of reducing natural features (in this case the fractures characteristic of geological features) to their geometric equivalents. The design is clearly a resolution of functional and spatial requirements through formal composition and is a clear reflec-tion of plaza design of international landscape architecture at the time.

The plaza is conceived in the manner of landscape providing welcoming respite from a typically hard urban centre. The generous application of planting and cascading water provides an escape from the frenzied nature of the city. The floor planes are cleverly recessed to enhance the sense of separation from the street level. The noise resulting from the cascading water deafens the sound of cars on the street. The seating layout is designed for maximum comfortable conversation, but simultaneously provides op-portunities for individuals to ‘disappear’ from the corporate world during a lunch hour break. Planting is boldly employed in the design which, and in many spaces, provides a sense of canopy, emphasising a feeling of security and shelter for people.

The South African Reserve Bank landscape design is undoubtedly one of South Africa’s finest examples of modern landscape architectural plaza design.


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Gillooly’s FarmJohannesburg, Gauteng

Dayson, De Villiers & Van der Merwe (DDV) & Graham YoungILASA Merit Award

Strand Harmony Tidal Pool ResortStrand, Western Cape

The Planning PartnershipILASA Merit Award

Vergelegen Estate Somerset West, Western Cape

Ian Ford & AssociatesILASA Merit Award

D’MOSS: The Umbilo/Umhlatuzana River Park SystemDurban, KwaZulu-Natal

Durban City Council, Department of Parks, Recreation and Beaches

ILASA Commendation

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General article: 1992 ILASA Merit Awards

ReferenceEnvironmental Planning and Management. 1992 ILASA Merit

Awards. Environmental Planning and Management. vol.3 no.6. pp40–47.

The 1992 Institute of Landscape Architects of South Africa (ILASA) Merit Award ceremony was held in conjunction with the annual Green Ball at the Inanda Club in Johannesburg on Satur-day 29 August of this year. Eight projects were entered for these Awards, one in Natal, two in the Transvaal and five in the Cape. Three projects were considered worthy of Merit Awards: Gil-looly’s Farm, Bedfordview; Vergelen Estate, Somerset West; and Strand Harmony Resort, Strand.

A different panel of evaluators visited the projects in each of the three provinces and the co-ordinating evaluator, the landscape architect Marlene du Plessis, visited all the entries to ensure that the standard of judging was uniform, countrywide. This year the evaluations were based on the Hudson Scale, a scientific meth-od, in an attempt to minimise subjectivity.

Gillooly’s FarmLandscape architects: Dayson, De Villiers & Van der Merwe in conjunction with Graham YoungAward of Merit

Landscaping of the farm was started by the original owner Sir George Farrar and extensive alterations were made after 1920 during the ownership of the dairy farmer, James Gillooly. At this time the farm was renowned as a picnic spot and the dam was used for boating and swimming. In the 1930s Mr Gillooly chose to sell to Johannesburg City Council because he wished to have the farm retained as a recreational area. Bedfordview acquired the land from Johannesburg in 1984 and appointed landscape architects to investigate the site, which had fallen into a state of disrepair, and to draw up a master plan for a regional park based on community needs and a sound ecological philosophy.

Graham Young was responsible for the evolution of a develop-ment policy in conjunction with the client, at the time represent-ed by the head of the Parks Department, Peter Delahunt, and the first phases, centred around the planning and construction of the new dam. Dayson, De Villiers and Van der Merwe were re-sponsible for the subsequent phases dominated by the detailed development of the waterfront which forms the focus of the parkland. The landscape architects played a co-ordinating role. The contractor responsible for the landscape works was Paul de Luca Landscapes.

Detailed development of the waterfront which forms the focus of the parkland at Gillooly’s Farm


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Evaluators’ commentsThis carefully planned project illustrates a seldom used approach to land rehabilitation – a landscape adapted for reuse in a devel-oping urban environment. The designers exercised commend-able restraint and sophistication in the execution of the design. The final product is a pleasant environment acknowledging a balance between the need for an urban space and design input. More suitable plant selections could have been made, taking the cold climatic conditions into account.

Strand Harmony Tidal Pool ResortLandscape architects and environmental planners: The Planning PartnershipAward of Merit

The beachfront resort of Strand Harmony, on the False Bay coast, attempts to provide a total seaside experience with sensory stimulation on a whole range of different levels (Environmental Planning and Management. vol 2 no 6 Sep/Oct 1991, p22).

The aim was to upgrade and develop the existing degraded fa-cility into a major regional holiday resort. The resort compris-es a tidal pool, pier, pavilion, artificial beach, day camping and braai areas, play features, an amphitheatre, caravan site and car parking.

The concept aimed at integrating functional open spaces with land and sea forms in order to create a unified design that re-sponds to the prevailing environmental conditions. The brief was simply to enhance the peoples’ experience of the sea.

The effort was a multi-disciplinary one and the Planning Part-nership wishes to acknowledge the following team of consult-ants and contractors: Kapp Prestedge Retief, marine engineers; Geustyn Forsyth & Joubert, civil engineers; Interplan, architects; Senekal & Allen, quantity surveyors; Blue Lagoon Landscapes

and Badenhorst Landscapes, landscape contractors; and the cli-ent, Strand Municipality.

Evaluators’ commentsThe design has been thought through with care and the concept adds to the enjoyment of life. It is an experience with land, wa-ter and wind and these elements are made readily accessible to a large number of people. The success of the project is due to an excellent professional team – and the landscape architect was able to make a very meaningful contribution to that success. When compared with other False Bay resorts, Strand Harmony stands out as an accomplishment that will pass the test of time. Over-designed in certain areas, but in a way that is appealing to the public. The horticultural aspect of the project needs some post-construction analysis.

Vergelegen EstateLandscape architects: Ian Ford & AssociatesAward of Merit

Vergelegen, Willem Adriaan van der Stel’s 18th century estate, is located in a fertile valley north-east of Somerset West. The es-tate is of major national relevance, being possibly the third most important complex of historic buildings in the country, after the Castle and Groot Constantia.

The landscape architects were commissioned by Anglo American Farms in 1988 to undertake accurate and period restoration of the inner historical core of the estate in conjunction with Ren-nie & Goddard, architects. Restoration plans were based on the 1707 drawings of the farm and the Walgate plans of 1917.

Although the project is on-going, the main work has been com-pleted and the gardens were opened to the public this spring. (EPM will carry an article on this restoration project in a forth-coming edition.)

Functional weirs are translated into waterfalls on the sides of the dynamic tidal pool at Strand Harmony

The wooden pier is used by fishermen and it allows people to experi-ence the live water of the sea in relative safety


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Evaluators’ commentsThis is landscape design at its best and most restrained. Materi-als that are in harmony and the simple lines of the design, as well as the effective use of colour, make it one of the best of its kind. A project of sensitive restoration and one of which the landscape profession can truly be proud.

The evaluators felt that two of the entries deserved a special mention. It was felt that both of these showed innovative thinking but were entered prematurely.

Tourism potential in South AfricaThis report is a first attempt to qualify the whole tourism indus-try on a national basis. The study evaluates physical resources to identify zones of greater tourism potential for development. The study is the result of a joint venture between the landscape architects and the client, Xcel Management Consultants.

Evaluators’ commentsThis project illustrates the ability of GIS as an evaluation tool. The project establishes an important and comprehensive approach to large-scale land analysis. There is potential for the develop-ment and expansion of the process and this is an important first step in the assessment of tourism development potential. It is difficult to establish the success of the project at this premature stage but the innovativeness deserves special mention.

D’MOSS: The Umbilo/Umhlatuzana River Park SystemThe Durban Metropolitan Open Space System (D’MOSS) is a net-work of parks, open spaces and recreation areas, linked by na-ture trails of which the Umbilo/Umhlatuzana River Park System is the pilot project of the proposed comprehensive public open space system for Durban.

The east façade of the main house at Vergelegen Looking at the west façade from a broad area of lawn

D’MOSS is being designed by a team consisting of landscape ar-chitects, town planners and conservationists, all employed by the client, Durban City Council. The landscape architects play a co-ordinating role in this project.

Evaluators’ commentsIt is unfortunate that Phase 1 is not fully completed. Thus far planning and implementation deserve commendation and vari-ous interesting details are noted and, although this is considered to be a premature submission, it deserves special mention.

Cape evaluators: Trudi Groenewald, Prof Richard Fuggle, Gary Bartsch, Thomas Brümmer and Mark Smoot.

Natal evaluators: Pat Gibson, Phillip Everitt, Ken Burges and Dr Peter Robinson

Transvaal evaluators: Brian Prisgrove, Rob Fowler, Lynton Johnson, Paul de Luca, Robert Lamont-Smith and Prof Michael Murphy


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New Visitor Facilities at Cape Point, Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve

Cape Town, Western CapeOberholzer van Papendorp (OvP) Associates

ILASA Merit Award

Atlantic Beach Golf EstateCape Town, Western CapeThe Planning Partnership

ILASA Merit Award

Conservation and Development for Genadendal – A Motivation for Funding

Genadendal, Western CapeOberholzer van Papendorp (OvP) Associates

ILASA Merit Award

Norwich Oval Office ParkCape Town, Western Cape

Oberholzer van Papendorp (OvP) AssociatesILASA Merit Award

1998


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New Visitor Facilities at Cape Point, Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve

A primeval landscapeReferenceGasson, B. 1993. A primeval landscape. Environmental Planning and Management. vol.4

no.3. pp8–19.

This landscape, built from a simple geology and mantled in parts by thin, sandy, stony soils, is water-worn, wave-battered and wind-buffeted; it is rocky and craggy, cliffed and terraced, chiselled and crenelated, bleak and threadbare. It is a very tough old wedge of land with a clear and simple architecture: the ridgeline running along the mountain summits is situated asymmetrically on the surface of the wedge and serves to sepa-rate the steep, narrow, inaccessible and ‘self-defending’ False Bay coastal zone from the flatter, broader, accessible and ‘defenceless’ Atlantic coastal zone. These two quite different edges bound the extensive and relatively featureless central plain known as the Smitswinkel Flats. The Point is both the apex and the summit towards which these conditions converge in quintessential climax. Ridge, coastline, plain and point constitute the macro landscape elements of the Reserve.

In December 1989, the Western Cape Regional Services Council (WCRSC) appointed a study team to prepare a development plan and veld management guidelines for the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve. The need for the study stemmed from a variety of problems such as alien vegetation encroachment, erosion, uncontrolled fires and non-indigenous animals – and inadequate facilities for visitors, some of which were of a low standard or poorly sited. Additionally, the lack of a comprehensive strategy and overall vision for the Reserve had resulted in ad hoc actions, many of which had been inappro-priate considering the character and importance of the Reserve.

Conservation of the natural and cultural heritage was seen as the primary function of the Reserve – with tourism, recreation and environmental education as ancillary functions.

The planning approach was centred around several overlapping but distinct tasks. Ini-tially it was essential to develop an understanding of the land, its natural and cultural resources and the story of the place over time. A resource-based approach, both eco-logical and visual, was adopted to determine levels of sensitivity as well as the car-rying capacity defined by the roles of the Reserve. Two ‘workshops’ were held with


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invited specialists to obtain an overview of current knowledge of the Reserve and for the sharing of ideas. Discussion sessions comprising the study team, the staff of the Reserve and interest groups were used to expose and resolve planning issues. Several detailed studies were done to supplement the existing informa-tion base: vegetation mapping, archaeological surveys and visi-tor interviews.

The Reserve in contextThe Cape Peninsula lies within the ambit of a growing metro-politan area of nearly three million people. In the 52 years since the Nature Reserve’s formation, the population of this area has increased six-fold. The increase has been paralleled by the trans-formation of the natural peninsula landscape into sprawling sub-urbs extending along coastlines, up mountain slopes and across the low lands – insidiously eroding its primordial character and older cultural landscape.

Remoteness and limited access have to some extent buffered the Nature Reserve from these pressures. Situated more than 60km from the centre of the metropolitan population, it can be reached by three routes only – one along both coasts of the pe-ninsula and a discontinuous mountain route down the centre. Most of the Reserve’s primordial quality remains intact.

The Reserve is not only a major metropolitan asset but also a place of national and global significance requiring protection by the local community and public authorities.

Natural resourcesThe natural and cultural resources of the Reserve are its main assets. The inherent characteristics and value of these resources have implications for the planning and design of facilities in the Reserve.

The physical, chemical and biological characteristics have evolved slowly over aeons. The actions of wave, wind, running

water and living organisms upon rock strata, created in Gond-wanian continent-building times, have produced a landscape ex-hibiting great architecture and clothed in diverse and rare plant species. The bold landscape forms and the low vegetation cover means that the open plateau, steep mountain flanks and ridge lines are visually sensitive and great care is required in the siting and building of roads.

The fynbos and thicket vegetation which clings tenaciously to the landscape has evolved in response to the harsh physical and chemical conditions.

The Reserve represents a species-rich corner of a species-rich region (Cape) in the biome of the globe, the Cape Floral Region. The uniqueness, diversity and increasing rarity of the vegetation demands that effective control be exercised over wild fires, soil erosion, invasive alien vegetation and the introduction of any structures.

The fauna are far less interesting than the flora, the invertebrate fauna being richer in species than the vertebrates. The coastal zone is faunally the richest part of the Reserve.

Cultural resourcesThe Reserve, in common with the rest of the Peninsula, has a history of human occupation which extends back for over 600 000 years.

The pre-colonial peoples were San hunter-gatherers and Khoi pastoralists. Research into the record of their occupation has concentrated on the coastal zone and has revealed important cave deposits at Bordjiesrif and Black Rocks, Cape Point, Olifants-bos, Gifkommetjie and Bonteberg; fish traps at Gifkommetjie and Buffels Bay; and scores of coastal shell middens containing the residues of shellfish and artifacts such as stone tools and beads.

Weathered sandstone formations enhance the primeval ambience of the Reserve. The ‘Pink Panther’ and ‘Smith’s Rock’

Die Mond river mouth on the Atlantic side of the Reserve is a bird-breeding sanctuary

The Reserve represents a spe-cies-rich corner of a species-rich region in the Cape Floral Region in the South-Western Cape

Mimetes spp are rela-tively common


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Although some of the occurrences have been disturbed, the majority are relatively intact. More than any other locality on the Peninsula, the Reserve contains the most complete record of pre-historic human occupation of this part of the Cape. The scientific and educational importance of this area is therefore self-evident.

During the first 160 years of recorded history, little change ap-pears to have taken place in the area which was to become the Reserve. After 1809, the whole of this area was alienated in a series of land grants, probably stimulated by the decision to de-velop Simon’s Town as a naval base. A simple, small-scale pri-mary economy developed in ‘the Reserve’, supplying meat, milk, vegetables, fish and lime to the little settlement and passing na-val vessels.

The increasing importance of the Cape in the shipping lanes re-sulted in the construction of the first lighthouse in 1860 on the summit of the Point and a second between 1914 and 1919 close to the tip near sea level. The advent of the rail service and the growth of Simon’s Town resulted in the introduction of a small rec-reational/tourism component into the economy of ‘the Reserve’.

After the promulgation of the Wild Flowers Protection Ordinance of 1937 and the Nature Reserves Ordinance of 1939, the Reserve evolved through a combination of land donations to, and acqui-sitions of farms by, the Divisional Council of the Cape. The inten-tion behind the formation of the Reserve was that the flora and fauna of the area be protected and a place of public recreation be created.

The war years interrupted the process of acquisition and, in 1941, the Reserve was leased to the SADF for the duration of hostilities. The militarisation of the area resulted in the construc-

tion of a sprinkling of radar stations, lookout posts and person-nel accommodation, and a network of tracks along the Atlantic coast. Large areas of the Reserve were used for a variety of train-ing purposes, including bombing runs.

Since the war, all the traditional economic activities have been terminated and the homesteads and military structures have been abandoned, demolished or put to a new use. Roads have been extended to formerly remote parts of the coast and ‘mass’ recreational facilities have been provided at Buffels Bay and Bordjiesrif. The process of land acquisition, completed in 1964, has created a reserve of 7 750ha. The area is now governed by the Nature and Environmental Conservation Ordinance of 1974, which grants the Reserve its status.

The record of pre-historic and historic life is ancient, substan-tial and varied – including caves, middens, fish traps, lime-kilns, homesteads, lighthouses and military ruins and these deserve to be both revealed and conserved.

Utilisation of the ReserveThe Reserve is in the process today of becoming a major visitor attraction.

According to surveys, the Reserve is considered to be an in-ternational, national and local tourist focal point. Utilisation of the Reserve is characterised by an annual peak in the summer months and weekly peaks over weekends and public holidays, sometimes placing heavy demands on Reserve staff, facilities and the natural environment. The Point is the main destination of the large majority of visitors.

Visitor surveys revealed that the main attraction of the Reserve was the quality of the outdoor experience. Issues that emerged

Helichrysum abound in the Reserve (centre left)

The Cape of Good Hope is the most south-westerly point of Africa. Here it is framed by the coastal tree Tarchonanthus camphoratus (centre)

‘Smith’s Farm’ or the Homestead Restaurant (left)

A proposal call has been put out for new developments at the point itself – which is the main visitor destination (centre right)

Signage in the Reserve is being renewed and upgraded (right)

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included the deficiency of visitor information, brochures, signage and educational trails; congestion at the gate at peak times; and an objection to the hotchpotch of structures at the Point.

The veld management planThe overriding goal of this plan is to transform the Reserve, as far as possible, into a self-regulating, low-maintenance ecosystem. This implies that the authentic physical, chemical and biological processes driving the ecosystem should operate in their own way and with minimal disturbance. Ecological self-management will automatically pro-mote greater financial efficiency. Specific recommendations made by the study team relate to six components – flora, fauna, fire, erosion control, marine life and archaeo-logical sites – three of which are examined below:

u The vegetation of the Reserve is extremely diverse – 1 091 species. About ten plant species are known to be endemic to the Reserve while 37% of the species endemic to the Cape Peninsula are present in the Reserve. There are 52 threatened species which are known to occur within the Reserve. The retention of examples of all com-munities present in the Reserve is of paramount importance. An adequate protective buffer should be provided around sensitive vegetation types when there is develop-ment in contiguous areas. It is essential to protect threatened, rare and endemic species and areas supporting species of high conservation importance. Vegetation types of the highest conservation status are: Restinaceous Plateau Fynbos, Siderox-yIon Thicket, Protea Nitida Woodland and Coleonema Fynbos. Although the richness of the flora is extraordinarily high, it is recommended that new habitats be incorpo-rated into the Reserve by extending the boundaries northwards to bring a variety of high altitude and high rainfall areas, as well as communities on granitic soils into the Reserve. Additionally, this extended boundary will protect the viewshed of the Reserve. A variety of alien plants were introduced into the Reserve in times past and the three most prominent invasive species are Acacia cyclops (rooikrans), A saligna (Port Jackson) and A longifolia (long-leafed wattle). Areas with light alien infestation should be cleared as a priority, and freed, particularly, of those alien species that forms a coppice. The dense stands of rooikrans should be given priority attention and removed by means of a concerted programme.

u The intrinsic balances between fynbos communities and their faunal complements need to be restored and large mammals which do not occur locally need to be re-moved to other reserves. Fynbos plants have developed strategies to make them-selves unpalatable to animals in order to maximise their survival chances in their harsh environment. It is improbable that the flora of this relatively small area ever supported permanent populations of large herbivores, such as those that have been introduced: red haartebeest, eland, bontebok and possibly Cape mountain zebra. These animals would have come and gone with the seasonal growth and decline in their food sources. Their presence requires that the veld be burnt to stimulate the growth of new grasses and that missing trace elements, necessary for bone devel-opment, be provided. These actions are in conflict with the more important floral management objectives. A more discriminating approach needs to be adopted to the use of fire as a management tool. Burning schedules need to be revised, good fire records kept and the situation reviewed annually.

u The policy regarding archaeological sites is to initiate a survey and documentation programme with on-going research and monitoring for the Reserve as a whole. So far

Recreation areas within the Reserve. Buffels Bay picnic area

A lime-kiln built around the turn of the century to produce lime from local limestone outcrops

The ‘Thomas Tucker’, a wartime shipwreck on the Atlantic coastline of the Reserve


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114 sites have been discovered and many more probably remain to be uncovered. The record is representative of all three eras of the Stone Age and its educational and scientific significance need to be emphasised. The deposits in the limestone caves and shelters at Bordjiesrif probably contain the best surviving palaeoecological evi-dence of life on the Peninsula during the last several thousand years. These sites are situated close to a heavily used recreational area and the potential for disturbance is therefore high and has already occurred. It is proposed that a three-pronged in-tensive investigation be initiated to reveal the nature and meaning of the record preserved at Bordjiesrif, to control access to important deposits and to develop edu-cational facilities such as an archaeological field museum.

The development planThe goal of the development plan is the provision of a high-quality educational and recreational experience for the widest number of people at the lowest reasonable per capita cost – bearing in mind that this must be compatible with the role of the Reserve as a wild species refuge and wilderness landscape.

The following are some of the development recommendations, certain of which have already been implemented, included in the plan:

u Existing discordant structures at the Point should be removed to protect the essen-tial scenic qualities and wilderness experience. The existing education camp on the slopes of Da Gama Peak should be phased out over time

u The entry gate facility at Rooihoogte should be improved. A new entrance gate, de-signed by Gabriël Fagan Architects, was built towards the end of 1992. The entry road was realigned and the number of lanes increased (See ‘New entrance gate de-sign concept‘)

u The existing main road to the Point should be retained with the addition of viewing sites. The existing pattern of cul-de-sac branch roads should be retained and the introduction of circular drives avoided as these provide unregulated vehicular access to secluded areas

u The overhead telephone lines should be placed underground, using the same trench as the proposed power line. This operation was carried out by the Cape Town City Council’s Electricity Department

u The environmental education centre should be relocated at Bordjiesrif which is ide-ally situated for school groups. Most of the infrastructure is in place and there is an existing tidal pool. The proposed site is in close proximity to interesting terrestrial, inter-tidal and archaeological teaching resources. The seclusion of the site will en-sure a wilderness experience for the children and the visual impact of the buildings on the Reserve will be minimal

u This project is at proposal stage and it is planned that the use of environment-friend-ly building methods, emphasising the use of non-toxic materials, water conservation, waste-recycling and alternative energy sources could make the new centre a learning experience in itself. It is envisaged that the buildings will comprise small, rudimen-tary timber cabins – partly hidden by a canopy of milkwoods, raised on stilts and linked with boardwalks to minimise soil compaction and disturbance of tree roots – which will blend into the natural landscape and emphasise the primordial nature of the rugged landscape. The existing Skaife Centre at Olifantsbos has been upgraded to serve as an ancillary education facility

u It is advocated that the Reserve be managed as an autonomous financial unit; that the WCRSC be responsible for environmental education when funding is made available;

Bordjiesrif education camp layout plan

Timber cabins typical cluster

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and that functions not related to conservation and environmental education be priva-tised. The WCRSC has put out a proposal call for the development, leasing and opera-tion of a restaurant, tearoom/coffee house and curio outlet and a funicular railway system for the conveyance of visitors to the Point, to replace the existing bus service.

New entrance gate design conceptby Gawie Fagan, Gabriël Fagan Architects

The asbestos rondavel and timber kiosk, which for many years served as the entrance facility to the Cape Point Nature Reserve, had become totally inadequate for the in-creasing visitor numbers, resulting in heavy traffic back-up, and we were appointed by the WCRSC as private consulting architects, together with Messrs Hill Kaplan Scott, as engineering consultants, to design an appropriate gateway.

The brief called for three covered lanes for incoming traffic, together with kiosks, one outgoing lane, toilets and a small information office. As queuing had been made even more difficult in the past by a 1:16 climb, I also suggested that a portion of the road be realigned to enable a level, final approach, and that the siting of the new gate should be such as to be seen initially against the mountain backdrop, rising in silhouette only on closer approach when it frames the dramatic view across False Bay towards Hangklip.

Because of the grandeur of the terrain, I wished to avoid a recognisable scale or archi-tectural association, which would have been the case with a ‘Cape Dutch’ or ‘Victorian flavoured’ building, which was, in fact, mooted. Rather, the simple sculptured dolmen shape responds to the slope of the hillside and is landscaped to symbolise a continu-ation of the very landscape through which one enters. By lowering the bus lane, the height of the deck at the other kiosks could be kept within reasonable limits, while the drooped gargoyle at the bus kiosk assists in protecting and containing an otherwise rather exposed space. The extensive glazed areas required have been reduced to a tex-ture of close verticals of tanalith-treated Radiata pine which requires no maintenance and will eventually weather to a silver grey colour.

Thus, while fulfilling practical programme needs, the gateway was conceived as a sculp-tural object in the landscape.

The all-concrete structure is bush-hammered to expose the warm-toned aggregate, blending with the greys and reds of the rocks on the surrounding slopes.

To give a wholeness to the project and for serviceability, the approach apron and kerbs are of a matching brushed concrete. The concrete will improve and mellow with age, as the planting and lichen establishes, to blend into the primeval landscape.

Study teamProject leaders and coordinatorsBernard Oberholzer Landscape Architects/Environmental Planners and Barrie Gasson City/Regional PlannerGabriël Fagan ArchitectsHill Kaplan Scott Consulting EngineersEnvironmental Evaluation Unit, UCTSandra and John FowkesEmatek CSIRClient: WCRSCPhotographs in this article are by Bernard Oberholzer, Gawie Fagan and Carol Knoll


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Riverside: Mpumalanga Provincial Government Complex

Mpumalanga Provincial Government office complex and legislature

ReferenceParks & Grounds. 2000/2001. Mpumalanga Provincial Government office complex and

legislature. Parks & Grounds. no.118. pp12–17.

A project in progressThe Mpumalanga Provincial Government offices and legislature are in Nelspruit, situ-ated at the confluence of the Crocodile and Nel Rivers. The editor visited the site with Johan Barnard of Newtown Landscape Architects and Piet Vosloo of KWP Landscape Architects, who formed a joint venture for the purposes of this project. Readers should bear in mind that the photographs reflect landscaping which is still in progress as the project is a five-year, on-going and long-term one.

Professional teamClient: Mpumalanga Department of Public Works, Roads & TransportPrincipal agent and architects: Meyer Pienaar Tayob Schnepel Architects in AssociationLandscape architects: KWPNLA Landscape Architects in AssociationCivil and structural engineers: Liyaphuma ConsortiumMechanical and electrical engineers: Naspoti ConsortiumQuantity surveyors: Thuthuka Mpumalanga ContractorsMain contractor: Sivukile Stocks joint ventureLandscape contractor: Real LandscapesIrrigation subcontractor: Maxflow Irrigation

On being appointed, KWPNLA Landscape Architects in Association formed their own brief, based on their philosophy of working within a local context, a design ethic of us-ing indigenous plants and taking water scarcity into consideration. This was part of the design proposal which won them the contract.

Environmental aspectsAn Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was conducted in 1996 when environmen-tal legislation in general was not clearly defined, and as the project is long-term, the client requested KWPNLA to monitor the site and its associated environmental aspects according to an Environmental Management Plan (EMP). This will continue as an audit-ing and maintenance exercise over a three-year period. The EMP also aims to bring all relevant parties together to ensure that a concerted effort is made by all in the interests of environmental care and sensitivity.

Water feature designed as a sunken garden. Large granite boulders were placed unevenly in the pool to simulate a natural river course


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Despite the difficulties for KWP NLA of implementing the findings of the EIA in a practi-cal way, the client supported them in the setting up of an Environmental Forum to assist with on-site and precinct issues. These included:

u the protection of existing mature trees on the propertyu silt control (the site is very steep)u the fact that buildings were designed and positioned close to the riveru attention given to settlement and retention ponds to limit river pollutionu the eradication of alien invasive species from the Crocodile and Nel Riversu the rehabilitation of riverine areasu visual appearance of the environmentu control of dust, noise and wind-blown litter.

The Environmental Forum consists of, among others, the Departments of Water Affairs & Forestry, Environmental Affairs & Tourism, KWPNLA, the Nelspruit City Council, sur-rounding landowners Hall & Sons and the Lowveld National Botanical Gardens, and the main contractor represented by Jacques Pretorius, who has been appointed as an en-vironmental officer to ensure that the ‘do’s and don’ts’ of the EMP are implemented.

Tree surveys which document and monitor trees have been undertaken as part of the EMP. Many of the trees that were damaged (209 in total) are not available commercially and have been replaced with those that are readily available, selected on the basis of habitat. “Our objective has been to maintain an ecological balance as far as the trees were concerned,” state Piet and Johan. In addition to replacing the damaged trees, a further 700 new trees have been planted, the majority being species indigenous to the Mpumalanga region.

The forum meets on a monthly basis and environmental inspections are carried out regularly.

Landscape design philosophyThe overall concept for the landscape design philosophy was to keep the majority of the site as natural as possible using mainly indigenous plant material. The eastern section of the property is the riverine side, and the western section is where the horticultural use of plants has been introduced. Two approaches have therefore been adopted, the ecological landscape and the cultural landscape. In the latter case, this refers to areas

Two different atria viewed from higher up. The interior planters, a formalised design, are geometric and architecturally defined (left and centre)

A brick planter offset to the side of the main piazza, not placed in the centre. The paperbark tree has also been offset to the side of the planter. This ‘aerial’ view also shows the paving pattern (right)


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“where the human hand is visible”, explains Piet. At the interface of these two approaches, i.e. between the natural and the cul-tural landscape, is a cycad garden. The more natural landscape occurs towards the river; here, trees are remnants of the original vegetation which is being rehabilitated.

The use of water was important to the landscape design philoso-phy. As there is limited municipal water, this is only used inter-nally and as a top-up, and river water is the main water supply source. Plant selection also took into account material that did not require excessive irrigation.

Planting schemeIt was necessary to show a connection back to Government Boulevard where an avenue of Roystonia regia palms was plant-ed some time ago. The additional planting of these royal palms complete the public plaza space and create an interface with Government Boulevard.

Indications of seasonal change also form part of the planting scheme, as does the distinguishing of plant habitats namely riv-erine, marginal riverine and savannah. Species were selected to reflect these habitats but to a large extent, this was governed by what was available in acceptable sizes and quantities.

Rudi Britz and Willem Froneman of the Lowveld National Botani-cal Garden assisted greatly by providing advice on the suitability of plant material for the area and good co-operation between their staff and KWPNLA led to a sensitive approach to the plant-ing scheme. The Lowveld Botanical Garden also rooted cuttings for the project and provided non-commercially grown material. Rare plants were also contract-grown by them for the project. A stipulation from the client was that plant material should be endemic to the Lowveld as much as possible, and sourced only from growers and suppliers in this area. This occurred for the

most part, with the exception of the Cycad collection which was obtained from the Eastern Cape. Twenty two indigenous En-cephalartos species were planted.

An unusual feature of the planting scheme is a circular brick planter in the main piazza which has been offset to the side of the piazza, not placed in the centre. A paperbark tree (Acacia sieberana var. woodii) has been planted here and it too is offset to the side of the planter.

There are several atria inside the various buildings and here planting is more controlled, following a formalised design. The choice of plant material for the atria was limited and this there-fore influenced the design. “The interior planters are geometric and architecturally defined, and plants are shade-loving, colour specific and look good throughout the year”, explains Johan. Bromeliads, tree ferns and mondo grasses have been used. A 3D effect has been created for the atria, which are bordered by natural crusher stone for a textured effect.

Hard landscaping and water featuresThe design of the hard landscaping, pathways and edging detail was undertaken by KWPNLA who followed the precedent set by the architects. “We didn’t try to create monuments on our own and what needs to be stressed here is the empathy between the architects, engineers and ourselves. All parties were open to discussion and to listening to each other’s ideas,” say Piet and Johan.

There are two water features – the first in the main piazza and the second to the side of the large domed structure of the legis-lature chamber. The evolution of the first one responded to the importance of the piazza as a significant public place for Mpuma-langa’s citizens. In searching for a design ‘theme’, the following objectives were established:

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Newly planted atrium viewed from the ground level (left)

Bromeliads constitute a large part of the atrium planting (centre)

Landscaping in progress (right)


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u the idea of a symbol that would be interpreted by the people of Mpumalanga as having cultural significance

u the scale of the feature should recognise the relationship of it to the legislature building

u the finishes of the feature should be in keeping with a robust public place and reflect elements of the buildings.

It was decided to design the water feature’s main sculptural ele-ment to resemble a bowl which could also be interpreted as a woven basket or in its most basic form as a gold mining pan, thus making connections with the early gold mining activities and cul-tural artefacts of the region.

The result is a 1.8m diameter ‘bowl’ hewn out of black granite which acts as a focal element near the steps that lead visitors into the piazza. A ‘spring’ of water wells up within the bowl to cascade over a series of falls, ultimately disappearing over a weir behind a seating wall at plaza level.

The symbolic significance attached to the flow of water is evi-dent. From a small beginning (the spring in the bowl), which is centred around aspects of the culture of the people (reflected in the shape of the bowl), there is a multiplying of the ‘fruits’ (the ever-increasing cascade and energising of the water as it flows over the weirs) that ultimately return to the source to reinforce the efforts of the people of Mpumalanga.

The feature is high-tech in nature but a (welcome) visual intrusion enters into the space in the form of coral and paperbark trees.

The second water feature takes the form of a sunken garden which forms a retreat in a sense, as it has transformed the ad-joining interior space, extending it outwards to the aquatic space. Its intention is to capture something of the Nels River, like water out of a gorge, but in a more stylised way. Since it has been constructed on top of a concrete slab, the length and depth of the water feature are limited. Large granite boulders have been placed unevenly within the pool to simulate a natural river course. Sedges will be planted in two elongated planters along the sides of the pool.

Landscape plan of the Mpumalanga Government Complex, courtesy of KWPNLA Landscape Architects in Association

The development lies at the confluence of the Crocodile and Nel Rivers. This view (taken from an outlook point at the Lowveld National Botanical Garden) shows how the buildings merge comfortably with the surrounding landscape


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Landscape installation and irrigationDerek Vincent of Real Landscapes commenced the landscape installation in March 2000, having worked previously on the Emnotweni Casino and Government Boulevard sites. “Working on these two sites helped me to understand the way of doing things in this area,” he says. “For example I discovered that it is sometimes better to work after hours and over weekends because the staff are more productive.” A team of 22 people are involved in weekend planting.

For Derek, the atria were the most challenging aspects of planting because of access difficulties and co-ordination with other contractors on the site at the same time. The carrying of bagged plant material four stories high and then carrying in bark mulch was very time-consuming. For the general planting, it was sometimes difficult to find the right quantities of endemic Lowveld species for the project.

During the first planting phase, about 3 000m³ of soil mix was placed in the various atria and external planters. Topsoil stockpiled on the site was used and was mixed with VBM coarse potting mix.

RainBird equipment was specified for the irrigation and sprinklers were positioned ac-cording to elements of the hard landscaping. External irrigation is fed by the Nel River and two submersible pumps feed water from the river to the irrigation storage rooms. Here the water is filtered and fed by booster pumps to the external main line.

All the atria are irrigated with municipal water. They contain pop-up sprinklers and the smaller planters use pressure compensating dripper lines.

KWPNLA Landscape Architects in AssociationKWP Landscape Architects (Piet Vosloo) and Newtown Landscape Architects (Graham Young and Johan Barnard) formed a joint venture, KWPNLA Landscape Architects in Association, for the purposes of working on this large-scale project. Their appointment followed sometime after that of the rest of the professional team, leading to a sense of urgency in terms of timing, and little time for planning the job the way they would have

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Johan Barnard (left) of Newtown Landscape Architects and Piet Vosloo of KWP Landscape Architects formed a joint venture for the purposes of the Mpumalanga project. The firm is known as KWPNLA Landscape Architects in Association (right)


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liked to. “The joint venture was project-specific and we submit-ted our proposals as an association under the name KWPNLA Landscape Architects in Association,” say Johan and Piet.

Both parties believe that the joint venture is advantageous in that it brings together a wider source of expertise and merges different ways of doing things. This enables each party to learn from the other, draw from the others’ knowledge and resources and bring its own particular strength to the undertaking. Both Piet and Johan agree that the firms complement each other well. Graham was responsible for the initial conceptual design proposals and was appointed project leader by the client, Johan contributed his knowledge of the area (his family has its roots there), local contractors, planting design and construction man-agement while Piet’s technical expertise helped resolve some complex technical aspects of the project. The joint venture also enabled the firms to divide the work load and oversee each oth-er’s work. “We usually agreed on design principles but some-times disagreed on things such as plant material,” say Johan and Piet.

Some of the disadvantages included the complexity of the job, communication difficulties because of the size of the project team, lack of time for proper planning, the geographical distance between their two firms (one in Pretoria, the other in Johannes-burg) and the site, as well as the different computer systems and programmes used by each firm.

All things considered, however, Johan and Piet are very positive about the joint venture and believe that it was the right move to make for the purposes of this project. They both acknowledge that they could not have ‘done it alone’.

KWPNLA Landscape Architects in Association are presently the only firm with registered landscape architects in Mpumalanga.


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Freedom Park Administrative Building and Parking AreaPretoria, Gauteng

Newtown Landscape Architects (NLA)ILASA Award of Excellence

Northern Cape Provincial LegislatureKimberley, Northern Cape

GREENincILASA Award of Excellence

AEL Business PlatformJohannesburg, Gauteng

GREENincILASA Award of Excellence

Galeshewe Open Space and Landscape Plan Kimberley, Northern Cape

African EPAILASA Award of Excellence

2005


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Greening SowetoReferenceMoodley, J. 2006. Greening Soweto. Urban Green File. vol.11 no.3.

p5.

Extensive efforts are underway in South Africa’s traditional ‘townships’ to provide much-needed open spaces for commu-nities.

Johannesburg City Parks and its management are avid readers of Urban Green File and would like to commend you and your team for delivering a greening publication that we can all look forward to.

We would also like to invite the Urban Green File team to visit Soweto to review some of the recent greening developments in the area. Projects such as the acclaimed Thokoza Park and Mo-roka Dam wetlands development have been complemented with the upgrading and development of five other regional parks, in-cluding the Dorothy Nyembe Park and Environmental Centre, the Mofolo Park and Amphitheatre, the Mapetla Park and Wet-lands development, the Orange Farm Regional Park and the Op-penheimer Park and Cultural Centre.

This is also supported by the development of various community parks and other city-led initiatives such as the Orlando Ekhaya development and the Jabulani and Maponya retail centres.

Tree planting is also being fast-tracked in Soweto by taking advantage of the momentum of the 2010 soccer showcase. Championed by the executive mayor of Johannesburg, 2 000 established trees will be planted by high-profile dignitaries and celebrities on Friday, September I, 2006 to officially launch Na-tional Arbor Week – 300 000 trees are required to address the disparities and City Parks will be urging ‘corporate SA’ to part-ner the city in bridging the green divide as part of the Greening Soweto Campaign.

The Orange Farm Regional Park

Moroka Park Precinct, Dorothy Nyembe Park Sculptures and Mofolo-Moroka Open Space Framework

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Soweto green by 2010?ReferenceAbelho, E. 2006. Soweto green by 2010? Urban Green File. vol.11

no.5. pp28–35.

The ‘greening of Soweto’ began seven or eight years ago and is now being fast-tracked for completion by 2010.

Park development in traditional South African townships was sadly neglected in years gone by. In Johannesburg, this falls to Johannesburg City Parks to sort out. The greater Johannesburg metro saw a total of 28 new parks being created in 2005 with a further 46 upgraded. The greater Soweto area has received par-ticular attention.

Today there are a number of park developments in and around Soweto – seven regional parks and a larger number of smaller community parks. There is also a concerted effort underway to expedite tree planting across Soweto. Between 85 000 and 100 000 trees are set to be planted between 2005 and 2010. Of these, 30 000 must be indigenous street trees. Major access roads have been prioritised followed by secondary routes.

In September 2006, to commemorate Arbour Day, a record-breaking 6 000 street trees were planted across Soweto. As testimony to this commitment, the City of Johannesburg has budgeted R7.6-million for the 2006/7 financial year towards the Greening Soweto Legacy project.

Regional parksSo what differentiates a regional park from a community park? Quite simply, the size. The first regional park in Soweto was Thokoza Park and the adjacent extended Moroka Dam Wetlands. Completed in August 2002, this development set the bar high for projects that followed. Each of the regional parks was de-veloped in consultation with the community and the appoint-ed landscape architects. Many of these projects were run with the blessing of local councillors and the mayor of Johannesburg and, most importantly, buy-in from the local residents. It is the function of the landscape architect to establish best land use by studying natural flow through areas to ensure balance and inte-gration with the surroundings. The result: parks and open spaces that ‘work’. What is evident in the overview of some of these regional parks is that each has a distinct character, partly due to the area, partly to the design and partly to the budget.

A park with landmarks – Mofolo ParkImprovements to Mofolo Park have included the paving of the main walkway from the parking area to the amphitheatre and removal of trees, which did not grow in the beds provided. City Parks horticulturalist Charles Makgoba will supervise alternative

plantings. Makgoba was one of the first black horticulturalists in South Africa during the 70s.

Preventing vehicular access to the grassy areas remains a general problem in all the parks. Compared to the other parks, Mofolo feels exposed. While the use of bollards, boulders and railings are intended to keep vehicles off the grass, these fixtures are re-moved by members of the public so that cars can drive wherever they like.

Facelift for an old ‘lady’ – Dorothy Nyembe ParkA 3.5ha park, this is one of the oldest parks in Soweto. It dates back to 1971 and was formerly known as a National Environmental

Mofolo Park – Location: Mofolo Central, next to Dube Village. Special attractions: Amphitheatre/cultural bowl


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Awareness Campaign park. Now, after a ‘facelift’, it is one of the few parks to have lighting and ablutions.

This park extends all the way to Kliptown and is bordered by Meadowlands and Dobsonville. It has an inviting feel as it undu-lates almost as far as the eye can see. Playground equipment is so well utilised that it has required higher than expected main-tenance.

There are four litter traps in the stream running through this park. The traps are necessary but maintenance is awkward and time-consuming as it has to be done manually.

Support for local school – Mapetla ParkThe soil at Mapetla Park is very clayey, which increases the re-tention of groundwater. Bridges over the stream for safe cross-ing are a striking aspect of the park. The erosion of soil on the stream embankments, caused by heavy rains that swell the vol-ume of water, should be alleviated when Phase 2 of this park has been completed, including the upgrading and maintenance of the wetlands towards the railway line.

Attention needs to be paid to this wetland in the next phase of the project. This park certainly seems to be, as advertised, a ‘safe, sustainable environment’. Of all the parks, this one has energy, a sense of a place where young people especially enjoy time outdoors. Newtown Landscape Architects (NLA) was the design consultant in this project.

Beauty for a neglected community – Orange Farm Regional ParkThe Orange Farm Regional Park was developed in two phases: Phase 1 entailed the development of erf 4424, an area of ap-proximately 4ha, and was completed in August 2005. Erf 4425 was developed in the second phase (scheduled for completion in August 2006) of the project and covers an area of about 2ha. Before work began on the Orange Farm park, the site was strewn

Orange Farm Regional Park – Location: Orange Farm. Special attractions: Sports facilities, play area, garden of remembrance

Dorothy Nyembe Park and Environmental Centre – Location: Dobsonville. Special attractions: Bird hide, environmental centre, succulent and herb garden, dam for boating activities

Mapetla Park and Wetlands Development – Location: Chiawelo. Special attractions: Wetlands, proposed environmental centre, multi-purpose sports arena and netball court


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with litter and there was a clinic in its south-western corner. Now it benefits, among others, numerous school children with a play area and sports facilities. Although it was challenging to co-ordinate the activities of various Johannesburg Metropolitan Council departments and utilities in the project, according to Daan Eksteen of Green Inc Land-scape Architects, the councilor for the area was involved in both phases, which helped achieve buy-in from the local community.

Authorities are still negotiating with an illegal squatter on the site set to be developed for parking in the third phase of the project.

Attention to amenitiesAblution facilities, playground equipment, litter traps, park furniture and tree mainte-nance were important considerations in the development of all the Soweto parks.

A concerted effortThese projects are all run by Johannesburg’s City Parks. It is worth noting that there are also private initiatives, which complement the Greening Soweto project. The over-all challenges of this project do not lie solely in the planning, design or execution but largely in the maintenance of the facilities. Although each park is designed for unique site conditions, it would be all for naught if the system couldn’t function. It’s all about flow and more so than usual in this case as these parks have all been created along the Klipspruit stream and its tributaries.

City Parks acknowledges that its efforts thus far only address about 25% of the need for recreational facilities in disadvantaged areas, and it is pushing for budget to perform

Showcasing the work of Art in Action, communities choose art to be displayed. Much of the work has powerful messages and strong symbolism

Park benches – cemented in place – have been used to create a physical barrier to prevent vehicles from driving behind the ‘bowl’

Reeds in the wetlands behind the ‘bowl’ suffer damage in dry months – they are burnt and broken around the edges

City Parks has been involved in the upgrading of four regional parks in Soweto. Three of these are indicated above while the fourth, Orange Farm Regional Park, is further south


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better levels of maintenance and to continue the development of new facilities.

Urban Green File is impressed by the approach taken in partner-ing with industry specialists, and the subtle financial support of the project by some corporates. The sense of pride that ema-nates from the users of the parks to the people behind it all is tangible. Go and see for yourself.

Ablution facilitiesThe issue of providing ablutions is somewhat contentious. At Dorothy Nyembe Park, there has been experimentation with ablutions, including an ‘open-air’ experience, which never re-

If cars are parked on the grass, people are discouraged from moving freely around the park and some of the ambience is lost (right)

Distinctive concrete structures mark the entrance and various amenities dotted throughout the park. One of the most striking features is a row of statues around the dam seating and amphitheatre areas (left)

A ‘litter trap’ in the stream collects rubbish that has fallen into the waterway (centre)

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Mapetla Park. The proximity of Mapetla Park to a nearby school played a significant role in the design and provision of sporting facilities. The school utilises the courts and fields as well as the playground equipment for outdoor activities (right)

The construction of a bridge is evidence of on-going improvements (left)

ally took off. Vandalism is also an ever-present concern and has led to many parks not offering ablutions at all. Ablution facilities were removed from Mofolo Park after they became too danger-ous to frequent. At Thokoza Park, ablution blocks were created and display the work of local artists in the form of mosaics for male, female and baby facilities, and they appear to have no sig-nificant problems.

Park furnitureA variety of robust furniture for seating is used in the parks, from concrete slabs to wrought iron benches. Each park has unique styles of benches that help to stamp an identity on a place.

Distinctive colour coding is used throughout the park – in part to demarcate the boundaries and partly to show people where the bridges and benches are situated (centre left)


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Playground equipmentChildren’ favourites are found in almost all the parks: see-saws, slides, swings, roundabouts, climbing frames shaped liked aero-planes and more. Word on the street is that the swings start go-ing before school in the morning and don’t stop until long after dark. The introduction of rubberised surfacing beneath all the equipment has to be commended. It does get worn out in areas of high-use but it is intended to cushion a fall. This is a very popu-lar surface on European play grounds.

Litter trapsLitter traps in streams collect rubbish that has fallen into the wa-terway. The streams are then cleaned (annually) in winter. Ide-ally, the litter traps should be cleaned far more frequently but the existing designs present difficulties in this regard. These litter traps do catch a lot of debris in the vertical slats but, unless this is removed, the spaces clog up and are no longer effective. Debris


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A dedicated centre for environmental educa-tion is maintained for the greater good of the community living in areas around Dor-othy Nyembe Park

Low walls serve the dual purpose of provid-ing casual seating and diverting run-off water in the rainy season

Children’s delight in the playground equip-ment and sand pit led to the expansion of these facilities in Phase 2 of the park’s construction

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has to be removed from the traps by hand – a task that can take several hours every month. The maintenance crew for the parks department is reluctant to spend precious hours on this task when there are lawns to be mowed, trees to prune, edges to trim and playground equipment to maintain. The roads department is called in frequently to as-sist but, if it cannot do the cleaning mechanically, it doesn’t do it. A new design seems necessary.

Tree maintenanceThe older parks have some trees that are dying or have split. Access to these trees is a problem as many of them are located within the wetlands. Trucks would normally be brought in to remove the dead wood but it’s just not an option in this terrain. Alterna-tive approaches are required, such as cutting the wood into smaller pieces for easier removal – even so, this will disturb the wetlands. So what is the lesser of the two evils?


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Soweto greening: A dusty township transformedReferenceCox, K. 2008. Soweto greening: A dusty township transformed. Urban Green File. vol.13

no.5. pp20–21.

More than 200 000 trees and several parks are changing the face of Soweto. It is becoming another leafy suburb of Johannesburg.

Tackling a dry, dusty township with prolific tracts of vacant, unmanaged space left over after planning (‘sloap’), the Soweto Greening Project was implemented by City Parks in 2003. Well under way, the greening is capitalising on the momentum of 2010 and is taking place at various levels; flagship parks, neighbourhood parks, community parks, cemeteries, traffic island planting and street-tree planting. The 200 000 tree-planting campaign has already reached 120 000 trees to date!

The goal is to turn Soweto into a green oasis on par with other developed suburbs in Johannesburg. City Parks (JCP) and its partners (Talk Radio 702, Rand Water, Jody Scheckter, ACSA and the governments of Norway and Denmark) have their work cut out over the next few years. This project has not only used 2010 as leverage to acceler-ate implementation but has also attracted the attention of Nelson Mandela, the World Conservation Union and the Liveable Communities Awards in London.

Part of a comprehensive open-space frameworkIn 1998, a comprehensive open-space framework was developed by Newtown Land-scape Architects (NLA). According to Johan Barnard of NLA, a large part of the success of the greening programme is due to the significant amount of time JCP spent in thor-ough planning and preparatory work. The framework details a complete open-space system developed along the Klipspruit and Klip River with parks of different scales. The framework identifies priority areas, the Klipspruit and Klip River, and goes into detailed design; ensuring integration with proposed transportation nodes and economic devel-opment nodes.

“JCP has really become proactive and innovative. Prior to 2001, only two parks were developed in 10 years. Since 2001, there has been significant work done around city greening, park establishment and park upgrades,” Barnard informs Urban Green File.

Among some of the noteworthy parks that form part of the Soweto Greening Pro-gramme are:

u Dorothy Nyembe Park and Environmental Centreu Mofolo Regional Parku Thokoza Park and Moroka Damu Diepkloof Extreme Parku Klipspruit & Klip River Rehabilitationu lnkonyesi Stimulation Park (for handicapped children)u Mapetla phases 1, 2 and 3.

Remarkable successThe success of these parks has been phenomenal – even leading to a decrease in crime within some communities. More than 10 000 learners per month visit the environmen-tal centre at Dorothy Nyembe Park. After school, children are mesmerised by Graeme Joffe’s Township TV initiative in the Diepkloof Extreme Park (users exceed the park’s


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carrying capacity). At Inkonyesi, children in wheelchairs use the roundabouts while the bedridden now have swings adapted to their needs. According to Jenny Moodley of City Parks, the loss of street trees has been less than expected.

But how sustainable is it?The parks act as a catalyst for the development of community ownership and civic pride. Established and well-maintained parks, such as Dorothy Nyembe and the Diepkloof Extreme Park, also bring socio-economic benefits to the community by attract-ing supporting leisure as well as retail infrastructure.

NLA and lnsite Landscape Architects agree integrating sustain-ability into park development, over and above using indigenous plants, is not easy. Yet, wherever possible within the programme, paved surfaces have been kept to a minimum, pathways have been designed around existing paths of movement, storm wa-ter is encouraged to run over as much of the site as possible, canalisation of water is avoided while park and street furniture is designed and manufacture to be robust.

NLA is of the opinion City Parks has come a long way in terms of its approach to city greening. The Soweto initiative has dem-onstrated its willingness to be innovative and “do things differ-ently”, Barnard tells Urban Green File. According to City Parks CEO, Luther Williamson, “developing truly green parks will be a key focus from now on”. Williamson says this will include build-ing solar-powered ablution systems, recycling water, harvesting rainwater and using green equipment. City Parks would also re-evaluate landscaping to move away from traditional to more in-novative designs.

Education to prevent tree lossBut even a project with such obvious good intentions is not with-out its challenges. Tree loss is costly although it happens less than expected according to City Parks. In order to minimise tree loss, City Parks has initiated an adult education initiative based on teaching children in Soweto’s schools so that they will, in turn, teach their parents.

Budgets for park upgrades are not always sufficient and it has been shown, where larger budgets are allocated, the parks, once completed, are better received by the community; they were not vandalised as often as others.

Maintenance remains a challengeFritz Coetzee of lnsite Landscape Architects believes City Parks is under strain when it comes to maintenance and management. “In order to address this, consultants have begun to deliver turn-key projects where the installation contractor is also employed to provide maintenance for one year.” Part of the problem is that the City of Johannesburg has failed to adequately increase the City Parks operating budget over recent years with the result that, outside of the flagship projects, smaller parks do not re-ceive as much attention as they need. “There is also an issue of capacity; skills are needed for maintenance,” adds Barnard.

Despite these challenges, the Greening Soweto project has add-ed significant value to the urban fabric of Soweto while creating a platform to facilitate further education and awareness.

Progress becomes tangibleCity departments have successfully worked on various projects; bridging previously impenetrable silos. The SlSF has seen the most active and effective participation ‘internally’ ever recorded in a framework-development process. Most of the nodal devel-opments embrace sustainable-development notions of mixed-use, mixed-income housing and increased density along trans-portation corridors. In so doing, they maximise potential for local economic development while the quality of the public realm is significantly improved.

Success has largely been due to transparency. The community is active and organised in Soweto, and ward councillors have been involved in each planning and implementation process from the start.

It is ironic, that due to traditional blueprint and master planning followed by the apartheid government, all the basics in Soweto

Soweto’s greening initiative is capitalising on the momentum of 2010 to transform a dusty township into a green oasis


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are there. “Almost true blueprint planning was applied; allocating a certain number of facilities per area and certain allowances for bulk infrastructure; ensuring correct road reserves and space for parks in each neighbourhood,” Strydom points out. However, this approach resulted in many park spaces becoming sloap. “Now it’s merely a matter of filling in the blanks; ensuring the community is supported and linking various ele-ments together,” continues Strydom. As with any investment in the urban environment, maintenance will be key for the future. Although this is partly being addressed by the private sector and key stakeholders forming Section 21 companies, and partly by city departments, evidently more budget needs to be dedicated to maintenance in order to ensure sustainability.

Many other Soweto initiatives have not been mentioned in this article, such as Pikitup’s 100 Spots campaign, the Johannesburg Roads Agency’s road upgrade and cycle-track development, as well as the many projects undertaken by communities and NGOs.

It seems, though, Soweto is fast moving from temporary to contemporary!

Key role playersu Developer and project manager: Johannesburg City Parksu Open space master planners: Newtown Landscape Architectsu Landscape architects: Newtown Landscape Architects, KH Landscape Architects

lnsite Landscape Architectsu Contractors: Countryline Africa, R&D Contractorsu Consulting engineers: PBAl & Inroads Consulting Engineersu Public participation: NMAu Environmental consultants: SRK, Strategic Environmental Focus.

Soweto’s greening framework comprises a complete open-space system developed along the Klipspruit and Klip River with parks of different scales


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Corniche Bay Resort (Banyan Tree) Landscape Architecture Framework

Scarred landscape repaired (Corniche Bay Resort, Mauritius)

ReferenceUrban Green File. 2009. Scarred landscape repaired (Corniche Bay Resort, Mauritius). The

2009 ILASA Awards of Excellence. Urban Green File. pp44–46.

A visionary design proposes the cultivation and reintroduction of indigenous plants on an island overtaken by exotic species.

Following the preparation of a master plan for Corniche Bay – a Mauritian resort com-prising 120 villas, a Gary Player signature golf course and the Banyan Tree Hotel and Spa – by Foster & Partners of London with Arup – South African landscape architects, Newtown Landscape Architects and GREENinc were appointed to the project two years later. After critically evaluating the master plan, the landscape architects conceptual-ised a new landscape-design approach. Most importantly, they questioned the concept of a lush, tropical environment promoted by the master plan, as well as the proposed low-level crossings of drainage lines. These aspects, they argued, would be in conflict with the project’s aim of setting a benchmark for sustainable hotel development on the island.

Rehabilitation a priorityLess than 2% of the island’s vegetation is indigenous and the concept of ‘first people’ is non-existent today. At Corniche Bay, the lush green vegetation can easily deceive the onlooker into thinking that this is a healthy ecosystem. On the contrary, the hillside area is largely overtaken by invasive species such as Albizia lebbeck and star grass while the coastal section of the site is choked by invasive Eucalyptus and Acacia species. However, a mangrove forest and drainage lines of dense vegetation are ecologically significant. Rehabilitation of this scarred landscape is the central concept of the landscape design. This attempt, however, is challenging in that only a few nurseries stock a limited pal-ette of indigenous plants while little is known about the original island ecology. The Mauritian Wildlife Foundation has, however, been collecting and propagating indige-nous plants to ensure gene preservation. But their initiative has not yet reached a scale where it can start to feed commercial nurseries.

Panel’s citationThe landscape architects’ scientifically-based analysis of the site, its opportunities and constraints has successfully informed the design proposal. The result is a novel and creative approach to the landscape design of a resort. Its aim to establish an indigenous planting palette could be the beginning of locally-contextual and ecologically-sound landscape design in Mauritius. The computer-aided graphics and visual presentations submitted with this entry are of world-class standard!

Rehabilitation of this scarred landscape is the central concept of the landscape design


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Indigenous planting promotedExacerbating the challenge of an indigenous plant grower’s in-dustry, is the marketing image of a lush tropical environment portrayed by the tourism industry of Mauritius. The conse-quence is that most hotels prefer landscaped gardens of exotic tropical vegetation that require extensive irrigation in what is a surprisingly dry climate.

The landscape architectural response, however, sets out to over-come the challenging situation. Firstly, an on-site nursery, dedi-cated to the cultivation of indigenous plants, is proposed. Sec-ondly, rehabilitation of the site will be undertaken in a strategic, phased approach. All areas disturbed during construction will be planted with fast-growing indigenous plants that are more com-monly available. Rarer species that would require special cultiva-tion will be planted in prominent spaces such as pathway cross-ings and courtyards.

‘Green fingers’ introducedThirdly, the drainage lines will be turned into ‘green fingers’ to connect the hillside with the ocean. These lines will also become the main structuring device for pedestrian movement from the upper slopes down to the golf course and beachfront hotel. Visi-tors will be immersed in the landscape; away from the views

Banyan Tree Hotel promises to offer a remarkable leisure experience; totally in harmony with nature due to its careful architectural and landscape design


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experienced from the buildings and into dense forests. As the site is located within the Le Morne Cultural Landscape, a World Heritage Site buffer zone, green fingers will be allowed to pen-etrate the heritage site and vice versa. This will diffuse the edge and prevent the formation of a definite boundary line in the land-scape. The intention of the project is to not only allow the visi-tor to enjoy the obvious resort experience but to be immersed in the culture and landscape of Mauritius. The design has not been finalised but dialogue is ongoing between the client, the architects, the engineers and, most importantly, the proposed environment within which it proposes to fit.

Project teamClient: Trattoria HoldingsProject managers: Manly Group and Mace Grouplandscape architect: Newtown Landscape Architects & GREENinc Joint VentureArchitect and urban designer: Forster & PartnersEngineer and environmental consultant: ArupQuantity surveyor: Gleeds UKGolf course designer: Gary Player GroupIrrigation design: AB International


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IndexNote: Please consult the list of acronyms on pages vii-viii.

//hapo 182Freedom Park 229, 233–234meaning of 233museums 233

@LAND Landscape Architects & Ecological Planners 141, 146, 147, 148

2010 World Cup Soccer projects landscape design 7

AB International 272ablution facilities 167

vandalism 167ACG Architects 204AcuCon Planners 269ADA Urban Design 269Addo Elephant Park 228AEL Business Platform 97, 185–187African epistemologies 11, 155African architecture 230African cosmology 176African culture

Garden of Remembrance 174, 229African EPA 146, 160African Gabions 219African homestead 176Africon 141, 145, 183Afrikaanse Taal en Kultuurvereniging 174Agenda 21 96, 121agricultural heritage 260AHT Group 264alien vegetation 93

Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve 105, 106Cape Point Visitor Facilities 112Lake Michelle 200, 201

alien vegetation clearing project 93Allanson Associates 222Alldays 50American West Coast plaza design 7ANC 238

Victoria & Alfred Waterfront 74Anglo American Corporation 50annuals 92apartheid 173apartheid regime 238archaelogical areas 50, 51, 53, 85, 108archaeological field museum 109archaeological sites 108–109

Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve 108–109archaeological surveys 106Architecture & Development 184Archwood Projects 261Arcus Gibb 218, 219Argyle Development Corporation 259art

modern 7public 97

Arup 272Atlantic Beach Golf Estate 11

EMP 101–102environmental impact assessments 101–102

Aurecon 269Austin, Don 227

baboons 112dustbins 101, 115

Badenhorst, Pieter 218, 220Baker, Laurie 184Bakker, Karel 177Banyan Tree Hotel 270Bapela Cave Klapwijk Associates (CKA) 193Bartlett Construction 239beachfront developments 18, 30, 31, 32, 83, 120 Bedfordview 82

Gillooly’s Farm 40Berg-en-Dal Rest Camp 1, 8

design, regionalist 7–8project description 20–21

Bernard Oberholzer Landscape Architects 111; see also Oberholzer, Bernard; OvP

Big Five game reserves 148biodiversity 93biomorphic forms 7biophysical environment 126, 134, 135, 136, 146, 148, 156bird species 51bird watching 140, 202birds 127, 181, 201, 217, 221, 223

aquatic 139ecosystems 127

Birkby, Roy 67BKS Consulting Engineers 132, see also Bruinette Kruger & Stoffberg

IncBlack Rocks 106Bloubergstrand Beachfront Upgrade 118, 119–120Blue Lagoon Landscapes 83Blueprint Architecture 261Boden, R 31Boehmke, Paul 259bollards 62, 164

Bloubergstrand Beachfront Upgrade 119Durban street furniture 32Mitchells Plain Public Transport Interchange 205Pierhead precinct 62–63Portswood Ridge 66SA Eagle Square 144Table Mountain Cableway Upgrade 118Victoria & Alfred Waterfront 65, 66, 75, 78

Bonteberg 106Bordjiesrif 106, 107Borlond, Ralph 267borrow areas

rehabilitation 133, 135Bosch, WP 244Botha, P Roelf 1, 25, 31 Brink Stokes Moolman & Marais (BSMM) 45‘British Colonialist Maritime’ motif 224Bronberg

environmental impact assessments 4Strategic Environmental Assessment 146


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Bruinette Kruger & Stoffberg Inc 21, 22 see also BKS Consulting Engineers

Buffalo river 57Buffels Bay 106, 107Burgess, Clare ix, 14, 204, 205Burggraf, Arrie 67Bussy, Brendon 267

CA du Toit 119camphor trees 86, 87, 88, 113 Cape Bird Society 202Cape Floral Region 93, 106, 127Cape Nature Conservation 47Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve

alien vegetation 105, 106archaeological sites 108–109development plan 109entrance gate 110fynbos 108–109heritage 105natural resources 106tourist attractions 111utilisation of 107vegetation 108–109veld management plan 108–109

Cape Point 106Cape Point Visitor Facilities

alien vegetation 112baboons 101, 112, 115construction of 115curio shop 115design philosophy 111–112EMP 115funicular system 100, 101, 110, 112, 113, 114, 116lighthouse 112lookouts 111–112physically disabled people 101, 115planning approach 105–106signage 112street furniture 112, 115trails 111–112vegetation 112–113

Cape strandveld vegetation 126

Cape Town Foreshore Pedestrianisation projects 39greening of the city project 61, 71Jetty Square 39Pier Place 39St Andrew’s Square 39

Capescapes 259Capricorn Business & Technology Park

environmental impact assessments 126ecological functions 127soft landscaping 127–128water quality 126

Cave Klapwijk & Associates 49, 50, 125, 132, 139Centurion City Masterplan 7Centurion Environmental Management Framework 145–146Centurion see also Verwoerdburg Children’s Garden 182Chittenden Nicks de Villiers 125, 126

Chittenden Nicks de Villiers (CNdV) Africa 193Chris Mulder Associates Inc. (CMAI) 41, 42, 43, 215, 216, 218–221,

224, 225, 227; 228, see also Mulder, ChrisChunnett Fourie and Partners 132Church Square (Pretoria) 173Church Square Master Plan (Grahamstown) 26–28

water features 27, 28Cianfanelli, Marco 144, 195, 199, 231, 236, 237Cinema Ariana 184Clare Burgess Landscape Architects 193, 204Clark Horticulture 36clay brick paving 72, 138, 238CNdV Africa 200CoAL 40Collinson Consulting 148Collinson, Roger 148community education 192community involvement 134

Galeshewe Open Space and Landscaping Plan 188Company’s Garden 74

heritage audit 145Comrie, Anton 231, 233, 234, 235, 236, 238Controlled lrrigation 261Corniche Bay Resort 156, 270–272Cotswold Downs 11, 156

ecosystems 273–274environmental impact assessments 273–274

Countryline Africa 172Cradle of Humankind 8, 209

World Heritage Sites 194Crowther Campbell & Associates 101, 119CSIR 218, 222Cultmatrix 177culture

design content 7environmental impact assessments 6landscapes 4, 7, 96, 156memorial design 9

Danvon Landscapes 269Dart, Raymond 211, 213 Davidson, Basil 74Davies Lynn & Partners 274Dayson & De Villiers 36, 37, see also Dayson, Peter, DDV Dayson, De Villiers & Van der Merwe (DDV) 35, 80, 81, 82, 100; see

also Dayson, Peter; De Villiers, JohanDayson, De Villiers & Van der Merwe (DDV) & Graham Young 81Dayson, Peter 35, 37, 39, 80, 100; see also DDVDBSA 134De Beers Consolidated Mines Ltd 50De Villiers, Johan 35, 36, 37, 82; see also Dayson & De Villiers, DDVDe Villiers Sheard 261design approach 39design content

culture 7design features

water 37design process

difficulties experienced 70–71Pierhead precinct 61–64

design review Victoria & Alfred Waterfront 69 In

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design, complexity of 7–8design, regionalist 7–8

Berg-en-Dal Rest Camp 7–8Diepkloof Extreme Park 170Dignified Places Programme 253Dinokeng 147

environmental impact assessments 4D’MOSS 84Dobsonville 165‘Dock house’ 65 Dorothy Nyembe Park 163, 164–165, 170

sculptures 156Doug Jeffery Environmental Consultants 261Driekoppies Dam 96, 129–138

biophysical environment 135–136community involvement 134DBSA 134Employment Working Group 134environmental impact assessments 134–136Local Entrepreneurial Opportunities Committee 134Matsamo Community Action Committee 134medicinal plant nurseries 132, 137, 138Mozambique 130objectives of 130, 132Relocation Action Plan 136, 137relocation arrangements 136–138Social Impact Assessment 136socio-economic environment 135–136Swaziland 130

Du Toit, E 31Dubai Marina 184Duncan’s Roses 87, 88Durban 30

South Beach Play Park 7, 30street furniture 31–34

Durban Beachfront Development keystone projects 2

Durban City Council, Department of Parks, Recreation and Beaches 81Durban Metropolitan Open Space System see D’MOSS Durban Parks, Recreation and Beaches Department 29dustbins 101, 115, 120

baboons 101, 115DV Cape Consulting 264DWAF 50, 52, 54

Earthworks Landscape Architects 242, 266East London 57Eckbo, Garret 7Eco Assessments 146Eco Creations 261ecological approach 95

landscape design 8ecological benefits 223ecological functions

Capricorn Business & Technology Park 127Gillooly’s Farm 40human settlements 40

ecological surveys 155, 174, 177Freedom Park 174Salvokop Village 177

Ecosense 259ecosystems

birds 127Cotswold Downs 273–274

Ekokonsult Inc 23, 24, 25Ellis Park stadium 7Elton & Associates 251EMF 145–146EMP 95, 96, 101

Cape Point Visitor Facilities 115N3 Toll Road Cedara to Heidelberg 139Riverside Mpumalanga Provincial Government Complex 149–150

employment research 223Employment Working Group 134engineering design 69, 71environmental conservation 40Environmental Design Partnership Inc 23, 28environmental impact assessments

Atlantic Beach Golf Estate 101–102Bronberg 4Capricorn Business & Technology Park 126Cotswold Downs 273–274culture 6Dinokeng 4Driekoppies Dam 134–136Greefswald Limpopo Government Water Scheme 6N3 Toll Road Cedara to Heidelberg 139–140Outeniqua Pass Rehabilitation 6, 46Palmiet Pumped Storage Scheme 6socio-economic environment 135–136TF Maartens-Poort 6

environmental impact control plan 24environmental planning

Lake Michelle 200–201merit awards 6

environmental projects shifting emphasis in 6

Environmental Task Group 50epistemologies 6

African 11, 155Erika van den Berg Landscape Architect 241Eskom 24Estcourt 148estuarine ecosystems 223

Fagan, Gawie 110Fairview Estate Memorial Garden 129False Bay coast 83, 105, 126farm, model 226Farrel, Ben 19, 22, 31Ferreira da Silva, Luis 184fish species 202Flavio Scaramal 239Ford, Ian 62, 66, 88, 89; see also Ian Ford AssociatesFordyce, Katherine 179Foreshore Pedestrianisation projects 39, 97

gracht 266shark sculptures 266–267

forests 51, 52Forster & Partners 272Forum Homini Boutique Hotel 8, 97, 194–199Fox, Revel 32Frans Jordaan & Van Riet & Louw 117Freedom Park 2, 8, 232–237


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//hapo 182, 229, 233–234Children’s Garden 182design philosophy 178–179development framework 174ecological surveys 174Garden of Remembrance 174, 229heritage precinct 173IKS Garden 182indigenous knowledge systems 174, 178, 183, 233, 234Isivivane 11, 229, 233–234keystone projects 2location of 173memorial design 8Moshate 181, 229, 233–234museum 182Pan African archives 182Reeds 181, 182, 236, 237Sikhumbuto 229, 233–234spiritual origins 229symbolic garden 230Tiva 182, 229, 233–234Truth and Reconciliation Commission 182Uitspanplek 181, 229, 233–234Wall of Names 180, 229, 233–234

Freedom Park Trust 173Friedmann, Lovell 264Fuggle, Richard 25functional landscapes

guiding principles for 96SA Eagle Square 96

funicular system Cape Point Visitor Facilities 100, 101, 110, 112, 113, 114, 116

FutureWorks 274fynbos 46, 93, 106, 156

Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve 108–109

gabions 47, 48, 185, 217, 219, 222, 223Gabriël Fagan Architects 110Galeshewe Open Space and Landscaping Plan 188–192

challenges 192community education 192community involvement 188, 190information sourcing and mapping 191open space classification system 191project development process 189–190Terms of Reference 188–189verification of results 191

Gallagher Prinsloo Associates 64, 66, 69, 72; see also Prinsloo, IvorGAPP Architects & Urban Designers 274Garaventa (Switzerland) 119Garden Life 119Garden of Remembrance 174–175

African culture 174, 229Afrikaanse Taal en Kultuurvereniging 174conceptual design of 174Freedom Park 174, 229Gautrain 175impepho 175, 176incense 175indigenous knowledge systems 174Pretoria Station 175religious organisations 174

smoke 175spiral pathway 175traditional beer 175traditional healers 174umqombothi 175

Gardner, Michael 148Garner, Gerald xiii, 16, 18, 100Gary Player Group 272Gautrain 175Genadendal 102–103

heritage 96geometric forms 7, 42George Rex Place 228Geustyn Forsyth & Joubert 83GFA Group 269Gibb Africa 46, 119Gibbs, David ix, 1Gifkommetjie 106Gillooly’s Farm 40, 82Girot, Christophe 10Glen, Stuart ix, x, 1 Gleeds UK 272Golf Landscapes 218Gongolo Wildlife Reserve Development Plan 148Good Hope Nursery 119Gourits River Mouth 228Gouws, Uys & White (GUW) 7, 19, 22Grabouw

Palmiet Pumped Storage Scheme 24gracht 266Graeme Joffe’s Township TV initiative 170Graemo Construction 267Grahamstown

Church Square Master Plan 26heritage, historical 26

Grainger Bay 67Graupner, OF 31Greefswald Limpopo Government Water Scheme 6, 40, 50–54

bird species 51environmental impact assessments 6water quality 53

‘green fingers’ 271Green Inc/GREENinc 8, 16, 141, 144, 160, 184,185, 186, 193, 194,

215, 231, 239, 242, 270, 272, 276Green Point stadium 7Greening of the City project 61, 71, 78Greening Soweto Campaign see Soweto Greening Project Grootvlei Pan 139–140

bird watching 140groundwater 51, 52

Halprin, Lawrence 7, 8hard landscaping 62, 63, 65, 118, 128, 153, 230, 239, 243, 247, 259

Riverside Mpumalanga Provincial Government Complex 151–152Schonenberg Estate 261

Harris, Stewart 145Harrismith 140Hawkins & Osborne 69, 71, 119Hennops River Green Belt 146herbs 90heritage 54heritage area 85 In

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heritage aspects Salvokop Village 177

heritage audit 145heritage precinct

Freedom Park 173heritage sites 40heritage, historical

Grahamstown 26Heydorn, Allan 220Highveld 146, 156, 174, 185, 186, 194, 195, 199, 238, 243, 244, 246,

268Hill Kaplan Scott 110historic buildings 65, 258–259historic gardens

restoration projects 89Vergelegen Estate 89

historical landscapes 96, 156historical record 224HOK Gulf 184holiday resorts 83Hollard Street Mall 144Holm Jordaan 204hominid fossil sites 212hominids 194House Engelbrecht 156

indigenous landscape garden 243–249water run-off system 243–244, 248

Hout Bay 73human settlements

ecological functions 40

Ian Ford & Associates 81, 83, 85, 88, 89, 89–92, 126, 127, 142; see also Ford, Ian

Icon Civils 251, 267IEM 40, 52

Table Mountain Cableway Upgrade 118IFLA vii, xi–xii, 14–16, 67IKS Garden 182Ilizwe Civils 251 impepho 175, 176incense 175indigenous knowledge systems

Freedom Park 174, 178, 183, 233, 234indigenous landscape garden 243–249indigenous landscapes 144, 245

Serengeti Golf & Wildlife Estate 268–269indigenous vegetation

Lake Michelle 201informal sector 58informal settlements 8‘inland marina’-type developments 200Inland Project Managers (Real Estate) 36Inkonyesi Stimulation Park 171Insite Landscape Architects 159, 172, 242, 269 Institute of Landscape Architects in Southern Africa 14Institute of Landscape Architects of South Africa 15Institute for Landscape Architecture in South Africa/ILASA xi, xii, xiv, 1,

3, 14–16, 275integrated design approach 119Integrated Environmental Management Consultants 145Interplan, architects 83invisible design 118

Irene Post Office national monuments 146

irrigation 153Isivivane 11, 155, 174, 175–177, 180

African cosmology 176African homestead 176Freedom Park 229, 233–234meaning of 176Nguni people 177water 177, 181

Jabulani retail centre 163Jack, Dave 69JBCC 275Jetty Square 39Johannesburg City Parks 172Johannesburg Zoo 43–44Jonker & Barnes 264Jordaan, Frans 117, 123Jordaan, Pieter 7, 19

K2 50, 51Kaikoura Capital 261KALA 261, 264Kalk Bay

historic buildings 258–259Klipkantientjie 258–259Majestic Hotel 258–259New Kings Hotel 258–259property development 258–259village character 258–259

Kampel Abromowitz Yawitch & Partners 36Kantey and Templer 46, 47, 48Kapp Prestedge Retief 58, 83KERIC park 121–122 Kesting, DP 31keystone projects

Durban Beachfront Development 2Freedom Park 2Soweto Open Space System 2Vergelegen Estate 2Victoria & Alfred Waterfront 2, 39

Kgotla 11, 143, 175, 176, 177, 181, 182KH Landscape Architects 172Khayelitsha Harare Precinct 3 8, 156, 262–265

VPUU 9Khayelitsha Open Space Study 96, 156

objectives of 122open space systems 118, 120–122

Khulani Environments 126Kiley, Dan 7Kimberley 155, 184, 188, 190, 210Klapperkop 173Klipkantientjie 258–259Kliptown 165Klitzner Anderson Landscape Architects (KALA) 241Knysna 156Knysna Bird Club 223Knysna Lagoon 219, 220Knysna River Estuary 216KOBWA 132, 133Kogelberg Dam 24


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Komati River 130Krog, Steven 155Kruger National Park 1, 20–21Kussel, Udo 146KWP Landscape Architects 275KWP NLA 142, 143, 150KWPNLA Landscape Architects in Association 149, 153–154

Lake Michelle 156alien vegetation 200, 201Cape Bird Society 202environmental planning 200–201fish species 202indigenous vegetation 201‘inland marina’-type developments 200signage 203traffic calming 202water quality 200, 201–202waterfront developments 200–203

lakes 7, 21, 126–128, 182, 197, 200, 203, 212landscape architects 156, 157

@Land 141African EPA 160Africon 141Bapela Cave Klapwijk Associates (CKA) 193Brink Stokes Moolman & Marais (BSMM) 45Cave Klapwijk Associates (CKA) 49, 125Chittenden Nicks de Villiers (CNdV) 125Chittenden Nicks de Villiers (CNdV) Africa 193Chris Mulder Associates Inc. (CMAI) 41, 215Clare Burgess 193Dayson, De Villiers & Van der Merwe (DDV) 35Dayson, De Villiers & Van der Merwe (DDV) & Graham Young 81Durban City Council, Department of Parks, Recreation and

Beaches 81Durban Parks, Recreation and Beaches Department, Louis

Trichardt 29Earthworks Landscape Architects 242Ekokonsult 23Environmental Design Partnership (EDP) & Stephanie Mills (Urban

Designer) 23Erika van den Berg Landscape Architect 241Frans Jordaan & Van Riet & Louw 117Gouws, Uys & White (GUW) & Ben Farrell 19Gouws, Uys & White (GUW) & Pieter Jordaan 19GREENinc 141, 160, 215GREENinc & Erika van den Berg 193Ian Ford & Associates 81Insite 159Insite Landscape Architects 242Klitzner Anderson Landscape Architects (KALA) 241Newtown Landscape Architects (NLA) 117, 159, 160Newtown Landscape Architects (NLA) & GREENinc 242Newtown Landscape Architects (NLA) & KWP Landscape

Architects 141, 159NLA Bagale GREENinc Momo Joint Venture 215Oberholzer van Papendorp (OvP) Associates 29, 49, 99, 117, 141,

241Piet Vosloo (KWP Landscape Architects) 242The Planning Partnership 81, 99, 159Uys & White Landscape Architects 242Waterfront Landscape Architects 49, 125

Willem van Riet Landscape Architects 19urban environment 5

landscape architecture timeline of 14–16trends 3, 7, 156

landscape contracting 275landscape design

2010 World Cup Soccer projects 7ecological approach 8merit awards 9

landscape urbanism meaning of 5

landscapes culture 96, 156historical 96, 156

Landtech 269LC Consulting 259Le Morne

World Heritage Sites 156, 272Legacy Project 173Lesaka 11, 175, 176, 177Leutscher, Peter 1Liebenberg & Stander 122Life Landscapes 231, 269lighthouse 112Liliesleaf 238–239

ANC 238apartheid regime 238memorial design 7, 8‘Operation Mayibuye’ 238Radio Freedom 238Rivonia Trial 238Umkhonto we Sizwe 238

Limpopo river 50litter traps 165, 168–169Liyaphuma Consortium 149Local Entrepreneurial Opportunities Committee 134Lomati River 130Lombard, Darryl 148lookouts 111–112Lorton Consulting 148Lowveld National Botanical Garden 151Lucien le Grange Architects 251

Macassar park 120–122 Maguga Dam 130Majestic Hotel 258–259Makapan Valley 209, 211Malelane 130Mandela, Nelson 170, 229Manly Group and Mace 272Mapetla Park 163, 165Maponya retail centre 163Mapungubwe 50, 51, 176

World Heritage Sites 40Mark Darius Civils 267Maropeng Museum 194Martinez, Desiree xiiMarx, Roberto B 7Mashabane Rose Architects 239Matsamo Community Action Committee 134Matsamo Traditional Authority 137 In

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Mauritius 156, 270Maxflow Irrigation 149Mbeki, Thabo 173MCA Town Planners 204MCA Urban and Environmental Planners 146McHarg, Ian 7Meadowlands 165medicinal plant nurseries 132, 137, 138Melkbosstrand 101memorial design 9–10

categorisation of 3, 5culture 9environmental planning 6Fairview Estate Memorial Garden 129Freedom Park 8landscape design 9Liliesleaf 7, 8St Andrew’s Square 250–251, 253

Merriman Square open space systems 79–80urban spaces 79–80

Metro GlS 145Meyer Pienaar Tayob Schnepel Architects 149Meyer, Willie 25Middelplaas 130milk woods 102Mills, Stephanie 23, 28Mitchells Plain Public Transport Interchange 97, 156

master plan 207public artworks 208skills training 206street furniture 205, 207–208taxi terminals 204, 205, 206, 207trees 207

MLH Architect & Planners 119Mofolo Park and Amphitheatre 163, 164Mooi River 148Morojele, Mpheti 179Moroka Dam wetlands 163, 164Moroka Park Precinct 8, 156Moshate 181

Freedom Park 229, 233–234Motloch, John 227Mozambique 130‘Mrs. Ples’ 194Mulder, Chris 41, 42, 43, 216, 219, 220, 221, 222, 224, 225–228; see

also CMAIMulder, Pat 227–228multi-disciplinary planning 67–72

Victoria & Alfred Waterfront 67–72Munnik Visser Architects 259Munnik Visser Black Fish & Partners 91Murphy, Michael 227Murray & Roberts Cape Ltd 119museums 182

//hapo 233

N3 Toll Road Cedara to Heidelberg EMP 139environmental impact assessments 139–140Grootvlei Pan 139–140organic pollution filter 139–140

Naspoti Consortium 149national monuments 51, 65, 86

Irene Post Office 146Steenberg Farmstead 90Table Mountain 118

natural landscape 185natural materials 101, 114, 181, 182 natural resources 106natural weathering process 22Nature and Environmental Conservation Ordinance, 1974 107Nature Reserves Ordinance, 1939 107Naylor Naylor & Van Schalkwyk 264Neill Powell & Neill 36Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University 222Nelspruit 142New Kings Hotel 258–259‘new urbanism’ 216–217, 225–226Newtown Landscape Architects (NLA) 117, 159, 160, 165, 172, 174,

232, 272Newtown Landscape Architects (NLA) & GREENinc 242Newtown Landscape Architects (NLA) & KWP Landscape Architects

141, 159Nguni people 177Nicci Diederichs Environmental Consulting 274Niewoudt Hofmeyer/LSM 218Ninham Shand 122Nkabmule and Associates 177NLA Bagale GREENinc Momo Joint Venture 215NM & Associates Planners & Designers 261Noordhoek Valley 200Northern Cape Legislature building 184Norwich Office Park

water features 36, 37Norwich Oval Office Park 103

O’Mahony Peel Rowney 259Oberholzer, Bernard 14, 15, 29, 32, 64, 66, 69, 71, 72, 74, 110, 111,

118; see also OvPOberholzer van Papendorp (OvP) Associates 29, 31, 32, 49, 57, 80, 99,

100–104, 114, 115, 117, 118–122, 126, 128, 141, 145, 241, 250–251, 254, 258–259; see also Oberholzer, Bernard; Van Papendorp, Johan

Octagonal Garden 86–87Odd Engineers 208Office of Collaborative Architects 182, 232office park

Portswood Ridge 65–66Olifantsbos 106open space classification system 191 open space systems 3, 8

Khayelitsha Open Space Study 118, 120–122Merriman Square 79–80Thesen Islands 217Verwoerdburg City Master-plan 21Victoria & Alfred Waterfront 61, 63, 73, 75, 78

‘Operation Mayibuye’ 238Oppenheimer Park 163Orange Farm Regional Park 163, 165–166organic pollution filter 139–140Orlando Ekhaya 163ossuary complex

St Andrews Square 250–251, 254outdoor advertising 123–124


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Outeniqua Mountain Nature Reserve 46Outeniqua Pass Rehabilitation 46–48

environmental impact assessments 6

‘package of plans’ approach 67, 68, 70, 75palaeo-anthropological sites 194Palmiet Pumped Storage Scheme

environmental impact assessments 6environmental impact control plan 24

Pan African archives 182Panama Jacks 73park furniture 167parking garages 65Pattrick, Neil ixPaul de Luca Landscapes 82paysage 10PBAl & Inroads Consulting Engineers 172pedestrians 39Peninsula Landscaping 251perennials 92physically disabled people 101, 115Pier Place 39Pierhead precinct

bollards 62–63design process 61–64office park 65street furniture 62Van Papendorp, Johan 64

Piet Vosloo (KWP Landscape Architects) 242Pim, Joane 1, 12, 14Pistorius, Penny 145Plan Trust Development 200playground equipment 168playgrounds 76, 168, 263plaza design 42polar bear enclosure 43–44Portswood Ridge

bollards 66‘Dock house’ 65historic buildings 65office park 65–66street furniture 66‘Ulundi’ 65

POS system 260post-1994

projects 8–12public open space design 11

Power Construction 269pre-colonial peoples 106Prestwich Memorial Project 253Prestwich Street discovery 250, 252Pretoria Station 175Prinsloo, Ivor 58, 69–71, 74; see also Gallagher Prinsloo Associatesprivate sector 79–80profession

development of 1scope of 3theoretical base 7timeline of 14–16

professional education University of Cape Town 1University of Pretoria 1

projects post-1994 8–12typologies 4, 9

promenades 18, 30, 78, 120, 253, 254 property development 201, 216, 217, 221, 224, 258–259Pryce-Lewis, Darryl 62, 66public accessibility 68public artworks 208public open space design 9, 32, 156

post-1994 11public transport

Victoria & Alfred Waterfront 75, 78public transport interchange 204–208

R&D Contractors 172R+N Master Builders 259Radio Freedom 238Real Landscapes 143, 149, 153, 274 recreational facilities 82Red Data Species 146Reeds 155, 166, 181, 182, 202, 229, 230, 233, 234, 236, 237regional parks 82, 164rehabilitation 133religious organisations 174Relocation Action Plan 136, 136relocation arrangements 136–138Rennie & Goddard 83Reno mattresses 219, 222research

role of 12Reserve Bank 7, 42residential estates 156restoration projects 83

historic gardens 89Vergelegen Estate 85–88

Retief, Deon 58Rietveld, Gerrit 7rip-rap design 219riverine pools 51, 53Riverside Mpumalanga Provincial Government Complex 95, 142–144

EMP 149–150hard landscaping 151–152irrigation 153KWPNLA Landscape Architects in Association 149, 153–154water features 151–152

Rivonia Trial 238Robben Island 60Rock Environmental Consulting 269Rockview Dam 24, 25Roni Engineers 264Rose, Cecil 48Rose, Jeremy 232, 233, 234, 236, 237, 239Rossouw, Dave 195, 199royal kraals 174rural edge 226

SA Eagle Square 96water features 144

SADF 50, 51SAHRA 210, 252, 253salt-marsh areas 216Salvokop Hill 173 In

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Salvokop Village ecological surveys 177heritage aspects 177

SAMOAC 118, 123–124Sandenbergh, Roelf ixSandton

Norwich Office Park 36–37Schoemansdal 130Schonenberg Estate 156, 260–261

agricultural heritage 260hard landscaping 261POS system 260storm water system 260

Schroda 50, 51, 52, 54Sea Ranch project 8sea-horse habitat 216seawater aquaculture 228semiotics 155sense of place 223–224Senekal & Allen 83Serengeti 156Serengeti Golf & Wildlife Estate

indigenous landscapes 268–269Serote, Mongane Wally 173shark sculptures 266–267shrubs 91Sibaya Resort 118, 122–123signage 112, 203Signal Hill Cableway 74Sikhumbuto 155, 180

Freedom Park 229, 233–234site clean up 222Sivukile Stocks joint venture 149Skanskop 173skills training 206Smart Growth concept 221Social Impact Assessment 136social-economic upliftment 96socio-economic environment

environmental impact assessments 135–136Thesen Islands 223

soft landscaping 127–128Sol Plaatje Municipaty 188, 190 South African Council for the Landscape Architectural Profession 275South African Landscapers Institute 275Soweto 156, 163Soweto Greening Project 163, 166, 170–172

maintenance of 171parks 170sustainable development 171trees 170

Soweto Open Space System keystone projects 2

Soweto parks 97 spiritual origins 229

Freedom Park 229SRK 172St Andrew’s Square 10, 39

memorial design 250–251, 253ossuary complex 250–251, 254

St George’s Mall 61Standard Bank 79–80

Starke, Geoff 69, 72 Stauch Vorster Architects 103, 269Steele Consulting 218Steenberg Farmstead 89–92

garden, interpretation of 90–91historical background 89–90national monuments 90Steenkamp, A ix

Sterkfontein Caves 211Visitor’s Centre 194

Stokes, Liesel 47storm water attenuation pond 185storm water system 260Strand Harmony Tidal Pool Resort 83Strategic Environmental Focus 172street furniture 71, 216

Cape Point Visitor Facilities 112, 115Durban 18, 31–34Mitchells Plain Public Transport Interchange 205, 207–208Pierhead precinct 62Portswood Ridge 66Victoria & Alfred Waterfront 75, 78

sustainable development 121, 126, 225, 226, 228 Soweto Greening Project 171

Sutton, Anne 1, 12, 31, 142Swaziland 130Swaziland Environmental Authority 136symbolic garden 230

Table Mountain 61national monuments 118

Table Mountain Cableway Upgrade IEM 118integrated design approach 119invisible design 118vegetation 118

Table Mountain National Park 200Tania, Egon 267Taung child 211Taung Skull Fossil Site

World Heritage Sites 209–214taxi terminals 58

Mitchells Plain Public Transport Interchange 204, 205, 206, 207TC Design Group 144Terramesh™ 219Texas A&M University 227TF Maartens-Poort 1

environmental impact assessments 6project description 22

The Design Company 119The Planning Partnership 81, 99, 159thematic gardens 156thematic landscape design 156Themba Consulting 239Thesen Harbour Town 220, 225Thesen Islands 156, 216–228

biodiversity 217‘British Colonialist Maritime’ motif 224ecological benefits 223employment research 223estuarine ecosystems 223historical record 224


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‘new urbanism’ 216–217open space systems 217property development 201, 216, 217, 221, 224salt-marsh areas 216sea-horse habitat 216site clean up 222socio-economic environment 223street furniture 216success of 224vegetation 223water quality 156, 221, 223waterways, tidal 222

Thibault Square 61Thokoza Park 163, 164Thompson-Evans, Steve 128Thuthuka Mpumalanga Contractors 149tidal pools 83TIEMC 220Tijmens, Wim 12Tim Steyn Landscaping 274Tiva 182

Freedom Park 229, 233–234topophilia 96‘touching the earth lightly’ 8tourism 84, 96, 103, 147, 148, 194

demands of 113tourist attractions

Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve 111traditional beer 175traditional healers 174Traditional Neighbourhood Developments 221traffic calming 202 trails 111–112Transvaal Chief Directorate of Nature and Environmental Conservation

50Trattoria Holdings 272tree maintenance 169, 171trees 78, 170

Mitchells Plain Public Transport Interchange 207trends

landscape architecture 3, 7Trichardt, Louis 29, 31Trope, Russell 127Truth and Reconciliation Commission 182, 232Tunnard, Christopher 96Tuynhuis gardens 89 typologies

projects 4, 9

Uys & White Landscape Architects 242Uitspanplek 181

Freedom Park 229, 233–234Ullman, Ernst 144‘Ulundi’ 65 Umkhonto we Sizwe 238umqombothi 175UNESCO World Heritage Sites see World Heritage Sites Union Buildings 173, 234University of Cape Town 1, 15, 25, 88University of Pretoria 1,14, 15, 20, 37, 52, 226, 227, 228, 275 Unisa 1, 14urban design 32, 37, 42

Victoria & Alfred Waterfront 70–71Urban Design Unit 32urban environment

landscape architects 5Urban Landscape Solutions 264urban parks 157urban spaces 39, 79–80, 145Urban Square 79–80Urban Studio 261urbanism

Uys Lucas ix, 15Victoria & Alfred Waterfront 69

Uys & White Landscape Architects 274

Van den Berg, Clive 184Van den Berg, Erika 156, 193, 243Van den Honert, Erica 126Van der Rohe, Mies 7Van Papendorp, Johan 14, 29, 39, 57, 59–60, 64, 66, 67, 72, 100, 102,

254; see also OvPVan Riet, Willem 6, 7, 20–21, 24, 123, 148 vandalism 34, 86, 120, 124, 167, 171

ablution facilities 167vegetables 89vegetation 46, 48, 53, 156

Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve 108–109Cape Point Visitor Facilities 112–113Cape strandveld 126Table Mountain Cableway Upgrade 118Thesen Islands 223

Velcich, Peter 123veld management plan 108–109Vele Coking Coal Project 40Venetia Diamond Mine 40, 50, 51Vergelegen Estate 83

alien-vegetation clearing project 93fynbos 93heritage area 85historic gardens 89keystone projects 2North Garden 87Octagonal Garden 86–87restoration projects 85–88Western Precinct 87–88

Verwoerdburg City Masterplan 1open space systems 21project description 21–22

Verwoerdburg see also Centurion Verwoerdburgstadsmeer 1Vhembe Nature Reserve 50Victoria & Alfred Waterfront

ANC 74bollards 75, 78critical appraisal of 73–75design review 69keystone projects 2, 39multi-disciplinary planning 67–72open space systems 61, 63, 73, 75, 78playgrounds 76public accessibility 68public transport 75, 78street furniture 75, 78 In

dex


288

trees 78urban design 70–71urbanism 69

village character 258–259Villiers 140visual environment 123Visual impact 46visual scar 46Voortrekker Monument 173, 234Vosloo, Piet 118, 149, 153, 245, 275VPUU 9, 262, 263, 264

Wain, Anthony 58, 74, 100Walgate plans, 1917 83Wall of Names

Freedom Park 180, 229, 233–234waste bins see dustbins water 42

design features 37Isivivane 177, 181

water features Cape Town Foreshore pedestrianisation 267Church Square Master Plan 27, 28House Engelbrecht 243Norwich Office Park 36, 37Norwich Oval Office Park 104Riverside Mpumalanga Provincial Government Complex

149,151–152SA Eagle Square 144Serengeti Golf & Wildlife Estate 268St Andrew’s Square 254Victoria and Alfred Waterfront 58

water quality Capricorn Business & Technology Park 126Greefswald Limpopo Government Water Scheme 53Lake Michelle 200, 201–202Thesen Island 156, 221, 223

water run-off system 243–244, 248waterfront developments 7, 55–57, 82

Lake Michelle 200–203Waterfront Landscape Architects 49waterways,tidal 222Watson, Vanessa ixWeenen Game Reserve 148Weeping Willow 251Wesgro 122Wierda Bridge 147Wild Flowers Protection Ordinance, 1937 107wilderness 53wildlife 51, 52, 53, 95, 132wildlife-based tourism 147Willem van Riet Landscape Architects 19; see also Van Riet, WillemWorld Heritage Sites 40, 212

Cradle of Humankind 194Le Morne 156, 272Mapungubwe 40Taung Skull Fossil Site 209–214

Xcel Management Consultants 84

Young, Graham 31, 75, 81, 82, 153, 174, 177, 181, 231, 234, 237

Zhoukoudian caves 213Zimele Investment Enterprise Company (Pty) Ltd 139 zoo design 43–44


South African Landscape Architecture: A Compendium is a ground-breaking publication, celebrating 64 of South Africa's outstanding landscape architecture projects. Influential design, environmental, cultural and scientific professional practice projects, spanning more than 25 years, are documented in full-colour.

Since 1985, the Institute for Landscape Architects of South Africa (ILASA) has recognised landscape architecture projects worthy of advanced merit awards. These renowned projects are chronologically ordered in articles, many of which have been published previously in journals (several of which are no longer in print). The merit award projects, as published in the original journals, are collected here to preserve them as a set of historically significant – and landmark – projects in one consolidated publication, while showcasing the best professional work of South Africa's prominent landscape architects.

As an invaluable all-in-one resource to contemporary practitioners and scholars, the Compendium presents those key projects which led to the profession's becoming cornerstone to the creation of the concept of ‘outdoor space’. Furthermore, the inspired leadership reflected in these projects has contributed towards cultural and environmental stewardship in South Africa.

This retrospective study advances the knowledge of rigorous local practice on an international level, and confirms the vital role of quality outdoor public and private spaces. The Compendium publicises the great achievements of South African landscape architects and assists in creating a detailed and comprehensive understanding of the discipline of landscape architecture. It serves, too, as a benchmark locally for peers, and multi-disciplinary design and environmental teams.

The book will impact on ILASA and its members, as well as on future selection of merit award projects. In showcasing the best of landscape architecture, the Compendium opens up a multi-disciplinary discourse.

The Compendium is complemented by a Reader (entitled South African Landscape Architecture: A Reader, ISBN 978-1-86888-662-3). These two works will significantly contribute towards the creation of a focused and accessible view of landscape architecture in South Africa.

ISBN 978-1-86888-674-6

universityof south africaPRESS 9 781868 886746

landscape architectureSOUTH AFRICAN

A COMPENDIUM

South African Landscape Architecture: A Compendium

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Transcript of South African Landscape Architecture: A Compendium