June 23, 2006
By Lucille Davie
THE historic observatory site, long under-utilised but with great potential, is about to get a major revamp.
The observatory, in the suburb of the same name, is managed by the National Research Foundation's science outreach business unit, the South African Agency for Science and Technology Advancement (SAASTA).
The main observatory on the site, with attached function room
"We want to provide a facility that will create a unique science and educational experience at the site," said Beverley Damonse, executive director of SAASTA, at a briefing called this week for the neighbours who will be affected by the construction.
"It is an amazing site which is being inadequately utilised and maintained," she admitted. "It is not being used for its original purpose but still has value."
The 35ha site was declared the city's first meteorological observatory site in 1903, after the land was given to the government by the Bezuidenhout family, one of the first white land owners in the area. It was donated for the purpose of "science carried on in an observatory, for meteorological, astronomical or strictly allied subjects".
The site moves from the crest of the koppie, where there are several small telescopes (built in 1905), down the hill, amongst scattered buildings and tall conifers. Some of the buildings are old wood and iron homes, others are designed by architect Herbert Baker. The main domed observatory building was completed in 1925.
The first telescope, installed in 1906, was lent by the Imperial Observatory in Pulkowa in Russia, and became known as the Union Observatory. It was housed in the beautiful domed building on the site, which is also suffering from a lack of maintenance.
But since the early 1970s the site has no longer functioned as an observatory facility. Because of the bright lights and polluted skies of Joburg, it was moved to Sutherland in the Northern Cape. The site was taken over by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research for telecommunications research. But in the last decade several of the buildings on the site have been rented out to the Institute for Traumatic Stress and the SA Institute of Electrical Engineers, who occasionally use the telescopes and boardrooms.
Plans to revamp and redefine the site have been in the pipeline for a number of years, with the aim of developing the site into "a multi-disciplinary, multi-purpose science and technology facility where science awareness and science education activities will occur".
Challenges
Damonse cited a number of challenges for the site. The most urgent one is the deterioration of the historic buildings. Security is also an increasing risk, as there have been burglaries in the library and the small observatory on the crest of the hill.
SAASTA has a number of objectives: building the quantity and quality of maths and science students at school level; raising general interest in, engagement and appreciation of the public for science and its benefits; and communicating science and scientific research to the public in innovative ways, for example, through drama and art, which will stimulate debate.
The revamp will be done in several phases. Phase 1 will start in August, with a re-modelling of a 1960s admin building on the site. Construction should be complete by the end of February next year.
The building will undergo changes to make it more user-friendly, to cater for both daily public and school visits, with three laboratories. The offices will be refurbished, as well as the parking and maintenance areas.
Damonse stressed that the developments wouldn't intrude beyond the site, and would bring buses onto the site, instead of parking in the street.
The Herbert Baker library, on the crest of the hill
Long-term plans include accommodation facilities for long-distance visitors and training facilities. There'll be space for permanent displays and exhibitions, and future attractions include a camera obscura, a science theatre and a restaurant.
Architect Gerrit Jordaan, of the Holm Jordaan Group, said the revamp of the admin building would include making it eco-friendly, with sunscreens to save energy, a solar seal on the northern edge of the building, and water harvesting from the roof.
Jordaan assured the residents that the attractive observatory building would still be the focal point of the site, with other developments remaining low-key. As the historic buildings are older than 60 years, permission for restoration must be obtained from the South African Heritage Resources Agency. This means that a heritage impact assessment must be completed before restoration begins.
Damonse says R7-million has been budgeted for Phase 1 and the beginnings of Phase 2, when more funds will need to be raised.
"We can't wait too long for Phase 2 and 3, but raising funds will be easier if the site is 50 percent operational." These phases will probably take several years to get off the ground, and involve the restoration of the main observatory, parking, an auditorium, restoration of the koppie, including the buildings, and storm water management.
She added that the site would complement developments in Newtown, like the Sci-Bono Discovery Centre, and the Origins Centre on the Wits University campus.
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