April 13, 2007
By Neil Fraser
ON two mornings this past week I was taken to see the changes that are taking place in specific areas in the inner city; both were to the south of Market Street. The biggest noticeable change was the sheer number of people now working in buildings that less than 18 months ago were virtually empty.
And developers are saying that if they had more space they could fill it - in fact, construction abounds in some areas. Two main issues that are probably having a strong and positive effect are the economy itself and, secondly, that people who have resisted working in the inner city are now either buying good accommodation in the centre or are enjoying the benefits of easy transport and the rapidly growing service economy that is materialising to support them.
We need a big push to deal with the environment around these specific areas. I have heard of one instance regarding an area around some of the major buildings being deliberately held up because of unacceptable demands on the property owner by a council entity. This sort of attitude must be stopped, otherwise it really is a story of one step forward …
In other good news
The other really good news that I received this week relates to the buy-out of the notorious Dunwell and Softstone properties, with concommitmant plans to refurbish these. The purchase of the Dunwell portfolio is evidently subject to a number of conditions precedent that still need to be fulfilled.
Here we have so-called slum lording being taken up and, with the quality of those who have purchased and will refurbish the properties, I have no doubt that a series of what can be described as sinkholes among the 24 buildings involved in the deal, will be turned around and once again be an asset to the city.
According to the press release: "ApexHi Properties Limited has acquired two residential property portfolios (the Dunwell and Softstone portfolios) for R246-million and will invest a further R91-million in refurbishing costs in a joint venture with residential specialists, Aengus Property Holdings. The purchase of the Dunwell portfolio is subject to a number of conditions precedent that still need to be fulfilled."
The Dunwell portfolio, which consists of 15 residential properties in Braamfontein, will be acquired for R115-million. A further R78-million will be incurred in refurbishing costs. A portion of the portfolio, at a cost of R47-million, will be refurbished and held as investment property; the balance, purchased and refurbished for R146-million, will be sold to investors.
The Softstone portfolio will be bought for R131-million, with a further R11-million incurred in refurbishing costs. The portfolio consists of nine residential properties in Hospital Hill, Hillbrow, Braamfontein, Parktown and Berea. The joint venture will retain a portfolio of R86-million; the balance will be sold.
Aengus Properties has been working with ApexHi since last year and the relationship has been extremely positive for the city - Aengus has developed Braamfontein Lofts from what used to be Biccard House; Fashion Lofts from Kelhof; Lofts@66 from the mothballed 66 Smal Street; and Tribeca Lofts from African City. The bulk of the 514 extremely good quality residential accommodation has been sold, often within days of coming on the market.
There is a close link between this and my earlier comment, that there is a growing number of people now working in the inner city who also prefer staying here. Ten years ago I would have been burnt at the stake for suggesting that this was the way we would go.
Nothing changes
The second issue that hit me forcibly on my walk around is that in relation to some issues, nothing changes. The older sinkholes are still being allowed to rot and do their damage.
One visual aspect of the inner city that continues to be of major concern to me is the treatment (or rather the lack thereof) of buildings, old and not so old, scattered throughout the inner city. The irresponsibility of some private developers and of all levels of government in regard to these buildings is appalling.
I walked past the Irish Barracks in Marshall Street and was dismayed to see that it is still a burnt-out shell. The building has not been in use for decades. The fire that partly destroyed it took place years ago and was probably caused by vandals burning the plastic sheathing off stolen copper wire.
For some time before the fire, it was used by the City as a store for informal traders - it housed old supermarket trolleys and goods the movement of which to and from the building created havoc with traffic. I understand that the building belongs to the central government, which is supposed to be the leaders of preservation of the country's heritage.
What a joke! Remember the Drill Hall? It had to have a series of fires that almost destroyed it and cost numerous lives before the City council stepped in, took over ownership and restored as much as what was left. The Irish Barracks must be classified as a sinkhole yet the central government owner, through its Works Department, ignores genuine interest from those who are keen to place the building back into the daily life of the city.
And the City does nothing - surely the new urban management regime that has been spoken about for months should see this as an urgent responsibility? Of course, it has become even more of an eyesore now that the buildings that surround it have been upgraded - someone needs to get off their butt, fast.
Heritage Resources Act
Our National Heritage Resources Act contains all the "right words" - "… enable and encourage communities to nurture and conserve their legacy so that it may be bequeathed to future generations … Our heritage is unique and precious and it cannot be renewed. It helps us to define our cultural identity and therefore lies at the heart of our spiritual wellbeing and has the power to build our nation."
Oswald Spengler, author of
The Decline of the West and
Cities, aptly wrote in the early 20th century: "We cannot comprehend political, social and economic history at all unless we realise that the city … is the determinative form to which the course and sense of higher history generally conforms. World history is city history."
To which Donovan Rypkema, in his excellent paper on "Globalisation, heritage buildings and the 21st century", adds: "… historic preservation allows a city the opportunity to modernise without having to Westernise. More than that - historic preservation is the irreplaceable variable to achieve modernisation without Westernisation."
A level down from the central government we have a provincial legislature that acts just as badly as its superior - no worse, given provincial heritage responsibility. The Rissik Street Post Office, supposedly bought by the provincial legislature some years back for office space, daily disintegrates.
Its unique historic clock and bells have long since been melted down in a scrap buyer's yard, while the building daily becomes more and more of a cancer on the urban fabric. The provincial government is supposed to provide the government agency that is entrusted to manage Gauteng's heritage. What a joke!
In March, it provided yet another demolition permit for a building known for, and drawn to their attention for, its heritage value. Although it is not within the inner city - it is in Parkwood - it is another example of the total disrespect the organisation has for legislative procedures, as well as its apparent disinterest in heritage preservation.
Private sector
The private sector's hands are not clean either. The quite remarkable turnaround that the city has experienced has resulted in what appears to me to be major exploitation of the urban environment.
A number of private buyers, unlike the two mentioned previously and, thankfully, many others, have bought substantial numbers of buildings for very little over the past few years and for which they are quite happy to pay rates yet see them rot until the market goes even higher and they can make a killing … Just good business?
For them, maybe, but for the inner city it certainly isn't because of the negative effect that the empty buildings, some of which are rotting hulks, have on the city. How can a property owner be permitted to surround a building with hoardings for a couple of years or have street parking bays closed, also for years, yet do nothing with the building without the City paying any attention at all? Is the City happy merely to collect the rates and ignore the negative effect on the city itself?
Again, hopefully, when the much-vaunted urban management programme is put into place (when?), maybe we'll see some appropriate reaction. Personally, I think that it is time to become punitive.
I trust you enjoyed Women's Day and had a great long weekend.
Best regards, Neil
Architect Africa Film Festival
Don't Forget the Architect Africa Film Festival 2007 starting next week.
It is the first festival of its kind in South Africa, fuelled by the magic of film and fired by the desire to celebrate architecture.
In collaboration with Cinema Nouveau screened by Jameson, the festival will be screening a selection of award-winning films at Cinema Nouveau in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town during August and September.
Given the speed at which the world is urbanising, and the importance that the built environment is assuming in general developmental settings, the Architect Africa Film Festival will rapidly become an annual cultural event of considerable significance on the African continent and throughout the developing world.
The festival aims to create awareness of the need for thoughtful design and the important role of architecture in society. Other cultural events, such as exhibitions and debates that will take place during the festival, aim to create awareness of major issues in architecture and construction, such as capacity building, training and education; development that is socially, economically and environmentally sustainable; and inclusive, innovative architecture that represents our society appropriately.
This is a rare opportunity to enjoy several fascinating films and documentaries on architecture and the built environment. The films that have been selected for the festival explore the relationships between buildings, the lives of people who use them, and the contexts in which they are located.
Revel in these and 10 other exiting films:
Fountainhead (classic feature);
Metropolis (classic sci-fi feature);
The Architects (feature);
City of God (feature);
Lagos: Wide and Close (documentary);
The End of Suburbia (documentary);
Living in the Landscape - Peter Stutchbury (documentary);
Caracas: An Informal City (documentary);
Sir John Soane: English Architect - American Legacy (documentary);
The Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright (documentary);
Many Words for Modern (documentary).
Dates and venues for the Architect Africa Film Festival 2007 are:
- Johannesburg: Rosebank Nouveau, The Mall, Rosebank - 17 to 23 August;
- Durban: Gateway Nouveau, Gateway Shopping Centre - 24 to 30 August; and
- Cape Town: Cavendish Nouveau, Cavendish Square - 31 August to 6 September.
The event is endorsed by the South African Institute of Architects; the South African Council for the Architectural Profession; the Gauteng Film Commission; and the Gauteng department of arts, culture and heritage services. Sponsors and partners include the Cement and Concrete Institute; Cinema Nouveau Screened by Jameson; and Wallstreet Global Careers.
For more information, visit the
Architects' Collective website or the
Ster Kinekor website.
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