A Return to Paradise and its People - Durban

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AS IS THE CASE WITH MANY AFRICAN CITIES, DURBAN’S architectural history reflects that of its colonial predecessors. Yet the City’s expansion over the years has been sufficiently consistent to ensure that it now showcases a wide diversity of architectural forms. From its Edwardian and Victorian beginnings, more than 150 years of global architectural trends have been compressed into a single city. And as the new South Africa crystalises, a new architectural voice is heard singing a beautiful local language. In 2008 Durban won the bid to host the World Architecture Conference taking place in 2014, giving the city a chance to showcase its eclectic architecture and the complex demands made on architects in South Africa. Although taking place on a far smaller scale than the 2010 Fifa World Cup, this prestigious event will enhance Durban’s profile on the global stage, while the uniquely layered nature of the City will no doubt impact on the minds and output of architects around the world in the coming decades. 42 BUILDING LAS VEGAS stands as a monument to another time that never quite existed in Durban. Probably the city’s strongest reference to BRAZILIAN MODERNISM, the luxurious building (only three apartments per floor) converts the notion of the residential highrise into a thing of free-form beauty filled with idiosyncratic detailing. Its stone-walled lobby alone is a piece of anachronistic delight that the international design set would die for. The building was designed by Benjamin and Croft, an architectural firm that built many of Durban’s most meticulously designed buildings, including Westpoint and The Riviera. See it at: 276 Suncoast Drive, Beachfront ART DECO BUILDINGS Durban has one of the world’s largest concentrations of art deco buildings. One of the few architectural styles in which the detailing is incorporated absolutely into the design, this deco legacy is one of the most well-loved aspects of Durban’s architectural heritage. The detailing is often infused with local symbolism. BEREA COURT and Surrey Mansions are two of the most striking examples. See it at: 3 Hunt Rd, Glenwood
THE FASCIST ARCHITECTURE of apartheid South Africa still marks the landscape in much of Durban, including the Mansfield campus of the Durban University of Technology, CR SWART SQUARE and the Durban Station. The forms are vast and blunt in their design, although the sheer scale and brutal aesthetic appeals to some. These buildings often had political overtones and functions. The police residences next to CR Swart Police Station, for example, were built with the explicit but unspoken purpose of swelling a leftwing area with conservative National Party voters. Durban Station, which used to be the City’s most brutal example of fascist architecture has slowly undergone a facelift in recent years, and is now a much friendlier and more welcoming space. See it at: 3 Stalwart Simelane Rd, City Centre THE JUMA MUSJID MOSQUE in Yusuf Dadoo Street is one of the largest mosques in the Southern Hemisphere. Also known as the GREY STREET MOSQUE, it represents a spiritual centre for Durban’s Muslims. It was built in 1930, and together with Madressa Arcade which runs through it, replaced the original series of buildings that had popped up with the arrival of non-indentured Indians in Durban in the late 1800s. The mosque is actually a series of interlinking buildings, arcades and corridors, in which commerce, religion and community exist in equilibrium. See it at: 176 Yusuf Dadoo Street, the Indian Quarter The Durban Art Deco Society was formed in 2002 to raise awareness of the rich diversity of art deco architectural styles that exist in the city and to attract the annual International Art Deco Conference to Durban. In addition, the society aims to highlight the importance of preserving art deco buildings in eThekwini. The Society run regular tours exploring aspects of Durban’s deco heritage. Contact Helen Labuschagne for further information on +27 31 301 1951. ETHEKWINI MUNICIPALITY’S CITY ARCHITECTS effectively constitute Durban’s largest interdisciplainary firm of architects, urban designers, quantity surveyors and engineers. The department is responsible for the delivery of Municipal-owned building infrastructure, as well as the refurbishment of key historical landmarks, the development of the ICC and the ICC Arena as well as social, cultural and sporting facilities in Durban’s outlying areas. The department’s portfolio includes a broad range of projects, including built structures and strategic projects. 43
Page 1 and 2: DURBAN A Return to Paradise and its
Page 3: to durban
Page 9: Published by eThekwini Municipality
Page 12 and 13: THERE’S SOMETHING FOOLISH ABOUT R
Page 14 and 15: Shaka had instructed his citizens t
Page 16 and 17: MAHATMA GANDHI Mahatma Gandhi arriv
Page 18 and 19: WITH THE 2010 FIFA WORLD CUP CAME T
Page 20 and 21: CENTRAL DURBAN WIDENING THE HARBOUR
Page 22 and 23: GALLERIA SHOPPING CENTRE in Amanzim
Page 24 and 25: NORTH DURBAN BRIDGE CITY Bridge Cit
Page 26: 24 Local Exporters www.southafrican
Page 29 and 30: ISLAM arrived in South Africa as ea
Page 31 and 32: Religion and Colonialism Religion p
Page 33 and 34: THE HARBOUR Durban’s economic imp
Page 35 and 36: GATEWAY Built on 28 hectares of pri
Page 37 and 38: Targeting the Townships One of the
Page 39 and 40: THE DURBAN CURRY is the single cuis
Page 41 and 42: L’EDICOLA ITALIAN DELI is one of
Page 43: Organic Food in Durban The market f
Page 47 and 48: DESIGN WORKSHOP : SA are the celebr
Page 49 and 50: The 2014 UIA Architecture World Con
Page 51 and 52: THE PAINTED BUSES If you’re a ped
Page 53 and 54: EGG DESIGNS is an interior and prod
Page 55 and 56: I HEART MARKET is a roving market w
Page 57 and 58: IMRAAN COOVADIA writes novels that
Page 59 and 60: City Paper eThekwini Municipality p
Page 61 and 62: AMY-JO WINDT makes work that combin
Page 63 and 64: DANNY NOVELA walks the streets of D
Page 65 and 66: Art in the City’s Public Building
Page 67 and 68: THE SOUTH JERSEY POM-POMS hark back
Page 69 and 70: GUY BUTTERY uses unorthodox playing
Page 71 and 72: DJ TIRA , aka Mthokosisi Khathi, is
Page 73 and 74: Jazzy Rainbow 93 Smiso Nkwanyana Ro
Page 75 and 76: FLATFOOT DANCE COMPANY , named for
Page 77 and 78: Dancelink started with the aim of r
Page 79 and 80: MBONGENI NGEMA , progenitor of the
Page 81 and 82: CLAIRE MORTIMER is one of Durban’
Page 83 and 84: MASOOD BOOMGARD is a talented local
Page 85 and 86: The Grey Street Cinemas are signifi
Page 87 and 88: THE KWA MUHLE MUSEUM Once the offic
Page 89 and 90: The Durban System was the first inc
Page 91 and 92: DURBAN’S BOTANIC GARDENS was esta
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HASHIM AMLA made cricketing history
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Moses Mabhida Stadium While this wo
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TAXI SIGNALS If you see a stranger
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100 WHERE TO STAY DURBAN HAS A FULL
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102 GOVERNANCE AS WITH ALL CITIES A
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TRANSPORTATION THE KING SHAKA INTER
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106 TOURIST SERVICES Tourist Juncti
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108 Photo Credits Welcome to Durban
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A Return to Paradise and its People - Durban

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