Liam Gaillard

This research addresses the growing disconnect between vocational education and the evolving industrial skills needed to address Johannesburg’s economic challenges. It investigates how architecture, specifically the spaces where the maker learns, can transform vocational spaces from stigmatised, overlooked environments into intersectional hubs for learning, community, and innovation. Focusing on adaptive reuse of derelict industrial sites, such as the Johannesburg Municipal Transport building, the study proposes moving beyond generic “white box” classrooms to maker spaces that integrate materials, workflows, and cultural narratives of each trade into the building itself. Carpentry, for example, might expose timber framing as both structure and teaching tool, while metalworking could repurpose steel from abandoned factories, reconnecting learners to the city’s industrial heritage and lineage. In response to South Africa’s skills crisis, where high unemployment coexists with artisan shortages, this research argues that thoughtful architectural design can reshape perceptions and enhance learning, by pivoting from the traditional vocational model into a shared Maker Space dynamic that still satisfies industry needs and contributes to urban regeneration.