


Claude McCulloch
Healing from [into] the Past [Future]
Respiratory Health as a Remediation of Narrative for a Hospital in Riverlea


My proposed intervention aims to contest the current narrative of communities which are placed near to mine dumps due to Urban Sprawl in Johannesburg. Many of these communities have contaminants of airborne pollution due to dust emissions, and many of them suffer from poverty which further create social issues in their way of living.
I am addressing these Climatic and Social Issues. My intervention is placed in a site that has been a scarred landscape, as it creates a division between the members of the community. Many of them suffer from respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, and the community also has a list of social issues such as violence, drugs, crime, which is looked down upon.
After doing thorough analysis of the community, I am focusing on the pedestrian movement between a non-functioning railway track. My intervention uses urban design principles and creates a passage for the pedestrians, and on either side of the passage is a building. One for social change and another that addresses the medical conditions.
By using Salutogenic Design, I am proposing that the community needs to change their sense of place, as this has an impact of their daily lives. My intervention has spaces that allow for social gatherings to happen, it brings the community together through their culture and these social spaces also get translated into the clinic by creating waiting areas. This creates a peaceful and safe environment for the patients, by healing them holistically through healthy social spaces and improving their overall wellness.