Merlin Love

In our hypermobile and rapidly changing architectural environment, the forces of urban decay and stagnation are ever-present, affecting economically vulnerable areas. Orange Grove is one such area, where these forces have played an important part in shaping its historical, economic and social landscape. In such an area, it is critical that architectural developments are made with resilience, the adaptation to change that centres the human experience, in mind. Resilience in architecture is usually treated as a return to the original state, a form of resistance. However, an adaptive resilience in architecture is essential in order to weather the fluctuating economic and social forces at play, in order to stave off decay and abandonment.

In order to identify where resilience can be created and maintained, this research presents the theoretical framework of architectural boredom, which explores the physiological and psychological responses to change and stasis in architecture. Using a layered methodological process that examines the past and the present, this framework is applied to Orange Grove and Louis Botha Avenue to identify trends that can inform the fostering of resilience.

These findings are then utilised to develop a design intervention that aims to serve the needs, present and future, of the local community in Orange Grove in a sustainable and human-centric way. This is tested through the architectural intervention of a civic centre focused on adult education and tool and knowledge sharing to foster collaborative place making and revitalise the abandoned buildings of Orange Grove.