Sinini Siwawa

In a rapidly evolving South African economy, where cities are shaped by constant movement rather than static forms, this thesis explores the dynamics of an informal automotive sector in Johannesburg, revealing it as more than just a collection of makeshift garages and vendors. It is a vibrant space that challenges traditional architectural concepts and offers new ways to think about the urban. The concept of “assemblage”— the coming together of various elements to form a whole—is used to frame these urban spaces as places of fluidity and transformation, rather than static entities. The offering is a proposed complex adaptive assemblage of spatiality and representation, framing practices, objects, bodies, and sites through its spatial program.
Fertile ground for this project is identified at an intersection in Westdene, Johannesburg which currently lies suspended along a highly trafficked movement route on Perth Road between the inner city and south/west of Johannesburg.