In the past, Woodstock used to be a conveniently forgotten area between two bustling highways leading out of Cape Town. Once a vibrant business district, it was caught in a steady downward spiral during the nineties, ultimately becoming the stomping ground for muggers and drug dealers and a no-go area for many Capetonians. 

Like downtown Johannesburg, Woodstock has become a beacon of hope in a South Africa where major cities have fallen victim to seemingly unstoppable inner city degeneration.  Since 2003, when a business alliance and Cape Town’s municipality joined forces to rejuvenate the area, an influx of artists and upwardly mobile citizens has propelled Woodstock upwards, transforming it into a trendy area populated by cool cafés and restaurants, boutique retailers and stylish inner city office space.

This formed the context for an award winning project by 24 year-old University of Cape Town landscape architecture student, Tara McCaughey, who drew on her architectural background and love for nature, the outdoors and public space to put forward a “living system that celebrates everyday activities through the creation of a network of public spaces that bring together a hierarchy of both public squares and streetscapes while providing an opportunity for nature’s processes to occur.”

She collected Corobrik’s award for the Most Innovative Final Year Landscape Architecture Project at the University of Cape Town, together with a R7000,00 prize. Corobrik’s Manager Western Cape, Christie van Niekerk, says that this award, which is now in its third year, shows how South Africa’s future landscape architects are rising to meet increasingly complex challenges. Whilst the environment and sustainability were important issues within a global context, there were also uniquely South African issues such as escalating urbanization.

Drawing on statistics from the recent population census, he points out that 63% of the population is already living in urban areas. With the influx of a further 7.8 million people, this is expected to increase to over 70% by 2030. 

“Urban areas which, in many parts of South Africa, are still defined by historic spatial, economic and social divides, not only need to address the population’s economic needs but also their cultural development. Areas like Woodstock are proving that the rejuvenation of dilapidated areas is possible. This has given birth to a whole new design aesthetic. Upcoming creatives like Tara McCaughey can combine both practical and design elements to revitalize tired urban spaces and create a positive living experience,” he says.

The starting point for McCaughey is Woodstock’s position as the threshold between the Cape Town CBD and the surrounding suburbs. “Throughout Cape Town’s development, Woodstock has always played this role, acting as the funnel that holds the potential to act as a gateway that filters and combines external elements into a rich, pulsating interaction of everyday performances.”

As she explains, every day, the city plays out its spectacle somewhat unnoticed. “This everyday context is full of spontaneity, unpredictability, complexity and, most of all, opportunity. Landscape architecture can act as the mediator between nature and culture and has a profound role to play in allowing these systems to coincide on a daily basis, to create a platform that can begin to unify fragmented spaces within the urban fabric.

“Public space becomes the agent for such a platform, where people begin to interact with open systems and one another, where public and private boundaries overlap and where nature is given a space to breathe. It is within this realm that landscape architecture can both enhance and celebrate the everyday, challenging conventional typologies of public space.”

The main issues that she needed to address in her thesis were the fragmented nature of the current public space, the east-west linearity that divides the site into separate parts and the face that the existing site does not support the everyday activities of those living and passing through.

“This typology of public space becomes about the creation of habitable spaces within the dense urban fabric that cater for the needs of people and the environment, while establishing a network that connects facilities and re-stitches the urban experience,” she explains in her thesis.

She says that, in order to achieve this, she had to understand what the community needed through observation and interaction. The result was safe walking routes and a bridge system that connects opposite sides of the park. This bridge allows for an 'eyes on the street' approach to security whilst also catering for a degree of people watching which, she points out, is one of the aspects people love about public spaces.

Other features include skate and graffiti parks, bus stops and waiting areas, a public 'stage' surrounded by seating that could allow for performances or simply act as a central public gathering point.

“What made this project very unique was allowing nature and the public sphere to both be celebrated. This included day lighting water and allowing it to create a natural wetland area. The bridge system interacted with this wetland by allowing natural vegetation to grow up the main support structures and created areas where people could interact with the water’s edge and observe nature,” she recalls.
For McCaughey, it was important to respect all historic elements within the park and include them within the final design. “These included old stone forts and a historic passageway running across the site.

Because of the historic aesthetic existing on site, complementary Corobrik products that included the 'autumn paver' and 'autumn hue rock face' were chosen. These products where used for retaining walls and pathways.

McCaughey says that this award comes at an exciting time both in the evolution of South African cities and her career. “The award gives me a sense of accomplishment and confidence while I'm entering into the working world!”
A selection of images are attached.
                                                                                                                                             
Prepared and distributed on behalf of Corobrik (Pty) Ltd
For more information contact Christie van Niekerk on 021 888 2300
Distributed by Shirley Williams
Contact Shirley on 083 303 1663 or shirley@swcommunications.co.za