Ilana Steenkamp URBAN DESIGN + PLANNING + ARCHITECTURE
Woodstock Erf 142212 Urban Design Framework, Jakupa, Cape Town
An Urban Design Framework was developed in order to guide the development of a land parcel in the post-industrial area of Woodstock Cape Town and to support a rezoning application, motivated by the scale of the site and allowing for a considered development proposal within the confines of the site.
The Urban Design Framework is based in a post-industrial area that has received development pressure and is earmarked for densification and housing. The site itself is currently home to a two storey decommissioned factory built in the 1970s.
The development of the site has the potential to add to housing stock closer to the city centre while redeveloping an underutilised site without displacing any current inhabitants. The redevelopment of the site can provide a more positive interface for the neighbourhood than the blank wall of an old factory building.
The area is analysed within the context of the city and within the local context of the surrounding area. The site is optimally located along a transect that runs between 2 commercial activity corridors. The site lies between a mosque and a church, and behind the Woodstock Exchange hub. While the 2 activity corridors provide public transport and non-motorised transit routes, the Woodstock train station is also in close proximity to the site. Housing, within this area, provides future inhabitants with a rich living environment, as well as connectivity to the rest of the city.
Responding to Context
The site is located in an overlap between the industrial area of lower Woodstock, adjacent to the harbour and freight rail lines, and the fine-grained residential area of Woodstock, know for narrow row houses and, more recently for larger apartment blocks. With the mix of grain within the neighbourhood, care needs to be taken to respond the the adjacencies appropriately. The building thus pushes it's bulk to the most prominent corner, while stepping away from the residential neighbourhood so as to respond to the heights of surrounding streets.
Zoning Envelopes
Zoning envelopes were created to determine the potential urban form resultant from the zoning scheme in the area. The area is already zoned as Mixed-Use 2 allowing for the development of parcels of up to 25m with a setback of 4,5m after the first 10m of height. The site is already set back from the adjacent parcels along the street edge and is narrow, resulting in a less than optimal floorplan. The UDF thus sets guides for the form of the development to allow for an increase in bulk and height and the removal of setback lines, while responding appropriately to the surrounding context.
Conceptual architectural guidelines
Conceptual floor plans were developed in order to illustrate the desired response to the urban context. The Ground Floor needs to provide an active interface that responds to the pedestrian scale.
Parking is pushed below grade to free up the ground plane for retail and active interfaces. The upper floors create an activated facade that provides passive surveillance and visual interest above the pedestrian space.
