The spatial legacy of Apartheid left extended urban geography with far-flung “informal’ settlements with limited formal economies. With the change from restrictive Apartheid regulations, informal trade located along with major taxi and pedestrian routes, road intersections and transportation ‘nodes’ became synonymous with a changing urban environment.
Creating a sense of place through the structuring of outdoor space was a primary objective. Trading spaces respond to existing circulation routes and require easy visual access to goods that are displayed in the open. The provision of amenities such as shade through clip -on verandahs, storage within the containers and display surfaces are the elements that are used to structure outdoor trading spaces and mediate between closed and open areas.
The use of ready-made building elements to assemble modular structures is explored within a series of spatial typologies that are developed through the projects. The kit of parts comprised of modified shipping containers together with steel roof structures, concrete worktops, refuse bins, water tanks and toilets.
A series of spatial typologies was developed in response to different contexts: the linear strip, the “mall”, the courtyard and the market.