Johannesburg, South Africa
project image
Pan-African Parliament
Midrand, South Africa
The architectural quality of the proposed landscape is inversely complimented by the landscape quality of the architecture: the building cuts into the slope of the site creating a linear public park. Kloof landscapes are found where rivers cut through hills to create lush vertical spaces juxtaposed with the horizontal and sparse nature of the Highveld. As an abstraction of this landscape pattern, the retaining walls of the park consist of pre-cast concrete blocks stacked to form a jagged edge that not only retains soil, but also accommodates the growth of plants and defines shaded spaces for the visitor. The design of the park attempts to create an integrated natural, functional and aesthetic environment which embodies an African experience of landscape as opposed to a two dimensional picturesque ideal.