Grand Central

Aerial rendering of a modern urban development with residential, commercial, and public spaces, including a pedestrian-friendly street lined with trees and contemporary buildings, surrounding a large open green area.

Midrand Social Infrastructure

LOCATION

Midrand, Johannesburg

YEAR

2021

167 000 sqm

SIZE

Midrand developed as a midway town that serves as a home for laborers who commute between Pretoria and Johannesburg. This has created an emphasis on dormitory developments which offer limited civic and social facilities. The deficit of civic and cultural amenities has forced people to resort to retail and private club recreational activities. Globally, the advent of social media creating unsociable people has been accelerated by Covid-19 regulations. These notions create communities with a reduced desire for a shared community or close association.

  • Grand central urban development. Midrand urban upgrade. Grand central airport upgrade. Johannesburg Water Upgrade. Midrand Gautrain station upgrade. Midrand Gautrain station development.

    01. In the site plan above, Zone 1 hosts an elderly home, a children’s home, and a primary school which has a vocational wing to it. Zone 2 hosts the Sports Complex which boasts an indoor public swimming pool, and multifunctional halls to serve as spaces for community gatherings and performance halls. Zone 3 hosts the District Park which boasts an ECD Resources hub, Municipal offices, a Thusong centre and other public service amenities.

  • Grand central elderly home. Grand central children's home. Boulder's urban development. Old Pretoria road upgrade. Midrand BRT system. Boulder's gateway.

    02. The Elderly home and Children’s home form a gateway into the existing grand central neighbourhood and into the new Soft City urban upgrade proposal.

  • Midrand civic center. Midrand sports center. Midrand public square. Midrand community center. Gautrain Midrand upgrade.

    03. This proposal explores civic and cultural amenities that are easily accessible and accommodate a range of socio-economic classes. Other important principles that would need to be considered include; sharing of service delivery points at key nodes, reducing the average travel time and cost to access these local facilities and reducing land requirements for social infrastructure through sharing departments and multi-use buildings.

  • Midrand, Johannesburg Water tower upgrade. Johannesburg Water tower park. Midrand civic center. Johannesburg Water tower public space.

    04. The Johannesburg Water Tower is one of Midrand’s most significant landmarks. The proposal aims to turn the space around the sculptural infrastructure into a public square surrounded by civic social infrastructure facilities. The JW Tower would act like a sun dial within the circular public square. The cascading terraces address the natural topography and the hydrology of the area. Enabling all its users an opportunity to linger whilst awaiting their service or for leisure.