African Design Magazine February 2017 | Page 15

unds with its new use for Stats SA .
African project Stats SA – South Africa
n outward reaching elliptical building on the solid base of the auditorium below . d second floors speak clearly of the transparency and openness of the Department drum is wrapped with a balcony that both enables wonderful views and shades inent mesh with an exceptional art piece providing further glare management .
mesh is taken through into the Main Building ’ s two northernmost wings on , embracing the entire built form , and expressing the integration of all the nctions in one coherent and unified campus .
rt , and History g piece of the cultural history of humankind . Dated to some 77 000 years old the the Blombos Cave in the Western Cape near Stilbaai in 2002 . The tally stone is t thus discovered that represents evidence of modern thought processes amongst dds enormous weight to the history of the origin of all humans in the cradle of researchers to be a device for counting or recording information the tally stone SA as representative of their work in a contemporary context as an extension of a
the ochre stone are regular and clearly organised , leading some researchers to than decoration , the markings represent information , recorded and re-recorded notion of the tally stone has been incorporated into the architectural solution for of identity and expression . The bold graphical marks on the tally stone ’ s surface a riveted beadwork design on the mesh wrapping the Drum . These imperfect ptly represented by the pixellated beads which underline the importance of le on the landscape and in information gathering , and echo the tactility of the the beading colours could be that of Nguni cattle – a perfect reference to wealth , tallying , and of course to the diversity of both the landscape of South Africa and of
work on the mesh of the Drum encircles the executive wing with the constant their work in counting and recording , and filters the light to the balcony and the shade to repeat the marks of the tally stone .
ion , and Decoration aft strongly associated with South Africa . In the same Blombos Cave in Stilbaai , n use of beads for decorative purposes were discovered in a collection of ostrich and bone have also been used as beads . Glass beads found their way to Africa BCE , and became the currency of Africa , used to trade for many items of value , age , and slaves . African trade beads also came to be used as decoration , first d then more widely . Most importantly in the context of the development for Stats thod of communication - with colours , patterns , and designs symbolising status , ersonal histories and ethnicities .
e of the Department in not only gathering information , but interpreting it and er audience , is highlighted by the use of the theme of African beads . The beads in the mesh cladding of the Drum , where they weave the message of history in ally stone .
Click here to read more about the project

africandesignmagazine . com 15