JACO JONKER
UNIVERSITY OF JOHANNESBURG
The Plug-In Plantation - Reforestation and industrialisation of the Nasrec
precinct through the implementation of a new timber mill industry
Jonker’s thesis explores how an important part
of Johannesburg’s southern reef band, the Nasrec
Precinct, can reduce direct and secondary impacts
of soil erosion, heavy-metal toxins, and rampart
water evaporation from increasingly frequent dust
storms along the engineered mine dumps in the
area. In order to do this, the project envisioned how
existing “thirsty’ Eucalyptus tree groves in the area
can be replaced with more sustainable varieties of
Conifer tree plantations. In this process, industries
based on harvesting this timber will be generated.
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The final architectural program imagines smaller
“villages” along Nasrec road that specialise in the
tending, growing, and harvesting of the new conifer
tree plantations. The process will accommodate
specific tradespeople such as carpenters, tree
fellers, and botanists. The project also explored
how these “villages” can become educational
training workshops for training people how to use
cheap, recycled computer parts and program these
mechanical components using the Arduino platform
to maintain and upgrade the timber-harvesting mills.
Student Awards