Architect and Builder Magazine South Africa May/June 2015

COMMENDATION FOR EXCELLENCE IN ARCHITECTURE: WALTER RAUBENHEIMER UNIVERSITY OF PRETORIA Redefining industry: Architecture as a constructive extraction Commendations for Excellence in Architecture are given for exceptional projects that the juror panel considers able to compete on a world stage. “The juror panel deemed Raubenheimer’s thesis project exemplary given the comprehensiveness and completeness of the investigation, as well as the maturity, confidence and skill evident in the architectural resolution of the buildings and the urban design framework for the precinct” said Meyer. Raubenheimer extended the sustainability of the project making use of waste material on the site for the manufacture of bricks that were incorporated into the architecture. For this consideration and the appropriate application of the bricks consistent with the design Raubenheimer was awarded a R10,000 prize for the ‘best use of bricks’. Raubenheimer said that the birth of this dissertation was rooted in a personal fascination with the industrial archetype which has developed over time from crude 70 mechanistic structures into refined, sophisticated edifices of technological and structural ingenuity. Walter Raubenheimer says, “The decommissioning of the famous Cullinan diamond mine will create an industrial ruin, perpetuating ecological degradation and fostering a homogeneous experiential environment within a scarred landscape. The inaccessible ghostlike remnants of mining industry will not only result in a loss of functional, social and economic value but also a loss of authenticity, heritage value and spatial and experiential diversity.” Raubenheimer proposed using the existing infrastructure to manufacture essential oils, to be used in the perfume industry, from the roots of Vetiver grass growing on site. He also suggests a cider making facility which was the primary focus of the design as well as a brick-making facility that utilizes the kimberlite tailings for the manufacturing of bricks. The discovery of Vetiver grass on the site means it is being used extensively for the remediation of the kimberlite tailings. Student Awards

Architect and Builder Magazine South Africa May/June 2015 | Page 70