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2000: Final Year
East Cape Taxi Headquarters - Final Year Thesis Project
OBJECTIVE: The South African Taxi industry is in a period of great strife and on the brink of massive transformation. It was my intention to address this need for change in the industry. Most of my architectural proposal focussed on providing part of the built infrastructure for these needs.
The aim of this project was to produce a design solution for the headquarters of the soon-to-be formalized taxi industry in the Eastern Cape Province(which means it will only happen in about 5-10 years' time!).
The building was intended to speed up and strengthen integration and formalization of the taxi industry. It houses the offices of taxi co-operatives, the union of taxi operators and a basic training facility. Housing all the different taxi unions in one building could sound very ambitious and would probably ensure outright war, but the training and educational facilities are there to provide a more civilised approach as a public business venture.
Having all the unions together under one roof also eases the transition from lots of scattered taxi unions into one main controlling body. The facility also incorporates a long-distance taxi rank (something that is not catered for anywhere else in PE - long-distance taxi unions use existing rank facilities) and a retail component. Additional fuctions include the incorporation of a specialised taxi filling station, repairs workshops and resting facilities for long-distance drivers.
North view
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South-east view of center
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Southern view of concourse from main parking lot
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Main linking courtyard between taxi terminal and classrooms. Waiting benches and litter bins placed strategically, with phone booths at back...
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Crossing the street...
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North-east view across classrooms and terminal buildings
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