Enhancing Baragwanath Taxi Rank
I am from Ulundi, a town in KwaZulu Natal. Having migrated to Johannesburg using a taxi, I am interested in how significant transport interchanges, such as Baragwanath Taxi Rank, need a sense of arrival for anyone coming to Johannesburg from afar. My design intervention advocates for a user-oriented experience that begins to soften the taxi rank and integrates the residents of Soweto.
Baragwanath taxi rank, which also serves as the Transport Interchange and Trader Market, stretches almost 1300m along Chris Hani Road and is just 50m wide. It is a gateway into Soweto, Johannesburg’s most populous township. This infrastructure serves one of the biggest hospitals in South Africa and is located close to the neighbourhood of Soweto. The taxi rank also forms links with the cityscape and outside the city.
I was motivated to propose a positive taxi rank that is community-oriented, guided by five rules: non-discrimination, social justice, diversity, mental security, self-expression, and social interaction. I used the rooftop as the new datum, proposing a new roofscape. This structure offers a softer architecture to contract the robust, concrete construction. My design uses materials such as steel and timber and various landscaping forms. I have used colour to bring vibrancy and invite community engagement.
