Urban Intensification:
Learning from corner Bree
I examined two courtyard typologies, one from my home in Mpumalanga at Buhlebesizwe, kwaLamula and the other courtyard within the inner city of Johannesburg at Corner Bree. Although the corner is not a courtyard, I termed it a courtyard because it is a public space surrounded by buildings and contains multiple activities.
My interest in Corner Bree was prompted by its multiple activities at various times of the day. The small corner accommodates socioeconomic, religious, cultural, and political activities. Through my site documentation, I sketched the material and immaterial architectures. Numerous multiscalar activities and architectures forge the intensity at the corner as part of the taxi rank, taxi drop-off, and shops.
My final proposition is a toolkit that could be used to intensify any part of the city that lacks activity. The tools include a banana box, used by the traders as storage and a table; a concrete bench for traders and the audience of the performances; a safe viewpoint that one can use to enjoy the courtyard (in corner Bree, it was the KFC); and a soft landscape for cultural rituals like slaughtering or playing indigenous games.
