Creating community through design

Communities are living, breathing things. They develop gradually where people come together – where people interact, and slowly co-create the spaces they inhabit. And that takes time – decades. Centuries even.

But we don’t necessarily have decades or centuries when we’re building a new estate, and utilising the time-honoured strategy of trial and error may work out in the long run, but it can be very frustrating and costly in the short and medium term. So that’s why architects need to be able to see beyond the walls of the structures they design. By thinking ‘outside the box’, and taking into account how every building relates to every other one – and to a host of other elements – good designers can create communities rather than just a bunch of buildings that happen to be close together.

‘Each element has to be carefully considered in relation to its environment, existing and planned infrastructure, and other buildings,’ says Mthulisi Msimang, Director of Msimang Coetzee Architects.

In the same way as you need to take into consideration all the steps that go into storing and preparing food when designing a kitchen, you need to consider all the possible functions of a community when designing an estate. ‘And each of those elements will create its own energy fields,’ says Msimang. If you build a road, a jogging track, a clubhouse, or even just a bench in a shady spot with a lovely view, you change the way people behave in that place. And the changed behaviour affects how other people behave.

And, of course, it works the other way as well. You can create buildings that encourage or discourage interaction. Think, for example, of a long passage, with doors on one side leading to single rooms or apartments, or – more appropriately – cells, because this design is perfect for a jail or some other institution in which you don’t want free and easy communication. And then compare that to – say – rooms built around a central courtyard. This is perfect for a university residence or retirement facility in which residents will want to communicate, and to have a sense of being part of a community. And these same principles apply to any community-driven design, whatever the scale.

Working on the design and construction of some of KwaZuluNatal’s most iconic buildings, such as the Moses Mabhida Stadium and King Shaka International Airport, along with smaller projects like schools and community centres, has enabled the team to hone their skills in designing not just buildings, but communities.

‘Whether we’re working on an international airport, a worldclass stadium or a small township community hall, we are always acutely aware of how the facility will be used, and we ensure that our design will enhance people’s experience of the space,’ says Msimang.

And, of course, the same goes for estates – whether they are working on the grand design of a new estate, or just one house within an existing one.