the winner
De Marigny was one of eight regional winners from the country’s major
universities who were chosen during 2016. Each winner became a finalist who
competed for the national title.
His thesis, entitled ‘Design for [bio] diversity’, explored the potential of
architecture for ecological conservation, proposing an environmental
awareness and water research facility in the context of Springfield industrial
park/ uMgeni River catchment area in Durban.
Research revealed that human existence relies heavily on bio diverse
ecosystems to survive, however as population increases, urbanisation and
industrialisation occurs, resulting in natural areas often being exploited and
degraded, most critically affecting the earth’s fresh water systems.
De Marigny’s proposed architectural solution aimed to draw an analogy
between the machine-dominated environment of the Springfield industrial
park and the natural ecosystems found within the uMgeni river. This was
achieved through the concept of viewing architecture as similar to that of a
mechanical prosthetic device, so that the architecture (industrial machine)
could begin to act as rather a natural life support system in the context in
which it exists (ecology).
Attaching to an existing 440m long pedestrian walkway bridge spanning the
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