The design of a bamboo processing plant in the Ibhayi township

This dissertation investigates the potential of architecture as a regenerative device, originating from an ecological, social and economic concern for the heavily polluted Swartkops estuary situated east of the Ibhayi district, Port Elizabeth, as well as a preoccupation with Bamboo and the benefi ts thereof, not only as an ecological mediator but as a sustainable source of building fi ber. For years surrounding factories and urban runoff has polluted the river, causing severe damage to the ecology of the Estuary. The poisonous pollution poured into the Swartkops River has degraded the estuary to such a degree that the fi sh caught in the river is not fi t for human consumption. Not only killing surrounding fauna but driving humans and animals away. [Enviro-Fish Africa 2011.] In the Apartheid era, black communities were relocated to the Ibhayi precinct, with limited job opportunities and lack of infrastructure, the river is not only a source of water to the community but a source of food. The area has become one of the worst, economically and socially in Port Elizabeth. [Census 2011.] Therefore, I propose to re-purpose the fl ooded salt pans just south of the Marina Salt factory, to a bamboo processing plant along with a plantation. The bamboo species is capable of cleansing the air and soil better than trees are able to, in addition to attracting bird life. [Stéphane Schröder 2016.] Proposing to plant bamboo clusters along the Chatty river, not only creates an opportunity for recreational space, but restoring the estuary’s ecology, with the added benefi t of providing raw materials with numerous uses by the community, for the community. Bamboo is one of the most versatile and eco-friendly sources of material with over a thousand uses, requiring a minimum of a 1ha bamboo plantation to create a viable business model. I wish to create a building that can both improve the physical and economical nature of the Ibhayi precinct