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WORDS: BRENT SMITH (@BSIDECT)

SHOUT IT FROM THE ROOFTOPS: PRETORIA IS AN ARCHITECTURE LOVER’S DREAM. TAKE A LOOK AT HOW THE CAPITAL’S BUILT ENVIRONMENT HAS EVOLVED ALONGSIDE SOUTH AFRICA’S TRANSITION TO DEMOCRACY.

A BRAZILIAN CONNECTIONPretoria became the capital of the Transvaal Republic at the end of the Great Trek. When the Union was created in 1910, it became the administrative capital and remained so when SA became a republic in 1961. Post-1994, it’s taken on a new identity – a place of diplomacy, with the second-most foreign embassies in the world.

The city has a tradition of independence and of detailed buildings, says Pieter Mathews, the president of the Pretoria Institute for Architecture and principal architect at Mathews & Associates Architects (MAAA).

In the modernist era, which coincided with the early days of apartheid, many local architects went to Brazil to meet modernist pioneer Oscar Niemeyer (see right). This was the man who laid out Brazil’s planned capital, Brasília.

You can see the influence of Brazilian modernism in the TPA building off Church Square, the Meat Board building and the Musaion at the University of Pretoria. Look out for sunscreens, pillars freeing the ground plain, square roof cutouts with rounded corners and repetition in their facades.

ow much do you know about our nation’s capital? You probably know the government calls it home for six months of the year (and you probably have some opinions about that). You probably

know that in October the blooming jacarandas transform the streets into a regal purple. You might know it’s home to Unisa, Africa’s biggest university. You might even know someone who lives in one of its loftily named suburbs such as Valhalla and Olympus. But did you know some of SA’s best 20th-century architecture can be found in Pretoria’s centre?

H

This image The Human Sciences Research Council

building to the west of Church Square

in Pretoria.

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ABSALilian Ngoyi SquareArchitect: Samuel Pauw

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OPEN GOVERNMENTLike many other South African cities, Pretoria experienced “white flight” in the 1990s. But despite the bland Tuscan explosion in the suburbs, interesting things are happening in the CBD today. With government departments returning to the area, there are signs of Pretoria becoming an urban oasis in the Highveld once again.

“But the CBD?” you ask. “Surely it’s dodgy.” Well, no. That perception is changing. If you’d like some convincing, check out one of the pop-up cinemas that take place on downtown rooftops (search for Molo Mollo on Facebook, for instance). They offer a new perspective – literally – on city life in the capital and let you appreciate its rich architectural heritage, encouraging people to experience town.

LOOKING AHEADThe recent refurbishment of the 38-storey Absa monolith shows there’s also growing business confidence in the CBD. City living hasn’t caught on in the capital yet, though. “Pretorians still want a garden,” explains Pieter. “But with the new Tshwane Rapid Transit (TRT) system taking shape, perhaps more people will want to live here.”

MAAA is involved in the architecture of the TRT bus stations. “People will be able to appreciate the historic context while waiting for a bus,” he says.

COOL CAPITALAlthough Pieter recommends a top-down view of the CBD at a rooftop cinema, he prefers a bottom-up approach to reimagining the city. This is where Cool Capital (www.coolcapital.co.za) comes in. The biennale, held from 29 August to 16 November this year, aims to make Pretoria a better place. Pieter says it’s not curated: “Instead of telling people what’s good, we get them involved in deciding how they want things to be,” he says. It’s democracy at work.

Cool Capital is integrated into the Pretoria schools’ art syllabus. Schools are partnered with an artist and kids then get a chance to create an intervention for Cool Capital. This reaches their parents,

followed by the community.It also gives you a great opportunity to explore the CBD to view its

modernist masterpieces. Look out for art and architecture

installations, music and film festivals in interesting spaces, and tours to buildings and places you may never have known existed.

Pretoria has long been associated with government.

But it’s clear that in the 21st century it’s shaking that stuffy

image by building on its celebrated modernist heritage. If Cape Town is the

Mother City, then Pretoria is Daddy Cool – and his clothes are back in style.

VOORTREKKER MONUMENTEeufees Road, GroenkloofArchitect: Gerard Moerdijk

HOUSE MCINTOSH (Currently a retirement home)233 Mackenzie Street, BrooklynArchitect: William Gordon McIntosh

MEAT BOARD BUILDING140 Hamilton Street, Arcadia

Architect: Helmut Stauch

NETHERLANDS BANK (NEDBANK) BUILDINGCorner of Helen Joseph and Thabo Sehume streetsArchitect: Norman Eaton

TPACorner of Pretorius and Parliament streetsArchitects: Meiring & Naudé

ART DECO/EARLY MODERN

EARLY MODERNISM (1940s)

MODERNISM: INTERNATIONAL STYLE (LATE 1960s)

MODERNISM: BRAZILIAN INFLUENCE

(1950s)

POSTMODERNISM (EARLY 1980s)

BRUTALISM: LATE MODERNISM (1970s)

MODERNISM: CRITICAL REGIONALISM (1950s)

LITTLE THEATRE287 Nana Sita Street

Architect: Norman Eaton

POLLY’S ARCADEBetween Pretorius and Francis Baard streets,

underneath the WachthuisArchitect: Norman Eaton

HUMAN SCIENCES RESEARCH COUNCIL

Pretorius StreetArchitect: Samuel Pauw

PRETORIA ART MUSEUMPark Street, ArcadiaArchitects: Burg, Lodge & Burg (Today’s BILD Architects)

HOUSE JOOSTE (Currently Brasserie de Paris)381 Aries Street, Waterkloof RidgeArchitects: Jooste Associates

UNISAPreller Street, MuckleneukArchitect: Brian Sandrock

STATE THEATRECorner of Sisulu and Pretorius streetsArchitects: Interplan Inc and Daneel, Smit & Partners

Pretoria’s landmark buildingsWHERE TO SEE

Look out for the documentary about Pretoria-born Norman Eaton. Although he was among those who visited modernist pioneer Oscar Niemeyer, he was one of

the first modernists to look for inspiration in the Highveld. “He saw modernism through African spectacles,” says Pieter.

He also preferred local materials, resulting in a uniquely “Pretorian” style of modernism. Norman’s reasoning was perhaps more to do with starting his designs with what was available than starting a revolution. But he inadvertently created truly green buildings in the process, as no shipping of materials was needed. He was also an advocate of careful planning, which resulted in minimal wastage, and passive design, where buildings are designed to take advantage of the climatic conditions.

The film on Norman, In Search of Our Own, will premiere in the Atterbury Theatre during Cool Capital.

ON NORMAN EATON BRUTALISM TO TUSCANModernism spawned a fortress-like aesthetic known as brutalism. Some observers make a connection between this style and the Nationalist government’s policies of exclusion. The truth is, while they may be a great metaphor for the apartheid city, brutalist buildings were popular worldwide from the 1950s to 1970s.

“Architects exposed their materials. Concrete had to be concrete; steel had to be steel. They were used in their natural state,” Pieter explains. You can see this at House Jooste, now a restaurant. “You can almost feel the era if you go there,” says Pieter.

There’s an honesty about these buildings. But during the postmodernist era, which took hold in the 1970s and early 1980s, there was a backlash against modernism and particularly brutalism. Architects regarded buildings of the era as inhuman. “Designers went back to things like Greek columns, as in the Human Sciences Research Council building to the west of Church Square. Unfortunately, this degenerated into the Tuscan style prominent in Gauteng today.”

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