17/06/2021
Mqhekezweni Community Centre for Justice (2) Competition Board
Eastern Cape, South Africa
*** Synopsis ***
The building form evokes the communal nature of the Royal Court and the traditional Xhosa methods of settling disputes. The royal court would discuss issues affecting the community around a central, towering tree β memorialising it as symbolic of justice in the region. The central courtroom allows for a programmatic expansion of interaction, abstracting the notions of discussion and mediation. Movement is dictated by obstacle, not obstruction β so as to allow the free movement of visitors and to facilitate the deconstruction of the hierarchal Western conception of the court floorplan.
The building combines social and public infrastructure with justice services to form a new public typology β one that equalises access to justice and makes it synonymous with basic infrastructure. The architecture evokes the vernacular qualities of the traditional Xhosa huts, while strictly adhering to 100% local knowledge, materials, and construction methods to deeply integrate with its surrounding context.
The project aims to address the intersectional nature of race, gender, environmental sustainability and the expansion of justice through addressing the causality of crime and not just its symptoms. Justice through the provision of basic social infrastructure can act as a powerful tool in redress, and the typology of restorative justice centers, such as the Mqhekezweni Community Center for Justice, will go a long way in shifting the way our current justice system treats the accused β improving upon its capacity as the mediator between public and state.
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