Architectural response to environmental conflicts caused by pollution: towards a waste incineration and eco-educational facility in the South Durban Basin.

Abstract

This research considers the South Durban Basin area in KwaZulu-Natal as an industrial city. It highlights the framework that moulds the city’s infrastructure, including changes that could be implemented from an ecological perspective. By responding effectively to challenges that the city faces, and essentially changing how it functions in relation to the pollution and environmental issues encountered, it can become a more sustainable city. Government, business and society alike need to gravitate towards an approach of creating environments which are adaptive to change. The concept of sustainability, Theory of Perception and the New Urban Agenda will be investigated in this research, which will help to inform the foundation for a sustainable framework for this nature of urban infrastructure. The study will also exclusively explore the South Durban Basin as a whole, and the effects of apartheid that has led to the city’s appalling environmental capacity being where it is today. Through a holistic approach, it will lead the research to accomplish a great environmental initiative through architectural design development, as well as economic and social impact.