Design of a new Department of Television, Performance and Staging for Durban University of Technology.

Abstract

The power of education with its range of different fields has had a dramatic impact on our world, and more and younger students graduate every year. This growth and flooding have forced institutes to expand exponentially. And with the idea of internationally recognised degrees, many institutions have changed their curriculums, and some have even changed the institution titles e.g. Durban University of technology that was once called the Durban institute of technology and also the University of Natal that is now called University of KwaZulu Natal. This change has also forced these academic institutes to expand not only in terms of number of students, but also physically, with new buildings being built and also some even change the degree titles. The aim for the new Department of Television, Performance and Staging for Durban University of Technology is to attempt to facilitate this growth and change. To facilitate these changes, the scheme is to be divided into two main aspects – to reunify the existing growth and suggest new better ways of facilitating the growth. Secondly – the new Department of Television, Performance and Staging will not only set out the new dimension in future growth but will also architecturally facilitate the existing growth and change. This dissertation will then focus on a specific department within the Faculty, which is the Department of Television, Performance and Staging which will house the existing and to be upgraded Video Technology and Drama Studies departments. The focus on this department is to explore the relationship between the university and the public engagement, to enhance and upgrade the quality of the existing department. The Department of Television, Performance and Staging tries to explore concepts in architecture – utilising Video Technology and Drama Studies as a exploratory tool for students and professionals to promote architecture to a larger audience. The audience wants to be entertained and as well as informed through architecture that explores and expresses notions of space and structure through the use of shape, form, light, balance, colour, movement and expression.