by Nicholas Coetzer
Architects care. It is
foundational and germane to the discipline and practice of
architecture. This book charts the way the Arts and Crafts Movement
established the moral ethos of ‘an architecture of care’ that not only
remains embedded in current discourse and practice but also that is
being given a more vocal presence in our climate-crisis and social
justice world.
By way of
‘genealogical strands’ the book charts the origin of ‘architecture of
care’ ideas in the Arts and Crafts Movement and their impact on the
‘other progeny’ architectural projects in South Africa over the past
hundred years. These range from the translation of inglenooks into an
armature architecture of ‘Dignified Places’ in Cape Town’s townships to
the ethos of ‘upliftment’ and care that translates from Octavia Hill
through to ‘correcting’ building regulations and eventually finding a
less moralising and more transformative impact in the ‘Hostels to
Homes’ project.
The birth of design
through context and climate in the Arts and Crafts Movement is
demonstrated by the shift in South African houses from boxy cottages to
solar- and nature-oriented ribbon plans as demonstrated through the
work of Helmut Stauch and Norman Eaton. The dislocation of Arts and
Crafts ideas to the Cape also demonstrated a limit to the valorising of
vernacular architecture and its ‘against-globalization’ building
materials whereby English architects promoted Cape Dutch settler
architecture and denigrated African vernacular architecture. As a final
‘genealogical strand,’ the book demonstrates the coherence of moral
instrumentality with the animism and affects potential of handmade
buildings.
Written for academics,
students and researchers interested in architectural history, it is an
eye-opening investigation into the role of architecture in society.
