Sky Sculpture - Alive with Dereliction

Us architects are a curious breed. We are prone to romantic feelings for unfinished buildings, derelict or covered in scaffolding. We see poetry in what the rest of the populace often see as eye sores.

The abandoned high rises of the Pretoria CBD are a case in point. The illegal stripping of the aluminium framing and cladding of Schubart Park and Kruger Park has left only their shells. They stand now as stark, solemn sculptures. Burnt out memorials. But they are deeply evocative. They are not dead but rather standing dormant. Crying out for rebirth.

Schubart Park, built in the 80s as social housing was abandoned in 2013 after it was hijacked and a fire broke out. Plans have been underway to revive it as social housing. The 32 storey Kruger Park was abandoned in 2008 after a fire gutted some of its floors. It has been earmarked by the municipality as future student housing.