Abstract
This research investigates how ancestral language can serve as a generative tool for architectural design. The central objective is for students to design a three-storey Language Precinct in Newtown, Johannesburg, anchored by a museum that celebrates the living use of their home languages rather than preserving static artifacts of the past. The process begins with students selecting an ancestral language and developing a mood board that reflects the geographical, cultural, and material contexts of that language. Through workshops, students identify, name, and describe cultural items in their chosen languages, deepening their connection to linguistic and cultural heritage. They then translate selected words into architectural concepts, drawing inspiration from rituals, cosmology, traditional objects, and vernacular forms. The iterative design process, moving from sketch to model, aims to embed African cultural knowledge into spatial form. This method nurtures identity, language ownership, and design innovation, challenging conventional museum typologies and affirming African epistemologies in architecture
Presenters
Sunshine DlangamandlaLecturer, Architecture, University of Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
MUSEUM DESIGN, ARCHITECTURE, LANGAUGE, CULTURE
