By Danielle Gruner
“I am hoping to change the paradigm, push people to dream and undergo risk. It is not because you are rich that you should waste material. It is not because you are poor that you should not try to create quality, Everyone deserves quality, everyone deserves luxury, and everyone deserves comfort. Francis Kere
Who is Danielle ?
Danielle’s path to her passion was far from straightforward. Fresh out of high school, she began studying accounting at UNAM but soon discovered that her true passion lay elsewhere. To find her calling, she explored various industries with the support of friends and eventually found herself interning at Ricardo Michaels Architects firm, where she realized her childhood interest in dwellings and interior spaces. Growing up, Danielle’s favorite pastime was designing virtual homes in the SIMS game, which cultivated her spatial awareness and understanding of human interactions in different environments.
Deciding to change career paths, Danielle enrolled in Architecture school at the Namibia University of Science and Technology despite having no artistic background. Initially challenging, her determination and perseverance helped her thrive in the new environment. In her second year, Danielle faced a critical juncture during a group project to design low-cost housing; moments of self-doubt urged her to reflect on her skills as a designer and commitment to her degree.
Danielle’s internship during her third year turned out to be pivotal, as the supportive atmosphere at the architecture firm nurtured her potential and honed her skills. Upon returning to school, she enthusiastically applied these newly-acquired skills to a mixed-use multistory building project that incorporated sustainability principles and engaged with its surroundings. In that semester, she brilliantly aced her design subject, achieving the top mark.
Seeking a more diverse learning experience, Danielle pursued her Honours and Masters degrees at the University of Johannesburg in South Africa. Embracing new challenges wholeheartedly, she delved deep into architectural theories and site histories. Danielle found herself captivated by the historic narratives within Namibia that significantly influenced its people throughout various time periods. Today, Danielle is in the process of doing her training and hopes to register as an Architect within the coming years.
The Untold story of Old Location
Project Location: Hochland Park, Windhoek, Namibia
Year : 2022
University : University of Johannesburg(GSA), South Africa
In Unit 15 X, the focus was on memorial sites influenced by the Apartheid regime. The author chose a site in her native Namibia and took great pleasure in educating her peers about the country and its shared experiences with South Africa during Apartheid. This led to a meaningful knowledge exchange.
The real journey began when she selected the Old Location in Hochland Park for her thesis. She initially romanticized the place, envisioning grand houses and an idyllic lifestyle. As she delved deeper into her research, however, she discovered that the settlement was made up of corrugated iron shacks and makeshift houses – a stark contrast to her initial imagination. Despite these seemingly unlivable conditions, she observed that the residents led fulfilled lives, filled with beauty contests in halls, dancing nights, and sporting events at the soccer fields. Her project aimed to connect the erased memory of the old Location with the other collective memories contributing to the Independence of Namibia.
There was a strong sense of community within the Old Location; everyone knew their neighbors, safety was abundant, and tribes integrated seamlessly. The author underscored the importance of people over architecture, using visual aids to illustrate her findings and creating a multi-layered thesis.
To conduct her research effectively, she traveled back and forth to Namibia to visit the Namibian National Archives and City of Windhoek Museum. The area’s history revealed that the forced relocation to Katatura from the Old Location in 1959 led to riots and protests. On December 10th of that same year, a tragic massacre unfolded where many lives were lost or injured. Shockingly, these individuals’ names were not recognized in any current memorial – making them lost memories.
The historical narrative is stored within a German building at the City of Windhoek museum. The author argued that this significant part of Namibian history deserves its own space designed by a Namibian architect. This sentiment not only stemmed from uncovering the history itself but also from how it was presented and its lack of accessibility.
Thus, the journey to create a space for this history began by pinpointing the exact location of the shooting in the Old Location. Danielle identified a public square on a map where the massacre took place, which is now occupied by Emma Hoogenhout School. This gave the unsettling impression that the horrific event was deliberately obscured from memory.
Emma has transformed into the ideal site for designing a new, innovative memorial pavilion. This striking design features individual pillars for each person who was tragically shot, engraved with their name as a poignant reminder. The pavilion’s patchwork appearance symbolizes the eclectic mix of materials once used to construct homes in the area. Furthermore, its vertical elements showcase a copper finish, using a rich local material to highlight a rich piece of history.
Indigenous trees surround the memorial to further tie it to Namibia’s natural beauty. The pavilion embodies four distinct layers: KNOWN, representing the accessible information of the Old Location; REMEMBERED, a tribute to those who lost their lives; ERASED, representing the parts of the Old Location which were destroyed and IMAGINED – Speculating how certain moments transpired for the location residents.
The pavilion seamlessly integrates with school activities, offering students a multi-purpose space for play, learning about the events that transpired and school matters and envisioning their future. Public access is provided on specific days, particularly during the anniversary of the massacre, fostering a communal space for remembrance and connection with departed loved ones. This powerful statement piece ensures that the past continues to thrive in an evocative and safe environment.
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