Liminality at the Edge: Architecture as Catalyst for Bridging Landscapes of Marginality in Swakopmund, Namibia: A Vertical Urban Aquaponics Farm and Research- Development Centre for Swakopmund Municipality

Abstract

Swakopmund, once the industrial hub and port town for the German colonialist regime has today developed into a fully functional holiday resort as dictated by the Treaty of Versailles. Located in the limen between the hot Namib Desert and the cold Atlantic Ocean, the town’s unique character and spatial qualities have undergone many sequential changes during its existence. Namibia’s history of segregation and inequality is greatly entrenched within the development of Swakopmund, and therefore perpetuates spatial, cultural, socio-economic segregation within the built fabric. Colonial and apartheid ideologies of socio-economic segregation continue to exist through capitalist driven interventions, privatising the public domain and informing a cellular, low density urban fabric propagating marginalisation of previously disadvantaged inhabitants. Despite Namibia gaining independence in 1990, the persistent imbalance of society disrupts social cohesion and inclusion, limiting access to education and economic opportunities. In Swakopmund the fragmented urban fabric augment these legacies and emphasise the need for change. Architecture could act as a catalyst to bridge these prevalent landscapes of marginality. The theory of liminality, edge conditions and in-between spaces provide the framework around which the architectural design is informed. The limen at the centre of the research exists on an existing industrial fringe between the water’s edge and the urban extents of the former black township, Mondesa. The research proposes to provide a solution that would weave fragments of the urban fabric by strengthening cultural mobility. This could be achieved through a proposed building programme that facilitates knowledge transfer, inclusive economic practices and social condensing towards equality and spatial transformation in Swakopmund. Within a re-imagined urban block, the proposed vertical urban farm becomes a key corridor that acts as a condenser of human, agricultural, social and economic capital.