Construction World December 2023

ARCHITECTS

PROJECT INFORMATION

• Company entering: Urban Soup Architects • Client: Johannesburg Development Agency and CoJ Transport Department • Main Contractor: Enza Construction • Architects: Urban Soup Architects • Principal Agent: Badat Developments • Quantity Surveyor: KDM Quantity Surveyors • Consulting Engineer: Hlanganani Engineers & Project Managers

JOHANNESBURG INTERNATIONAL TRANSPORT INTERCHANGE (JITI)

A proposal to construct an international long distance and cross border transport and shopping hub has been on the agenda of the City of Johannesburg for over 15 years – as the city became a more important trading destination after the birth of democracy. However, migrants and their families have had a need to travel safely and accessibly for as long as Johannesburg has existed as a formal town. The establishment of this building aims to restore dignity to those passengers who traditionally have been forgotten and neglected by providing them with a world class facility. The need to improve the quality of life of commuters, streamline the flow of traffic and strengthen the commuting connections with the rail service all indicated that there was an urgent requirement to develop a new integrated transport facility with good access to Park Station. The underdeveloped Kazerne Taxi facility provided an opportunity for such a facility. In the context of the strategic importance of this site, in proximity to Park Station and the proposed project to deck the railway line and connect Braamfontein with the inner city, there was an opportunity to increase the scale of this development. Research and analysis in the draft Johannesburg inner city traffic and transport study had estimated that there were about 190 000 taxi trips (provided by about 5 800 taxis) and 30 000 bus trips in the morning peak in 2010 in the inner city. Prior to developing the concept scheme the design team invested a significant amount of time to research the local dynamics and inner workings of the site’s immediate setting. It was of paramount importance to ensure that the scheme would seamlessly integrate into the urban context and work in unison with the complex surrounds. Once the context was fully understood the various components could be aptly positioned. At its core, the main purpose of the project was

to provide a world-class facility for long distance travellers. This was a segment of society that traditionally was neglected and never catered for. A series of informal, unsafe, and severely inadequate bus ranks are dotted throughout the city. These informal ranks act as the ‘front doors’ into the city for those seeking greener pastures. One of the most significant design challenges was to safely harmonize the movement of taxis, buses, and pedestrians all under one roof. In order to assist with this process a series of high tech vehicular and pedestrian traffic models were developed. This allowed us to simulate flows and address bottlenecks upfront. Entrances and exits needed to be carefully considered and, by adding a dedicated public transport route around the full perimeter of the site, uninterrupted traffic flows were ensured. One of the key successes of the project was the way the design team embraced the informality of the context and celebrated it within the building. They did not simply impose first world models of transportation buildings but instead provided a truly contextual building that responds to its complex backdrop. The size and variety of the retail units effectively provide for economic progression. Shops range in size from small 5 m 2 units right up to anchor store sizes. This will allow our smaller retail tenants to grow and progress to larger shop sizes as their needs expands. Security is of paramount importance and by installing over 280 CCTV smart cameras, the entire 48 000 m 2 space can be carefully monitored from the control centre. In addition to this the team worked with Samsung to provide dual authentication for drivers entering the facility. Dual authentication involves both facial and license plate recognition. 

84 22 nd Best Projects Awards 2023