Revitalising the mined landscape
Erosion Test. Richards, D. Unit 17. 2020.
Dylan Richards
M1
Supervisors:
Gregory Katz, Nico van Loggerenberg
Unit:
17 - SCALE_SHIFT
Email:
South Africa was once defined and developed by virtue of mining, yet mining is perceived as a destructive force that results in unusable space and produces toxic waste in the form of Acid Mine Drainage (AMD).
AMD undergoes a naturally occurring process that is rapidly increased by the mining activity of the old mines and dumps. By reversing this process, the project uses this waste as a means of creating new matter with what exists on the site.
The open-cast mine exists on the opposite spectrum in that it produces no toxic waste, although it is more vast and imposing on the land. To some, this might seem destructive, but to others it is creative. It takes a seemingly flat terrain and redefines it as a human-made landscape. It is this opportunity that this project seeks to utilise.
The project is based in the Glen Douglas Dolomite mine near Meyerton, after decommission. It aims to revitalise a seemingly desolate landscape through an artistic interaction between human intervention and natural regeneration as a recreation destination. The project will utilise AMD as a design method within an ever-evolving site that will become habitable and beneficial to the public.
