THE Alliance Française de Durban re-ignited its Alliance Without Walls project, with a symbolic launch of Phase One of the project on Thursday, by tearing down its security walls in an effort to curb crime. The demolished perimeter walls around the Alliance will be replaced with a walk-through art gallery called ‘The Stoep’.
In 2016, in response to innovative research on Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED), the Alliance Française de Durban ran a competition to challenge the city’s leading architects to Imagine a World Without Walls. The shortlisted architects were Paul Wygers, Amanda Lead and Jeremy Steere. Paul Wygers, of Urban Solutions was appointed and the first phase of the ambitious plan he presented to transform the premises at 22 Sutton Crescent received planning permission a few weeks ago.
Vincent Frontczyk, Director of the Alliance Française Durban said: “The bravely-initiated project to break down existing concrete security walls is an effort to create more open visible integrated and engaged public spaces. This initiative is part of a broader Durban-wide project entitled Imagining a City Without Walls to promote new ideas and design practice that will positively impact on safety and security; social cohesion; community engagement; urban design and improved neighbourliness.
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“President of the Alliance Française de Durban Deborah Ewing said: “The front of the building will be turned into a work of art by local artists and we will redouble our efforts to raise funds to transform the rest of the wall into a unique gallery that will provide a creative and inclusive space for visitors from Durban and around the world.”
According to Prof Monique Marks, Director of the Urban Futures Centre at Durban University of Technology (DUT), who has been on the project team along with Prof Tinus Kruger of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) from the outset, the thinking behind the City Without Walls Initiative, started with a hunch.
“For many years I have been completely overwhelmed by the high walls that South African suburbanites have created around their dwellings. They have always struck me as confronting, offensive and aesthetically unappealing. But, more than this, I couldn’t shake the feeling that these walls, which were supposedly created to make people safer, were actually having the opposite effect. As a criminologist by training, I’ve worked with police officers and security guards over many years. So I reached out to a member of the Durban Metropolitan Police, Chris Overall. This marked the start of a journey that has taken us through very different suburbs and very different ways of thinking about security – and that will see the Durban chapter of a global organisation, Alliance Francaise, literally break down its walls,” she said.
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