# //hapo - Mixed use - Freedom Park - Pretoria

[Capitol1]

Sorry for missing some nice contemporary architechture in Pretoria, but rather a bit late than never:

//Hapo building in Freedom Park

16/06/2010
Today Freedom Park cements its position as one of South Africa’s heritage tourism destinations of choice by showcasing its latest visitor offerings: various newly completed structures as well as numerous upgrades and additions to the existing Park. These are:
• The architectural structure of //hapo;
• Temporary exhibitions within //hapo;
• A dedicated welcoming, ticketing and orientation space;
• A restaurant, coffee shop and gift shop;
• Temporary exhibitions in the Gallery of Leaders;
• Sculptures and other significant art forms; and
• Touch screens for the Wall of Names.
The upgrades and additions are all aimed at enhancing and enriching the visitor experience, thus ensuring a truly exceptional and unique experience for national and international tourists alike. This ushers in a new phase for Freedom Park as it takes its final steps towards completion in a journey that started with the Park’s conceptualisation in 2000. The subsequent years saw the emergence of elements such as Isivivane, S’khumbuto and Uitspanplek. Finally, //hapo will draw all these elements together in one conclusive offering, telling the story of South Africa and its people through the lens of Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS), thus showcasing our unique history, heritage, spirituality and culture. In //hapo, which is KhoiSan for ‘dream’, the rich and colourful history of Southern Africa dating back 3.6 billion years unfolds in seven epochs or eras, starting with ‘Creation’ in epoch one and
concluding in the present day with epoch seven – ‘Nation and Continent Building’. With its distinctly African welcoming and orientation space, //hapo not only enables each of the
Freedom Park elements to be viewed and understood in context, it also allows visitors the option of customised tours, choosing to visit selected elements within Freedom Park.
//hapo’s architecture is highly symbolic and adds to the significance of the offering. The structure was designed to blend into the landscape, rather than impose on it. By sculpting the building frames using steel structures and overlaying them with copper, //hapo was shaped to resemble a group of boulders. Each of the seven epochs or eras will be depicted in a separate boulder. Over time, the copper will fade and turn the colour of the boulders in the area. Surrounded by large trees and other vegetation, //hapo will thus resemble a series of boulders on the side of Salvokop. Starting in mid-2008, construction on //hapo and its surrounding structures have now been completed. Conceptualisation and design of the exhibitions is currently in its final stages and the completed product will be ready in early 2011. In the meantime, //hapo hosts various temporary exhibitions, using text, audio, visuals and storytelling to bring to life the seven epochs and tell of the significance behind the architectural design. Apart from //hapo itself, Freedom Park now also offers its guests a fully operational restaurant and coffee shop. In line with celebrating our country and continent, the restaurant boasts a menu with the finest offerings from the African continent. The gift shop, entitled Tshifiwa, which means ‘gift’ in Tshivenda, allows visitors to purchase distinctly South African and Freedom Park-specific memorabilia. Today also sees the launch of a temporary exhibition on ten of the leaders currently verified for inclusion in the Gallery of Leaders. The temporary exhibition will provide visitors with a glimpse of the permanent exhibition to come in March 2011. The ten leaders are:
South African
• General Christiaan De Wet
• Helen Joseph
• Lilian Ngoyi
• R Tambo
• Robert Sobukwe
• Steve Biko
Continental
• Julius Nyerere
• Kwame Nkrumah
International
• Che Guevara
The Gallery of Leaders pays tribute to the achievements and represents the leadership qualities of those exceptional leaders who brought about qualitative leaps in the struggle for humanity and freedom nationally, continentally and internationally. To date, 28 names of South African, African and international leaders who are deemed exemplary role models in terms of the above criteria have been researched, verified and selected for inclusion.
From today, visitors will be able to use touch screens to locate a name on the Wall of Names within S’khumbuto. Users simply type the specific name into the system and receive feedback as to the name’s status: captured on the wall (with reference to its exact location), captured in the database but still awaiting a verification process or not yet captured. Where a name has not been captured, users have the option of submitting the name, together with all relevant details, using the touch screen. Freedom Park will validate the submitted names and present it for verification. The Wall of Names have currently been inscribed with approximately 75,000 names of those who died fighting for humanity and freedom in South Africa. Lastly, Freedom Park also boasts two proudly South African artworks: Ilanga Elekhulu (isiZulu for ‘Big Day’), erected at Tiva Origin. This sculpture by Micky Korzennik depicts a South African family ready to vote for the first time; and Circle of Peace, erected at the entrance of Moshate. This bronze work by Speelman Mahlangu is a tribute to the peace initiatives brokered by various local community leaders between township people and the hostel dwellers during the violent 1980s.

[Pule]

I like the design, I think it will fit well with the surrounding.

[dysan1]

copper exterior?

[makoppa]

Love the copper- works well with the soil colour

[Upington]

......FREEDOM PARK IS OPEN......YOU DON'T NEED TO CALL AHEAD FOR A TOUR.......recently took my kids for a 2 hour frolicking and picnicking tour.....AMAZING.....this is my favorite place on earth.....the museum will open in April 2011.....and they say the outside is not copper but bronze.....so it will never "oxide" and turn green like Lady Liberty on Ellis Island.......

[Upington]

......THANK YOU MR. MBEKI.......this is a great gift to many future generations to come......its a true dynamic park because a leader's name is only added after they die.....so NELSON MANDELA's name is nowhere is this park.....

[makoppa]

This memorial is great!
But Che Guevara wasn't the good person people think. He was a self-aggrandizing nasty.. This myth of his is romantic and he has nothing to do with the ZA struggle.

[dysan1]

Will be interesting to visit. Still hate that copper exterior though

[Upington]

Originally Posted by dysan1

Will be interesting to visit. Still hate that copper exterior though

....BTW its not copper!......its bronze according to the park people......they are busy stocking the museum.....and so far the entrance is only R20 and comes with a tour guide.....and lots of security.....at the gate.....at the gift shop......and then at the memorial entrance.....and Gautrain passes right below....

[Upington]

[Upington]

.....flowers were for 150 years of indians in south africa celebration.....

[ToxicBunny]

Think it looks very interesting....

Will have to make the trek one of these days to visit it.

Not necessarily a fan of the exterior... its like its trying to hard to be iconic and mimicking the Gugenheim in Bilbao in a way... (though thats just my opinion)

[dysan1]

Copper bronze either way it looks like its trying way too hard. What is the actual point of this place? How does it differ from places like the apartheid musuem? What's its role?

[Pule]

Originally Posted by dysan1

Copper bronze either way it looks like its trying way too hard. What is the actual point of this place? How does it differ from places like the apartheid musuem? What's its role?

http://www.southafrica.info/about/hi...reedompark.htm

[Andrew_za]

true
It Looks nice, but I would not go out of my way to see it.

[Lydon]

Looks wonderful If I ever find myself in Pretoria I'll be sure to give it a visit.

[goliath01]

Thanks for the link Pule, yes I like it, let all of SAs history be told too all.
I actually find the building and grounds spectacular!

[Inertia]

Love it - especially the coppery bronze exterior

[Jakes1]

I love this. South Africa needs more decent designs. And it is already internationally aclaimed.