Centre Of Healing: The Design Of A Research, Treatment And Education Centre Focused On Traditional Healing Methodology

Project idea

For as long as man has walked the earth, we have searched for ways to extend and enrich our lives, to heal the sick, and to make the strong even stronger. Over centuries of trial and error, the art of healing has developed into an official scientific practice that we now know as the field of medicine.

As an institutionalised field, medical practice has standards that need to be adhered to; if not, the practice is seen as untrustworthy. This is a fair argument if one takes into consideration that medicine is there to alter the state of being, whether that be physical or mental. The proposed project does not challenge the method of recognition, but rather the line that separates medicine from that which is seen as “superficial” healing methods.

According to research, over 70% of the African population in South Africa relies on Traditional healing methods as its preferred choice of medicine. Despite this, Western medicine is almost universally recognised as the only “official” treatment method in South Africa. For this reason, research on Traditional healing methods has been largely neglected. This provides a unique opportunity for further research and education on the subject matter.


This project will aim to provide a platform for traditional healing to be recognised as an official method of medical practice in South Africa. The proposed development will aim to introduce a facility that focuses on three main components: Firstly, the research of rituals and medicines used in traditional healing practice; secondly, the administering of traditional treatment to patients; and thirdly, housing the educational process of becoming a traditional healer.

The Centre of Healing will serve as a symbol, stating the arrival of the alternative. The design could be seen as a contemporary form of research and treatment centre, making use of the traditional to lead the way for the future.

Project description

The project entails the design of a research, treatment, and educational centre focused on traditional healing methodology. It will be located adjacent to the Steve Biko Academic Hospital and forming part of the University of Pretoria (Prinshof) medical campus in Pretoria, South Africa. The envisaged facility addresses the relationship between institutionalised healthcare and traditional healing in South Africa.

The design product strives to act as a monument that symbolises the shift into a new way forward in the field of medicine, using traditional methods to form the path into the future. This centre aims to become a place of ritual, research, and education, all the while serving as an alternative to what we know as Western medicine.

Technical information

Section A-A, Axonometric render, Ground floorplan, Lower ground floorplan, Night render, Facade detail, Greenhouse detail