The prototype of a minibus taxi rank promotion pavilion, developed by the team at the young, Johannesburg-based architectural practice, Paragon Architects, epitomises the paradox of the make-up of South African cities - the juxtaposition of contrasting worlds that not only co-exist, but also interrelate for financial gain. As a design context, urban minibus taxi ranks are extreme territory - they are intensively used public spaces, without real amenity. They arise from chance interventions, rather than by design. They result from the uniquely South African adaptation of parts of a city by opportunist entrepreneurs.

In November 1999 Paragon Architects, a small, versatile team of architects, was commissioned by marketing company, GMR, to design the prototype of an advertising and product promotion pavilion to be located at a number of inner-city taxi rank sites. The brief was a simple one: design a secure, cost-effective, resilient, flexible booth with maximum advertising space - a pavilion for first-world promotions in a third-world environment.

Based on extensive research by both GMR and Paragon the team spent six months developing the project. They came up with an ingenious design for a multipurpose promotion vehicle that slides and swivels, opening during the day to flash posters, play music and display banners. It includes a movable stage for pantomime shows, a swivel-arm television set, a bar fridge, and cooking facilities for product demonstrations as well as storage space. All surfaces are used for the display of posters and other graphic advertising material. The pavilion provides deep overhangs offering shade in the heat of a dusty taxi rank.

All the designs were created using AutoCAD, the design package of choice of Paragon Architects. AutoCAD is supplied by mainstream design software supplier, Autodesk.

"The software was particularly suited to this project because each time we refined the design, we did not have to recreate drawings from scratch, but were able to revise the previous design," says Henning Rasmuss, a Director of Paragon Architects.

The 2 x 6 m taxi-shaped pavilion is made of standard lengths of steel sections welded onto the base structure, making the entire booth vandal-proof. The entire structure, including all the movable parts, is made of steel.

"Since the unit is made up of standard steel elements, everything was built up from the initial stage using actual sizes and detail connections. This made pricing and design meetings very efficient and allowed for good communication."

Every minibus taxi rank is controlled by a marshall representing the taxi drivers' or owners' association. Marshalls' requirements are, however, seldom catered for, so as a counter-offer for the right to occupy a part of the rank, the marketing company agreed to provide an marshall's information kiosk, as part of the taxi pavilion. GMR, in return, obtained added security for its facility in the harsh rank environment. The information kiosk was also incorporated into the design. At the end of the day all the elements of the pavilion close up into a silent, secure, sealed, vandal-proof box of tricks.

By making a place for information distribution and providing opportunity for communication and commercial exchange, Paragon has developed a uniquely South African 'clock tower' as an urban marker (as in the manner of railway stations) - a small civic gesture towards the harsh urban context.

The architects made unconventional use of AutoCAD-generated 3D models in preparation for their participation at the prestigious Biennale di Venezia 2000 - 7th International Architecture Exhibition in Venice earlier this year. Computer-generated 3D models of the prototype were provided to street artists to make pavilion models from wire, recycled cans, clay, grass, timber and aluminium, creating a rich tapestry of truly African exhibition material for display in Venice. The young architects were the only Africans invited to participate in the Biennale.

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