Architect and Builder Jul/Aug 2024 | Page 22

RAVENSCRAIG HOUSE STUDENT ACCOMMODATION , WOODSTOCK , CAPE TOWN
Ravenscraig House in Woodstock is currently being developed by Adowa Property Developers . Access to the site , located at the intersection of Ravenscraig Road and Upper Warwick Road , is provided from Ravenscraig Road , leading to structured parking on the lower ground . Service buildings are conveniently placed near the main entrance for easy access .
Designed by SVA International , the design incorporates playful architectural elements , featuring a varied façade with different materials , colours , and textures . Exterior finishes alternate between plastered surfaces , off-shutter concrete , facebrick and projecting facebrick elements . Vertical recessed panels aligned with windows are painted in various feature colours , while larger block panels and the bottom two levels are finished in dark grey plaster .
Fire escape stairs and the lift shaft are crafted from offshutter concrete , with the open top levels showcasing painted steel mesh balustrades . Internal walls and stairs are highlighted with different feature colours for ease of orientation . A monopitched sheet metal roof slopes in line with the site ’ s natural fall , creating a landscaped courtyard at the parking level . Feature walls around the site serve as canvases for street and graffiti art , adding a vibrant touch to this dynamic new student hub .
Much like the area , Ravenscraig House combines a new build and modern style outside with the traditional hostel design inside , with bedrooms on either side of the spacious corridors that run through the towering ten floor building . True to Adowa ’ s family unit theme , each floor has communal kitchens to facilitate pockets of community living within the building and floor structures .
The 860 beds are coordinated in both single and twosharing bedrooms , with two-sharing rooms providing privacy for occupants via a middle partition .
22 Project Watch