NEW LECTURE THEATRE FOR UCT
PROJECTVIEW
The original brief to the architects by the client, the University of Cape Town, described
a 480m2 raked floor Auditorium with 400 seats, as well as a 200m2 Social Space plus
additional support and technical plant space and required for the building to achieve a
4-star Green Building Council rating for design.
The concept provides a Lecture Theatre of just under 500m2, allowing for an enhanced
movement and roaming environment. The foyer space associated to the main venue on
the upper level provides 260m2 open plan overflow space. The lower level connects to
an elevated forecourt at the end of University Avenue and provides different types of
seating arrangements. These are backed by support spaces such as ablutions, kitchenette,
store rooms and break away rooms.
SOUTHDALE
SHOPPING CENTRE
Southdale Shopping Centre is currently undergoing a refurbishment
which will transform the oldest
shopping centre in Johannesburg
into a light, bright, contemporary
shopping
centre
for
its
loyal
patrons. The project is expected to
be completed by the end of 2015.
Located in a well-established area
in
the
southern
suburbs
of
Johannesburg, Southdale Shopping Centre has been through a
number of extensions since its
original launch as an open arcade
in the 1970s.
The
refurbishment
has
been
designed by MDS Architecture for
One Holdings. Pierre Lahaye, the
partner
at
MDS
Architecture
heading up the project, says that
the team decided to retain the
origins of a high street concept,
but evolve it into a contemporary
interpretation thereof.
The
new
design
features
an
Design
The siting and massing of the building preserves the spatial continuity of University
Avenue which is further recognised with the creation of a small square extending the
spatial corridor in front of the building.
The form response to the strong built edge is reflected in the articulation of the building.
Two rectangular wings frame the faceted and curved auditorium form which responds to
the corner on Ring Road. To terminate the built edge of the Avenue, the façade inflects
at the southern end to create a sheltered upper level entrance through a framed façade.
A masonry frame of university plaster surrounds the layered façade of the double
volume foyer facing onto University Avenue. Expressed columns create a vertical rhythm
along the Avenue, with a horizontal ceramic sun screen floating a metre in front of the
glazing system. University plaster forms the base and framing of the building. The flat
roofs of the framing structure reflect the internal spatial volumes and are finished in
stone chip to form a fifth elevation.
The building will utilise the traditional palette of finishes of the Upper Campus with
regard to plastered external wall surfaces and natural materials. In addition to this, the
application of contemporary materials consistent with recent buildings on the Upper
Campus can be deployed to achieve a contemporary, durable and sustainable building.
This includes aluminium glazed systems and metallic cladding systems.
The tradition of Virginia creepers on stippled plaster walls has been adapted to run
the creepers on a light screen in front of the main east facing glazed façade to provide
seasonal shading and light control as a green building element.
Client: University of Cape Town
Project Coordinator: LMC Consulting
Architects and Principal Agent:
GAPP Architects and Urban Designers
Quantity Surveyor:
TALANI Quantity Surveyors
Structural Engineer: Henry Fagan &
Partners Structural and Civil Engineers
Acoustic Consultant:
Jongens Keet Associates
Sustainability: AGAMA Energy
Landscape Consultant:
OVP Landscape Architects
Electrical Consultant:
QDP Lighting and Electrical Design
Mechanical Consultant:
Basil Nair & Associates
Fire and Plumbing Consulta nt:
Solution Station
Main Contractor: Granbuild
abundance of natural light and
tactile materials in bright and
cheerful
colours.
“The
project
required a holistic view. The court
areas were opened up and the
connection between the top and
bottom floor was stripped out to
create circulation. The escalators
were moved from the entrance for
better flow and to minimise dead
ends,” explains Lahaye.
Built in the 1970s by the same
developers who constructed Hyde
Park, the shopping centre enjoys
great
support
from
the
well
established area.
18
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