The Site The small site on which the d-school is built is triangular , with the hypotenuse of the triangle radiused , shaped by an existing road lined with an avenue of beautiful Cork Oaks . The buildings service spine tracks this radius , forming the southern side of the triangular building . The large span orthogonal studios are provided to the north and west , forming the other two sides of the triangular . This planning approach pushes all the geometrical complexity of the site into the centre of the triangle , the Us space , encompassing the atrium and courtyard .
This was resolved architecturally and structurally through a singular free-form lattice shell glass and steel roof . The form of the lattice shell was derived by abstracting the sites geometry and topography and encompassing the existing footpath which follows the avenue of Cork Oaks . Along the southern boundary , where the d-school address the UCT campus , this translates into a seamless experience of landscape and building .
The building design went through a number of iterations to ensure that when viewed from Rhodes Drive the d-school presents as a modest two storey structure above ground , in keeping with the adjacent Woolsack Residence and existing avenues of mature trees . However , the building section was developed to make maximum use of the significant 8.5m fall across the site to in fact provide 4 storeys , all entered off grade from the southern circulation spine .
The Building The lowest floor , Level 1 , is a naturally ventilated semi-basement accessed by vehicular traffic off Cork Oak Road . This floor provides parking for 22 cars , 5 motorcycles and 10 bicycles . 6 of the car parking bays are prioritised for electric / hybrid vehicles and are provided with charging stations . In addition to parking , the rainwater tank farm , plantrooms and refuse room are accommodated here .
Level 2 is partially retained below ground on two sides but is already elevated above ground along its northern façade . This floor offers shared space within the d-school for the benefit of the broader university community . One enters the floor from the east into an open plan space containing a café serving food and coffee with a generous seating area that spills outside onto a north facing terrace . Beyond the café are two large multi-purpose rooms , bathrooms , cyclist showers and changing facilities and the remainder of the building plantrooms .
Levels 3 and 4 accommodate the core functions of the d-school . Both floors are arranged around the central “ Us ” space comprising the atrium and roofed courtyard beyond . The southern façade of the atrium incorporates 3 large glazed sectionaloverhead doors allowing the atrium and courtyard
24 d-School