Architect and Builder Nov/Dec 2022 | Page 34

CHRIS HANI

LECTURE THEATRE

CHRIS HANI LECTURE THEATRE University of Cape Town
CLIENT University of Cape Town
PROJECT MANAGER & PRINCIPAL AGENT Turner & Townsend
ARCHITECT Jakupa Architects & Urban Designers
QUANTITY SURVEYOR Rider Levett Bucknall
CIVIL & STRUCTURAL ENGINEER Kantey & Templer Consulting Engineers
MECHANICAL ENGINEER Sparq Consulting
ELECTRICAL , ELECTRONICS & FIRE DETECTION ENGINEER S Ismail Consulting Electrical Engineers
RATIONAL FIRE DESIGN & FIRE PROTECTION Tom Esterhuizen & Associates
HEALTH & SAFETY CONSULTANT ConstructSafe Consultants
HERITAGE CONSULTANT Rennie | Scurr | Adendorff
MAIN CONTRACTOR Isipani Construction
PHOTOGRAPHY Terry February

Situated along the historic University Avenue at the University of Cape Town ( UCT ), The Chris Hani Lecture Theatre - formerly known as the New Science Lecture Theatre - was seen as an underutilised learning space on UCT ’ s Upper Campus and the steeply raked lecture theatre was not in keeping with contemporary learning requirements .

With this in mind Jakupa Architects and Urban Designers was approached to look at re-adapting the building for contemporary learning standards conducive to student-led learning initiatives , mentoring and peer tutoring . The Faculty of Science is a key user and their academic objective is to improve the graduation rates of those students that enter the undergraduate programme , particularly those from a poor socio-economic background . This objective has driven the building brief to create contemporary spaces that stimulate innovative teaching and learning experiences .
Adaptive Reuse In the context of UCT ’ s historic Upper Campus , with its community of heritage buildings , Adaptive Reuse is appropriate . As a form of historic preservation , this approach restores cultural significance to sites such as UCT ’ s Upper Campus that would otherwise succumb , due to restrictive heritage grading , listing and protection , to inevitable functional redundancy .
Instead of discarding the old building form and replacing it anew , Jakupa instead embraced the opportunity to restore the existing heritage envelop whilst transforming the spatial layout and structure , giving the Chris Hani Building a chance to not only survive but to thrive as a renewed beacon for design .
34 Chris Hani Lecture Theatre