Apex Studios
STUDENT ACCOMMODATION AWARD
Apex Studios is a student housing facility situated in Braamfontein , Johannesburg . The development houses 901 students over 13 storeys in a new residential building which consists of a variety of unit types , each with private shared bathroom and kitchen facilities , lending itself to an apartment style of living . The units range from one to four bedrooms with minimal shared rooms in the overall scheme . In this regard the students connect with fellow roommates whilst benefitting from a more private communal area .
The existing heritage building has been restored externally and extensively refurbished internally to house all the unique common spaces such as study centre , lounge areas , games room and gym . The raw , modularised materials of the existing building influenced the new residential building . The use of concrete , facebrick and colour create a sophisticated yet playful new architectural language , interpreting the geometry of the existing architectural style through a contemporary lens .
Connection to nature was of paramount importance in the design , to allow students the opportunity to connect , learn and gather outdoors . The ground floor courtyards , a multi-purpose sports field to the north of the site and an entertainment zone on the roof all aim to create an environment in which a student community can develop and thrive .
As the site is situated in a bustling , prominent location within the city , it was vital that the development engaged with and responded to its context , visually and physically , whilst maintaining a secure environment for the students . Stepping the building back to create ground level outdoor spaces , assists to scale the building in the context and soften the thresholds between the public and private .
The existing building on the site was transformed to house the common areas for the new scheme . The design respects the old and reinvigorates these spaces by introducing new occupancies , colour and furniture to celebrate the existing textures and geometries .
The overall intent was to develop a scheme where a student community can be established and thrive , creating safe and vibrant spaces in which students can interact with their environment and with one another .
Flexibility within a student community is key to enable the students and operators to appropriate and customise their personal and common spaces . Fixed furniture is limited so that spaces can be easily transformed as needed . A consistent palette throughout means the furniture can be repositioned in other areas and still look appropriate . The courtyard is also multi-functional with bench seating on the perimeter and a platform to the side creating a central events space .
Apex Studios is located 300m from WITS University , making it ideal from a safety point of view . The location also encourages an integration between WITS and the scheme and truly establishes it as a student centric node on the threshold of Wits .
Developer : Growthpoint Student Accommodation Holdings Project Manager & Principal Agent : Betapoint Architect : GASS Architecture Studios Quantity Surveyor : DelQS Civil & Structural Engineer : Sutherland Electrical Engineer : Claassen Auret Inc Mechanical Engineer : IMECH Consulting Engineers Wet Services : Wills Franklin Pretorius Fire Engineer : Fenco Health & Safety Consultant : Comprac Holdings Heritage Consultant : Brian McKechnie Procurement Agent : Delta Built Environment Consultants EDGE Auditor : Ecolution Consulting Main Contractor : Concor
SAPOA Awards 77