UBUNTU
LEARNING CENTRE
UBUNTU LEARNING CENTRE Bishops Diocesan College, Rondebosch
CLIENT Bishops Diocesan College
ARCHITECT dhk Architects
PROJECT MANAGER Fluid Projects
QUANTITY SURVEYOR B & L Quantity Surveyors
CIVIL ENGINEER BVi Consulting Engineers
STRUCTURAL ENGINEER Henry Fagan Consulting Engineers & Project Managers
ELECTRICAL ENGINEER QDP Lighting & Electrical Design
MECHANICAL & FIRE ENGINEERS Sutherland
HERITAGE CONSULTANT Claire Abrahamse Architecture + Design
INTERIOR DESIGN dhk Interior Design
SPECIFICATION CONSULTANT SCL Specs
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT CNDV Landscape Architects
MAIN CONTRACTOR Emcon
PHOTOGRAPHY Sean Gibson
Bishops Diocesan College in Rondebosch, Cape Town, is one of the top boys’ schools in South Africa. As one of the oldest in the country, the school wanted to embark on a journey of modernising learning environments on its historical campus. This led to the transformation of the existing Molteno Library and New Lecture Theatre( NLT), located within a cluster of buildings at the heart of the academic campus. The new building was named Ubuntu Learning Centre, an apt name for a structure designed to facilitate more collaborative learning practices that characterise a global approach to contemporary 21st century education. The building was designed by dhk Architects, with interior design by dhk Interior Design.
The project called for flexible, efficient and multifunctional learning spaces that could respond to different user demands and offer opportunities to release space in other parts of the campus. A key requirement was the creation of large gathering spaces that could host up to three classes together, complemented by related breakaway spaces. The brief also called for improvements to the library, IT support hubs and a new, larger staff room.
Site Background and Challenges The site lies at a crucial fulcrum of routes through the campus, surrounded by existing buildings and mature trees that needed to be retained. This limited the available space for new construction. A high water table required intricate civil engineering solutions, including the introduction of new drainage channels and pipes to move water around and away from the new and existing buildings. The existing buildings within the tight space were inward-focused, connected with dark, unwelcoming passages, convoluted access routes and disconnected spaces.
EAST ELEVATION
The new façades feature deep, tall windows with angled reveals introduce a playful abstraction that references elements of the existing campus architecture
46 Ubuntu Learning Centre