STIAS BUILDING
STIAS BUILDING Stellenbosch University
CLIENT University of Stellenbosch
ARCHITECT VKDB Architecture | Interior Design
QUANTITY SURVEYOR Farrow Laing Quantity Surveyors
CIVIL & STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS WML Coast
MECHANICAL & FIRE ENGINEERS Power Partners
ELECTRICAL ENGINEER DSV Consulting Engineers
ELECTRONIC ENGINEER McWilliam Consulting
ACOUSTIC ENGINEER SRL South Africa
HERITAGE CONSULTANT Arcon Heritage Consulting
RENEWABLE ENERGY CONSULTANT Imbue Sustainability
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT Square One Landscape Architects
INTERIOR DESIGN VKDB Architecture | Interior Design
HEALTH & SAFETY CONSULTANT Frontline SHEQ
MAIN CONTRACTOR Build A Way Construction
PHOTOGRAPHY Markus Jordaan
The Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study, or STIAS, is located in the historic town centre of Stellenbosch and forms part of the Stellenbosch University( SU) precinct. STIAS comprises several smaller heritage buildings to the east of its site, and the larger, more modern STIAS Wallenberg Research Centre to the west. East and west are neatly bisected by a low werf wall. Notably, the site also features, to the south, the only vineyard within the Stellenbosch town centre.
Project Background VKDB Architecture and Interior Design designed and oversaw the completion of the Wallenberg Research Centre in 2007, following a competition-based commission. In 2022, due to the success of the original building, VKDB was approached to design a new wing extension, now known as the North Wing. This wing and its associated additions were constructed over an 18-month period and completed in 2025.
The STIAS Fellowship Programme and Design Ethos The success of the Wallenberg Research Centre has been, and continues to be, closely tied to the STIAS Fellowship Programme. This programme brings together academic fellows from a wide range of disciplines and from across the world, each occupying an
The ethos of the centre, and in many ways the design brief for both the original building and the new wing, is to create a space that fosters creativity, encourages unexpected connections, and invites curiosity and dialogue
60 STIAS Building