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PROPOSED, CURRENT AND FUTURE PROJECTS FROM SOUTH AFRICA AND ABROAD
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69 MEMORIAL ROAD,
KIMBERLEY
Located in Memorial Road,
Kimberley, the site posed a challenge
during the design phase as it
is a 7,200m 2 west facing triangle.
The development went through
multiple design iterations, always
considering how to address the
street façade to the west, while
at the same time not closing the
building off too much, considering
the late afternoon summer sun
in Kimberley can be intense. The
layout and concept development
were largely influenced by the site
constraints and orientation, where
the eventual design follows the
angles of the site boundaries with
office spaces arranged around
an intimate internal courtyard.
Large glazed façades envelope the
courtyard, which allow a layered
interconnectedness
between
different spaces in the building
and ensure abundant natural light.
The main design elements are the
exposed concrete curves on the
northern and southern corners of
the building, with floor to ceiling
windows in the form of vertical
slits. Along with the exposed
concrete, the rest of the palette also
includes steel, facebrick and metal
cladding. Construction is planned
for completion by June 2021.
Architects: Makespace Architects
Project Architect: George Schoonraad
Civil & Structural: MVD Kalahari
Electrical: Civilsense Consulting
Contractor: CED’S Construction
GREEN SCHOOL, PAARL
The Green School is part of a global network of schools that actively engage in creating
a future that is rooted in sustainable practices at all levels. From its origins in Bali, the
Green School now has schools opening in New Zealand, Mexico and South Africa. The
Green School campus in South Africa is situated in the fertile Paarl-Franschhoek valley
and is defined by low-lying vineyards and orchards contained by spectacular mountains.
From the outset the challenge was to create a campus that is part of this global
community but that is defined by its context, climate and heritage. In Bali, the beautiful
and intricate bamboo structures without walls make sense in terms of material, climate,
and local building methodologies. In Paarl, where the summers are very hot and dry,
and the winters wet and cold, the building envelope becomes an essential device to
passively control the building climate.
The architecture is defined by a series of buildings strategically placed in the landscape.
The upper campus contains the buildings with the more ‘public’ functions like the Admin
building, the Sankep (assembly) and the cafeteria, where the lower campus contains
the Hearth of the School and Kindi, Primary, Middle and High school building clusters.
The buildings are surrounded by permaculture gardens, fruit and nut trees and are linked
with low-lying vernacular ‘werf’ walls that define outdoor learning spaces. The individual
classroom buildings are arranged around courtyards providing outdoors space for each
cluster of buildings. The buildings are provided with big openings connecting it to the
natural landscape - a fundamental pillar of the Green School.
The Living Building Challenge is a sustainability framework that the Green School in
South Africa has taken on board to guide and inform all decision making. It is a tool that
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