LOCAL PROJECT
Soft light filters the space from all four sides of the Kyudojo through clerestory windows , which reinforces the concept of the ‘ floating ’ flat roof .
OTHER PROJECTS BY GASS ARCHITECTURE STUDIO
GASS Architecture Studio designed the first green school to open its doors in South Africa recently . The school , in Paarl in the Western Cape Province of South Africa is spread over eight hectares and is modelled on the first Green School established in Bali in 2008 . The South African version is only the third in a planned international network of Green Schools , following the establishment of the second campus in New Zealand .
Constructed from naturally and locally sourced materials , the school is powered by solar-generated electricity , and the water balance has been carefully calculated to ensure that water extracted from the river and borehole is replenished with rainwater received . Administrative buildings and classrooms are set within vegetable gardens , orchards , and grain fields .
The school will open in line with government regulations on 15 February 2021 , with a planned enrolment of 150 learners and 15 teachers . The Green School offers education from kindergarten to Grade 8 in 2021 and will expand to provide education up to Grade 12 by 2025 . The school aims to maintain a ratio of one teacher to 10 learners .
The Green School South Africa campus is spatially defined by Paarl Rock , the Drakenstein Mountains and Simonsberg . The spatial arrangement at a macro level is what inspired the space making at the site-specific scale , and down to the individual buildings and spaces between them .
The campus constitutes of various clusters of buildings , nestled in amidst orchards , vegetable gardens , meandering routes , landscaped terraces and spill-out spaces . A series of organic shaped ‘ werf ’ walls weave the individual clusters of buildings into a coherent whole , creating a world of passageways and spaces for learners to discover . While waterbodies are connected with ‘ lei water ’ channels that are gravity fed , both referenced from the vernacular , Cape Dutch Architecture . The positions of the different zones and buildings have been carefully considered , taking into account passive design principals , feng shui and the Living Building petals . The result being harmonious spaces where humankind and nature can reconnect .
To further enhance this idea , all buildings are constructed from naturally and locally sourced materials to integrate the object within its surroundings . These organic shaped buildings with large oversailing leaf-like roof structures , punched openings , bay windows , clerestory windows , textured screening elements , create enticing and playful spaces for children to engage and explore .
www . timberiq . co . za // APRIL / MAY 2021 13