Barnato Hall Extension:
Student Residence
30% Cheaper, 100% Nicer
The Problem
How to meet the backlog of +200 000 student beds.
A Solution
Rationalise and extend existing residences.
Make use of existing land and infrastructure to deliver student beds at 30% less.
The Advantage
The extension of Barnato Hall delivers 182 beds at two-thirds of the cost of a newly constructed building. This doesn’t even consider the savings on buying land.
From the outset, 29 new rooms were ‘created’ simply by moving servers into storerooms in the existing building.
The extension clips into the existing building and makes use of the existing stairs, whilst providing a much-needed second lift, an additional warden’s flat, and a raised roof terrace with magnificent views.
The double-loaded corridors of the existing building, feel unsafe and must be artificially lit 24hrs a day. Instead, the extension makes use of open walkways that allow visual connection between levels, making female students feel safer. As an added benefit, the walkways allow one to hear bird sounds and enjoy views into the surrounding trees and city.
Existing
New
The client insisted that low-maintenance face brick be used throughout the new building. Left-over bricks of different shapes and colours were sourced from the brick supplier. These bricks were leftovers from commissioned ranges and cost less than stock bricks!
“Unlocking the extraordinary from the ordinary ... art from brick and mortar.”
- Emannuel Prinsloo
Director of Campus Planning and Development Wits University
By thoughtfully combining the different bricks, an intricate façade was created that gives the existing fort-like building (named after a colonial mining magnate) a new identity.
At the time of nationwide student protests calling for decolonization, the patchwork of ‘odd-bin’ bricks celebrates diversity and inclusion.
26’10 project team: Anne Graupner, Paul Devenish,Thorsten Deckler, Carla Rademan, Carla Gaum, Claire Barry, Kegan Stokes, Shani Fakir, Romeo Banza, Flint Shongwe, Ilze Wessels, Tebogo Ramatlo
Photographed by David Southwood, Nic Huisman
