The new building has been developed with sufficient functionality to house various faculties in a modern and agile setting. The facility will provide temporary, but fully functional workspace for engineering students and staff while upgrades to their buildings are completed. Once construction has been completed at the Faculty of Engineering, the decanting building will be used during other campus renewal projects.
SMEC’s services included civil engineering, services coordination, planning approvals, layer works design, construction monitoring and contract administration. This included the bulk master planning of the precinct civil infrastructure, the external services for the building and the adjacent parking area. A new parking area services the new decanting building and new student residences alleviating parking congestion on the site.
All parking bays consist of permeable grass blocks filled with crusher stone to ensure the water table is replenished during winter rainfall.
Sustainability was embedded into the design and applied throughout the construction. Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems have been installed which elegantly incorporate stormwater management solutions. Attenuation ponds create a visual feature and recreational amenity. Pedestrian linkages provide safe passage around the site and tactile paving has been incorporated to ensure universal access.
Stellenbosch University
South Africa