Location: Kimberley, South Africa
Program: Institution
Client: Architectural Competition
Status: Stage 2 top nine finalist
Area: 3000sqm
Team: In association with Jakupa Architects and Urban Designers
Renders: Matthew Pretorius

The future of education requires a new building typology to meet the demand of blended learning, creating a sense of community and fulfil its role as a nexus for the city of Kimberley. Instead of the typical solid blocks with small openings to manage the desert climate, we envision the new building typology to have a big oversailing roof canopy that holds a collection of learning and collaborative spaces that are dynamic and set as a framework for different kinds of structured and unstructured learning.

This concept of ‘learning under the African sky’ will allow the spaces to be adaptable, fluid and accommodate change.

It will also allow the building to be more porous, inviting the city into the building, merging with the university as a hybrid space to bridge the connection between academia and industry.