+IMPACT MAGAZINE ISSUE 18

PROJECT
PROJECT
identified site was an established ‘mini
forest’, with several trees of significance,”
says Waheed Parker, of Jacobs Parker
“The
Architecture. “A study was undertaken
to determine the type, location and condition of each
tree on site, and trees which could be relocated on campus
were identified to create a space where a building could
be inserted in between the remaining trees.” Parker
says that by situating the building between mature
trees, the building feels connected to the surrounding
natural context.
The spaces on the ground floor provide visual access to
the established trees on site, and the inhabitants of the
upper floors are situated between the canopies of these
trees. The upper floors also have sweeping views of the
cricket oval, Upper Campus and the mountains to the
west, and Lower Campus and the Cape Flats to the east.
“The intention was for the building to recede into the
background by respecting the unique grain and scale of
the Middle Campus environment, as well as the location,
geometry and vegetation of the specific site,” Jacobs
Parker’s Faizel Jacobs explains. “The distillation of this
idea manifests itself in the form of a building which is
‘quiet’, sensitive, and respectful of its context, feeling ‘as
if it has always been there.’ That said, it is by no means
timid, and holds its own in terms of its form and its
urban contribution.”
A HIGHLY ACTIVATED ENVIRONMENT
The resulting design offers a user experience which
engages the site holistically and integrates the building
with the landscape. As tenants can view the existing forest
from communal areas, many of which are designed as
group-working or informal gathering spaces, a highly
activated environment is created, in which it is easy to
orientate oneself. The staff room feels private and discreet,
without feeling “tucked away” or losing its connection with
nature, while the programmes on the upper levels feel as if
they’re suspended in the canopies of trees, a feeling which
is largely created by the careful articulation of glazing in
the façades, to admit, frame or obscure views from outside.
This connection to nature and external views is a
very important green building feature that improves
the wellbeing of individuals in the building, both from
a positive psychological perspective connecting with
nature, as well as reducing eye-strain and headaches by
allowing individuals to change their focus from internal
objects and screens to external objects. “Another benefit
The spaces on
the ground floor
provide visual
access to the
established trees
on site.
which occupants will experience includes the building’s
excellent natural light penetration, owing to its narrow
footprint,” says Francois Retief of Sow and Reap, the green
building consultant for the project. “Blinds, shading and
performance glazing have been used to mitigate glare and
unwanted heat gain, so there is a good balance of daylight
and warmth in the space. Openable windows allow for
natural ventilation, while additional fresh air is also added
and ‘tempered’ during hot or cold conditions to achieve a
comfortable yet energy-efficient environment.”
Manfred Braune, director: environmental sustainability,
UCT, says that occupants also benefit from the fact that
most of the floors in the circulation space are a polished
concrete, which is a finish that does not emit any Volatile
Organic Compounds (VOCs). It is also a very lowmaintenance
finish that will last for many years. “Then
there’s the fact that the building has a UCT Food & Connect
store in it, which is really convenient and means that
occupants don’t need to drive away from the building for
a coffee or lunchtime snack. Surrounding buildings can
also enjoy this benefit and will see many staff and students
walking to this building for a coffee or snack. This is an
important green building feature, because short vehicle
trips have higher emissions where the petrol/diesel engine
can burn cleaner on longer trips.”
The location of the building is very central in itself in
that it is within walking distance to both the main road,
and the surrounding campus. Public transport options
such as the UCT Shuttle Bus offer further connectivity.
The fact that the main circulation staircase is located in
a very central and visible location with the elevator less
visible, is also a positive health benefit to occupants, as
it encourages more use of the staircase. It also consumes
less energy.
A benefit which occupants
will experience is the
excellent light penetration.
In addition to the cafeteria, staff facilities, office
accommodation, meeting rooms and spaces for hot desking,
the building comprises of a 250-seat raked lecture hall,
seminar spaces, a computer laboratory, social learning
spaces, a graduate research commons and a wet laboratory.
In terms of energy consumption, the base building is
targeting 100 kWh/m²/year, which is an improvement
of almost 40% compared to the national standard for
this building type, which will equate to approximately
R315 000 saving per annum compared to standard design.
This is mostly achieved through the harnessing of daylight
and natural ventilation. One of the essential design
elements for the office spaces has been converting one of
the four windows into a solid insulated panel that can also
be opened. Although lecture theatres will still be equipped
with heating and cooling systems, occupancy sensors will
ensure they are deactivated once the rooms are empty.
The School of Education’s (SoE) targeted water
consumption is 550kl per year. This is an improvement
of more than 70% on typical sites of this type. This is
largely due to the fact that the landscaping has been
specifically designed to avoid irrigation with potable
Although lecture theatres will still be
equipped with heating and cooling
systems, occupancy sensors will
ensure they are deactivated once
the rooms are empty.
water. “We’ve taken a very conscious approach of retaining
the existing landscape where possible and planting to
match that landscape,” says Retief. “While some watering
may be necessary during the first few months, once fully
established, the locally appropriate plants used on site
should no longer require regular irrigation.” In addition,
instead of directing all rainfall into the storm-water system,
the building’s gutters and downpipes have been designed
to transport it back into the surrounding landscape
to replenish the cut-off supply of groundwater which
previously fed the trees on the lower end of the site.
This water-wise approach continues inside the building
where the most efficient and practical fixtures have been
chosen for toilets and taps. “Water submeters are also in
place so you can get data if you need it on where water is
being used as well as to detect leaks,” says Braune.
Reducing potable water consumption and energy
consumption are two critical areas that UCT is currently
focusing on in terms of its environmental sustainability
strategy. Braune says that balancing land use and ecology,
such as in the case of the SoE, is also a priority, as is the
mandate to create healthy environments for staff and
students through maximising fresh air, removing indoor
pollutants and pathogens, and optimising daylight and
external views.
“The university is aiming to become a net zero energy/
carbon, water and waste-to-landfill campus by 2050 or
sooner and is in the process of developing detailed plans
and feasibility studies of how it will achieve this and by
when this is possible, at what capital cost. This exercise
of developing the feasibility and plans for this will take a
few years, bearing in mind the complexity of the university
across five different campuses with a transient community
of about 28 000 students annually. This will require small
incremental shifts every year to transform such a large
institution – but in some rare instances we might see
big shifts where leap frogging and major technological
advances are possible at low cost,” says Braune.
While there are sometimes misconceptions around
the costs of green buildings, the SoE project has cost
only marginally more than a regular building would have.
He adds: “On this project, it ended up being only about
1.5% more expensive than a non-green building, which
Education buildings are
extremely important in the
green building movement.
shows how achievable a Green Star rated green building
actually is.”
While attaining a Green Star certification is a major feat,
the real challenge lies in sustaining it. Once the building is
in use, UCT will monitor energy and water consumption,
with these statistics being displayed on a big screen in the
foyer in order to create awareness.
“Education buildings are extremely important in the
green building movement. They offer not only a conducive
learning environment, but in themselves become a learning
resource and example on how to address the major
environmental concerns we face,” Retief concludes.
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