Construction World December 2022

ARCHITECTS

AfriSam Innovat ion Award for Sustainable Construct ion

GREEN SCHOOL SOUTH AFRICA G reen School South Af rica i s the fi rst bui lding in Af rica which compl ies wi th the most stringent green bui lding cert i ficat ion, the Living Bui lding Chal lenge (LBC) , which i s organi sed around the seven per formance petals of the LBC. The goal being to create a Living Bui lding /Campus that incorporate regenerat ive des ign solut ions that improve the local envi ronment rather than s imply reducing harm.

Bui lding, Heart of the School , Recycl ing Centre and Compost ing Stat ion. Upon arriving at the school , a landscaped gabion wal l leads the vi s i tor to the Admini strat ion Bui lding that s i ts on the main axial ci rculat ion spine of the campus , l inking the more publ ic bui ldings together. These bui ldings include the Sangkep, tree- l ined Market Area, Del i , Co-Working Space and Heart of the School . The Heart of the School i s the centre of the precinct were al l the paths converge. The bui lding i s defined by three boulder‐ l ike shapes defining the path leading f rom the arrival plaza. The main ci rculat ion spine branches of f into careful ly cons idered meandering routes , to create moments of exci tement , wonder and di scover y. These secondar y routes lead to the Primar y School and Kindergarten where both spi l l out in landscaped courtyards . The Kindergarten Cluster i s shel tered and hidden by landscaped berms , and the walkway covered wi th a hand-woven sapl ing growing tunnel . Vi sual connectedness of the bui ldings i s not the only aspect that l ink the archi tecture wi th nature. . Phase 02 i s set to start in 2023, which wi l l include a Middle School and High School . 

Thi s means they must produce more energy than they use; use less water than the s i te natural ly receives ; increase rather than reduce the biodivers i ty and beauty on s i te; and be heal thy – providing plenty of natural l ight , f resh ai r, food, a close connect ion to nature and a sense of communi ty. Green School South Af rica, i s an eight-hectare sustainable school ing campus located in the low- lying Paarl Val ley in the Western Cape, spat ial ly defined by the Paarl Berg to the north, Drakenstein Mountains to the east and south, and Simons Berg towards the southwest . The spat ial arrangement at a macro level i s what inspi red the space making, but also down to the individual bui ldings and spaces between them. Reoccurrence of mul t iples at incremental scales i s an idea that defines the behavior of most natural systems . The archi tecture of the individual bui ldings i s defined by organic tectonic shapes originat ing f rom the mountains that contain the val ley but also more di rect ly f rom the Paarl Berg Boulders . These sol id shapes are arranged to accommodate the programmat ic need of each of the individual bui ldings . The fi rst phase of the campus was completed in Februar y 2021. Which const i tutes of various clusters of bui ldings nest led in amidst orchards , vegetable gardens , walkways , landscaped terraces and spi l l out spaces . These bui ldings include 16 classroom faci l i t ies for chi ldren ranging f rom kindergarten to Gr 8, the Sangkep (Bal inese term for a mul t ipurpose space) , an Admini strat ion

PROJECT INFORMATION

• Company entering: GASS Architecture Studios • Client: First Transaction Capital • Start date: February 2020 • End date: February 2021 • Main Constractor: Energy Master Builders • Architect: GASS Architecture Studios • Consulting Engineer: Sutherland Engineers

78 21 st Best Project Awards 2022