African Design Magazine ADM #39 April 2018 | Page 6

SCHOOL DESIGN
Roodepoort, is representative
of what can be achieved when
collaborative idea sharing
takes place.
The organisation’s pre-
schools use the Montessori
model, which helps students
to learn independently and
retain the curiosity, creativity,
and intelligence with which
they were born. Students
from Grades R to 12 use the
Project Based Learning Model
which encourages enquiry
in students and allows for
students to experience how
the theory they are taught is
applied in the real world.
Founder and executive
chairman Sizwe Nxasana’s
vision is to create learning
environments that stimulate
children during their school
years. The Fleurhof schools
are positioned to serve a
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AFRICAN DESIGN MAGAZINE © | APRIL 2018
predominantly
underprivileged
and previously
disadvantaged
community and
were developed in
several phases: the
school hall, pre-
school and primary
school building,
sports facilities
and a playground
in phase 1 with the
second phase focusing on
the development of the high
school.
Mabusela says that because
this is a precedent-setting
development, she was
responsible for creating a
brief, predominantly through
a trial and error process. “The
big focus is to interrogate
what works and doesn’t work
within the current strategy
in order to create a brief
for future schools we will
develop. The plan is to build
one school a year, depending
on the economy.”
The design brief is shaped by
interaction with stakeholders
and the input from educators
has been critical. Most
architects don’t speak to the
end user before creating
the design brief, instead
preferring conversations with