African project
Arts Campus, Afrikaans Hoër Seunskool – South Africa
contemporary building forms with the established historical building structures on site.
Poetic spaces and architectural metaphors are a trademark of the Pretoria based
architecture firm. A cherished relationship with art becomes tangible in the users
experience of their architecture, evident in the design of the Music Centre too. The design
elements complement the functional aspects of the building: Rhythmically placed steel
columns are reminiscent of a tune leading the user to the entrance of the Arts Campus,
while a wall of soldier course masonry mimics a choir, welcoming visitors and musicians
alike.
The new additions, together with the existing school hall, form a generous public square
which boasts a steel sculpture by Cape-based artist, Strijdom van der Merwe. Van der
Merwe’s focal artwork is an interactive ensemble of four oversized circular trumpets,
aptly named ‘Kwartet’ (Afrikaans for quartet). Music as playful activity is made manifest in
the sculpture. Concentric circles radiate like sound waves from this artwork. When asked
what he believes to be the most noticeable feature of the project, Mathews notes the way
in which they strung together various building shapes and forms into one whole, with
the off shutter concrete portal. “Another feature is how we created various intricate and
intimate urban spaces within the project. The success of this project is that it breaks away
from the traditional school typology of sameness to enhance creativity and contribute to
memorable experience,” he says.
Playful elements further enhance the ensemble – a graphic screen of piano keys adorns
the southern façade of the existing school hall, turning the previously unsightly ‘back
of house’ wall of drainage pipes into a bright, inviting feature wall. The intangible and
historic are celebrated with a laser cut steel screen placed on the landing of the main
staircase to the first floor, a visual representation of the school’s first anthem in enlarged
Braille, an embodiment of music, words and history as pattern.
PROJECT TEAM
“In a music centre, acoustics is one of the issues that is very important to consider,” notes
Zanele Hlatshwayo of Ecophon Saint Gobain. “There are two groups of issues which
need to be considered. One being issues of room acoustics; sound pressure levels, sound
propagation, reverberation time and speech clarity, and the other being issues of sound
insulation. The architectural practice, MAAA, engaged with an acoustic engineer to ensure
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Location: Lynnwood, Pretoria
Client: School Board of the Afrikaans Hoër Seunskool
Architect: Mathews & Associates Architects
Architectural team: Pieter J Mathews, Anton Smit
Civil and Structural Engineer: Ellis Engineers
Electrical Engineer: CA du Toit & Partners
Quantity Surveyor: Mathews & Associates Quantity
Surveyors
Contractor: Tundwe Construction
Acoustic Engineer: Dr. Ben van Zyl
Artist: Strijdom van der Merwe
africandesignmagazine.com