View here: https://www.gifa.org.za/2023-gifa-awards
Faculty of Commerce, Law and
Management, University of Witwatersrand / MMA Design Studio
Commencement: June 2019
Completion: December 2022
Programme: Research, Offices & Student Services
Building Area: 3400m²
Height: 3 Storeys
The new Commerce, Law and Management Faculty Administration Building is located on the West Campus of the University of the Witwatersrand in Braamfontein, Johannesburg. The west campus used to be the historical Johannesburg agricultural showground dating back to 1907 with buildings dating from that era to the current day. The new building sits within the historical “Tower of Light” precinct and was the site of the old rose garden saddled between the historical grandstand of the Skeen stadium and an old exhibition hall currently used as the commerce library. Being within a historically significant site the building had to be designed in accordance with the University’s masterplan for the west campus and approved by the Provincial Heritage Authority of Gauteng.
The project was the outcome of a space audit for a rapidly growing faculty and was intended to consolidate all faculty functions and student services in one building. The three-storey building, fondly nicknamed “the Sandton of Wits” consists of faculty offices, conferencing facilities, student services, a post-grad hub and offices for various research institutes. Built during Covid certain functions had to be retro-fitted including a new recording studio for recording on-line classes.
Programmatically the building is comprised of two interlocking L-shaped functional zones housing private office wings on one side and a bank of public social amenities on the other. These two wings are connected on all three storeys by a habitable bridge with a central skylit atrium. Circulation is via a dramatic hanging staircase that overlooks the atrium or the glass lift that overlooks the historical showground stadium. The building accommodates various departments with half of its space dedicated to shared collaborative working spaces and social areas interconnected through a central atrium promoting a unified faculty and student community. The bridge link overlooks the heritage precinct and the atrium is considered a spatial continuation of the historical stadium. The atrium skylight serves as a source of natural light, illuminating the interior of the building and creating a striking visual impact that accentuates the iconic Tower of Light structure from within. This design element effectively integrates the interior space with the surrounding campus, fostering a sense of cohesion and connectivity.
The tectonics of the building are derived from the careful study of the existing buildings and places. The design is imagined as a forward-looking trajectory of this history, from the filigree of Victorian architecture (the grandstand and bandstand to the modernist concrete of the adjacent ‘Tower of Light’ and more modern buildings).
Externally the facades facing onto the historical square are made up of an aluminium cladding system with aluminium fins that both screen the sun and rhythmically articulate the facades. The less prominent facades use a facebrick similair to what is found on campus. This articulated faced not only pays homage to the Victorian architecture, the rythm of fins are suggestive of musical notation, the golden musical era of Marabi music that was the rage in Johannesburg townships at the time. This is carried through in the hard landscaping which has been extended throughout the whole square. The main full-height entrance portal is a gesture to the tower and the off-shutter concrete a reference to some of the campus’s more modern buildings. Internally this filigree architecture is carried through in the detailing of the timber acoustic cladding, balustrading, ground floor finishes and the ceiling acoustic baffles (necessitated by the use of the TABS.) Timber is used to soften the concrete and pastel finishes in various places including in the main staircase and built-in furniture.
Client: University of Witwatersrand
Architects: Mphethi Morojele (MMA Design Studio)
Interior Design: v Design Studio
Project Managers: BVI
Quantity Surveyors: Enumerate
Structural Engineers: Structural Solutions/ Bosch
Civil Engineers: Bosch
Electrical/ Wet Services Engineers: Delta
Mechanical Engineers: Maninga
Fire Engineers: 1World
Acoustic Consultant: Acoustech
Landscape Design: Insight
Urban Design: LHA+Udvw
Audio Visual: Implementing IT
Health & Safety: NCC Environmental Services
Contractor: Tristar
Shopfitting: LJ Infrastructures
Aluminium Installer: Edelweiss
Façade system: Alania
Photography: Tristan McLaren
