New Economics and Student Administration Buildings
Location: Middle Campus
Architects: VDMMA (www.vdmma.com)
Status: Part of UCT's Green Campus plan. Construction is currently well under way.

http://www.vdmma.com/images/stories/galleries/UCT:-School-of-Economics-and-Student-Admin-Buildings/UCT%20SoE_00.jpg

http://www.vdmma.com/images/stories/galleries/UCT:-School-of-Economics-and-Student-Admin-Buildings/UCT%20SoE_08.jpg

http://www.vdmma.com/images/stories/galleries/UCT:-School-of-Economics-and-Student-Admin-Buildings/UCT%20SoE_01.jpg

http://www.vdmma.com/images/stories/galleries/UCT:-School-of-Economics-and-Student-Admin-Buildings/UCT%20SoE_02.jpg

http://www.vdmma.com/images/stories/galleries/UCT:-School-of-Economics-and-Student-Admin-Buildings/UCT%20SoE_03.jpg

http://www.vdmma.com/images/stories/galleries/UCT:-School-of-Economics-and-Student-Admin-Buildings/UCT%20SoE_04.jpg

http://www.vdmma.com/images/stories/galleries/UCT:-School-of-Economics-and-Student-Admin-Buildings/UCT%20SoE_05.jpg

http://www.vdmma.com/images/stories/galleries/UCT:-School-of-Economics-and-Student-Admin-Buildings/UCT%20SoE_06.jpg

http://www.vdmma.com/images/stories/galleries/UCT:-School-of-Economics-and-Student-Admin-Buildings/UCT%20SoE_07.jpg

http://www.vdmma.com/images/stories/galleries/UCT:-School-of-Economics-and-Student-Admin-Buildings/UCT%20SoE_12.jpg

http://www.vdmma.com/images/stories/galleries/UCT:-School-of-Economics-and-Student-Admin-Buildings/UCT%20SoE_13.jpg

oh so Thats what they are doing!
Thanks, looks interesting

From what I've seen its pretty stupid. What a mission from upper campus to this place.

Go wild.

http://www.aurecon.webfoundryza.com/index.php?id=31

The Law guys seem to manage fine :)

The Law guys seem to manage fine :)

But if you're a commerce student and all your classes are on the upper campus, getting to middle just for 1 lecture is not that smart.

^^ its not much more of a mission than getting from one end of upper to the other (says the guy who has all his lectures in 2 rooms next door to each other)

Btw I think VDMMA is involved though I dont know how much.

Yeah, VDMMA are the architects. Go Anya :D

yeah except she's prob gonna fail me this year so i dont like her right now

Let's hope she doesn't find this thread ;)

Those photo's aren't working for me...

Agreed the placing is completely weird - miles away from the commerce building. Not that I really care, first semester this year, every day, I had 4-5 consecutive lectures each on the opposite side of upper campus to the last ;)

Also I can't really remember the details - but think I heard that they found an old grave site while building, which held it all up.

Sorry guys, forgot to tell you about this project since I'm here pretty much every day!! Construction is going well. They already cleared the site and are laying the foundations. But they did find some burial ground, so I dont know whats happening with that...

I agree with Mo Rush, I have some non-law courses on upper campus and its a.... mission!!! But does get you some exercise and some fitness :) But I think economics lectures will still be held on upper campus, and since some ecos lectures are already held at the law faculty (second year lectures), it wont be that much of a change. I think the new economics building will mainly deal with postgrad students the offices of the economics department (which are now clustered around leslie social.

In any case, I study economics as my degree minor so I dont mind the change :) And it will also move the uni administration out of the law faculty :) only thing that sux is we will lose our exclusivity :( oh well....

By the way, does anyone know when its due to be complete?

From what I've seen its pretty stupid. What a mission from upper campus to this place.

Go wild.

http://www.aurecon.webfoundryza.com/index.php?id=31

Not as bad as me in first year medicine having 8:00 lectures down on med campus then the whole class having to mission up to PD Haan by 9:15. And you weren't allowed to be late!

http://www.uct.ac.za/usr/news/2009/Construction.jpg

UCT is constructing two multi-million rand buildings on the middle campus to increase its student enrolment number of graduates in the next few years.

Construction has already started on the new School of Economics and the Student Administration buildings, and both are set to be completed in time for the 2011 academic year.

Geoffrey de Wet, head of the Physical Planning Unit in the Properties and Services Department, said the government had approved UCT's enrolment plan and performance targets to increase student intake from 21 800 in 2005 to 24 000 by 2010.

The buildings will cost R158 million, of which R102 million will come from the Department of Education.

The Student Administration building will accommodate the Admissions Office, the Student Housing Accommodation Office, the Student Records Office, the Office of the Deputy Registrar, the Exams Office and Doctoral Degrees Board, the Access Management Office, and Student Support Services.

The International Academic Programmes Office and the Council for International Education Exchange will also be located there.

This building will fulfil the university's strategy to move non-academic units out of academic buildings on the upper and middle campuses, making the vacated space available to academic departments.

De Wet said the diagonal pedestrian route across the middle campus, north of the Kramer Building, will be diverted northwards down the colonnade on the southern edge of the Woolsack housing cluster, and directly in front of the Kramer Building.

Construction vehicles will use the road north of the Woolsack housing cluster to gain access to the building site, he added.

this is stunning but surely there is a tunnel under the freeway or at least a pedestrian bridge planned?

this is stunning but surely there is a tunnel under the freeway or at least a pedestrian bridge planned?

yes, under the field and freeway.

they're talking about the footpath after the tunnel which will continue straight, rather than diagonally to Kramer.

So go straight, turn left, rather than diagonally left.

For clarification: the tunnel is already there :)

wow just saw this now. very nice. being green isn't literal though ;p

I quite like all the greenery...it's the reason why I love the UCT campus so much :) The buildings covered in ivy are awesome.

nice looking development with simple buildings and nice vertical gardens. Pity about the logic of people movement between classes, but then there is no space left to build on upper campus really.

Without the green could look dull in a few years. Finishes of the facades will be important. Green spaces between buildings could be great.

K was joking, i love the greenery. does anyone know when this will be finished? that hole next to the kramer building has been there for ages. and will they be building a lift up to the upper campus? over walking up those stairs ;p

^^ Supposed to be finished in time for the 2011 academic year.

And come on people...the walk REALLY isn't that bad ;)

Anyway, it's coming along quite nicely. I'll see if I can snap a few photos next time I'm on Middle Campus.

Kids growing up so quickly :)

Middle Campus development for the School of Economics and Student Administration:

UCT's School of Economics has ranked first among economics departments at SA universities for the past five years. Almost a fifth of our total cohort of 24 000 students takes courses in economics. Our research units focus on the economics of labour markets, the environment, rural development, regional and industrial development, financial markets, with a strong focus on poverty and inequality. So it is appropriate that we give this school room to grow. The facilities will also provide new offices for student administration, with a total investment of R158 million. These buildings, which are being developed adjacent to the existing Kramer Law Building, will be completed during the first semester of 2011. The discovery of a slave burial site in the vicinity of the new building has stimulated a memorialisation space and project linked to the new building.

Can anyone who missions to middle campus give us an update? :)

Ok, well things have progressed quite a bit in the last 2-3 weeks. You can already see the floors rise :) Here is a photo (22/5/10) of the buildings below the law faculty where the tennis courts used to: (couldn't get photos of what they're building right next to the faculty as its fenced and blocked from view :()

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l103/eduardm2/cid_IMG00003-20100522-1214.jpg

Shot! Are you talking about the part with the green fencing around it? There's gaps big enough to stick a camera lens through :D

^^ Yeah but when I was down there I couldnt get a good view even up right against the green fence (dont have a camera atm so cant take photos)

I'll see if I can mission down sometime. Maybe I'll have better luck :D

Photos on the UCT site - http://www.uct.ac.za/gallery/?id=59

^^ They're quite old though. Looks like a few months ago...

If you scroll to the end they have more recent ones :) Think I saw April if I recall correctly, but that could have been Obz Junction.

Well I have something better.... I was able to take photos today of the construction adjacent to the law faculty :)

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l103/eduardm2/utf-8BSU1HMDAwMDgtMjAxMDA1MzAtMTEyN.jpg
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l103/eduardm2/utf-8BSU1HMDAwMDYtMjAxMDA1MzAtMTEyN.jpg
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l103/eduardm2/utf-8BSU1HMDAwMDUtMjAxMDA1MzAtMTEyN.jpg

Nice! Shot. Coming along quite nicely.

Bottom right of the photo:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4083/5045147564_2fe492859c_b.jpg
By Capestars (http://www.flickr.com/photos/capestars/).

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l103/eduardm2/utf-8BSU1HMDAwMTYtMjAxMDEwMDQtMTE1OC5qcGc.jpg
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l103/eduardm2/utf-8BSU1HMDAwMTctMjAxMDEwMDQtMTE1OC5qcGc.jpg

http://www.vdmma.com/images/stories/galleries/UCT-Site-Braai/medium/UCT%20Braai_00.jpghttp://www.vdmma.com/images/stories/galleries/UCT-Site-Braai/medium/UCT%20Braai_01.jpghttp://www.vdmma.com/images/stories/galleries/UCT-Site-Braai/medium/UCT%20Braai_02.jpghttp://www.vdmma.com/images/stories/galleries/UCT-Site-Braai/medium/UCT%20Braai_03.jpg
http://www.vdmma.com/images/stories/galleries/UCT-Site-Braai/medium/UCT%20Braai_13.jpg

Oe I was there last saturday. BTW UCT students must have really nice legs and butt from all the hill climbing sheesh lol :P

Why thank you :)

New blog post:


http://futurecapetown.tumblr.com/

Source: VDMMA (http://www.vdmma.com)

http://www.vdmma.com/images/stories/galleries/UCT:-School-of-Economics-and-Student-Admin-Buildings/UCT%20%2000.jpg

http://www.vdmma.com/images/stories/galleries/UCT:-School-of-Economics-and-Student-Admin-Buildings/UCT%20%2001.jpg

http://www.vdmma.com/images/stories/galleries/UCT:-School-of-Economics-and-Student-Admin-Buildings/UCT%20%2002.jpg

http://www.vdmma.com/images/stories/galleries/UCT:-School-of-Economics-and-Student-Admin-Buildings/UCT%20%2003.jpg

http://www.vdmma.com/images/stories/galleries/UCT:-School-of-Economics-and-Student-Admin-Buildings/UCT%20%2004.jpg

http://www.vdmma.com/images/stories/galleries/UCT:-School-of-Economics-and-Student-Admin-Buildings/UCT%20%2005.jpg

http://www.vdmma.com/images/stories/galleries/UCT:-School-of-Economics-and-Student-Admin-Buildings/UCT%20%2006.jpg

http://www.tfphotography.co.za/watermark/watermark.php?img=aW1nX2xpYi9jYXRfMjIvbm90LXRodW1iLWltYWdlcy9fNTB1NDkwMy5qcGc=http://www.tfphotography.co.za/watermark/watermark.php?img=aW1nX2xpYi9jYXRfMjIvbm90LXRodW1iLWltYWdlcy9fNTB1NDkwNy5qcGc=http://www.tfphotography.co.za/watermark/watermark.php?img=aW1nX2xpYi9jYXRfMjIvbm90LXRodW1iLWltYWdlcy9fNTB1NDkxMi5qcGc=http://www.tfphotography.co.za/watermark/watermark.php?img=aW1nX2xpYi9jYXRfMjIvbm90LXRodW1iLWltYWdlcy9fNTB1NTAzOC5qcGc=http://www.tfphotography.co.za/watermark/watermark.php?img=aW1nX2xpYi9jYXRfMjIvbm90LXRodW1iLWltYWdlcy9fNTB1NTA0Ni5qcGc=

Wow - looks VERY nice, clean, neat and modern, nice design, who were the architects!!

Go UCT!!!

VDMMA

Yeah it looks amazing inside. I'm not a huge fan of the exterior, but I can understand that it was designed to blend in, not stand out.

Very nice...Would love to see more

SA universities have some fancy buildings...UWC's health science building, the new astronomy building, education building, UCT's New school of economics building, CPUT's upgrades...great stuff!

http://www.tfphotography.co.za/watermark/watermark.php?img=aW1nX2xpYi9jYXRfMjIvbm90LXRodW1iLWltYWdlcy9fNTB1NTgwMi5qcGc=http://www.tfphotography.co.za/watermark/watermark.php?img=aW1nX2xpYi9jYXRfMjIvbm90LXRodW1iLWltYWdlcy9fNTB1NTgzMy5qcGc=http://www.tfphotography.co.za/watermark/watermark.php?img=aW1nX2xpYi9jYXRfMjIvbm90LXRodW1iLWltYWdlcy9fNTB1NTgzNS5qcGc=http://www.tfphotography.co.za/watermark/watermark.php?img=aW1nX2xpYi9jYXRfMjIvbm90LXRodW1iLWltYWdlcy9fNTB1NTc1Ni5qcGc=http://www.tfphotography.co.za/watermark/watermark.php?img=aW1nX2xpYi9jYXRfMjIvbm90LXRodW1iLWltYWdlcy9fNTB1NTc2My5qcGc=

^^love the sculptures, Go Ikeys!!