Innovative design strategy ensures world-class facility in a refreshing refurbishment

Size:
8800m²

Project Value:
R9.2 Million

Sector:
Education

Client:
University of Pretoria

Location:
Pretoria, South Africa

HLM Africa was appointed to do the interior design for a set of new facilities for the Department of African Languages at the University of Pretoria’s Hatfield Campus. Located within the iconic Humanities Building, the refurbishment required the innovative reprogramming of an underused atrium space and old lecture halls.

HLM Africa conducted research and settled on an innovative design concept that promoted the visual connection between translators/interpreters and speakers with a number of glazed booths that surround the main meeting table. The design concept and use of technology ensured that the facility was state-of-the-art, and possibly the best exemplar of its kind in the country. Tailoring the design to acoustic requirements and practical necessities, HLM Africa introduced a colour scheme, furniture selection and material palette that subtly energised the spaces.

Additional facilities include a resource centre for aural and other material, private study rooms, interactive learning areas, computer centres, an audio lab, and a rejuvenated foyer space that had to balance the textures of the existing shell with a dynamic, refreshing intervention.

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