Contact Artefacts
please if you have any comments or more information regarding this record.

Springfield Convent School - Pre-School Campus, Fra Angelico Art Centre and Jasper Walsh Art Gallery
Wynberg, Western Cape

CCNIA ARCHITECTS: Architect
Date:2013?
Client:Springfield Convent School
Type:School
Status:Extant
2013CIfA Award for Architecture
2014SAIA Award of Merit
2014SAIA Award for Excellence

Unfortunately we do not have photographs of this building.

Award for Excellence citation

This school, which was started in 1871, is owned by the Dominican Sisters, who also reside on the property. It is situated in the southern suburbs of Cape Town, in the foothills of the Table Mountain range. Water drainage is from west to east. This has created a series of low and nearly perpendicular hills and valleys running from west to east. The school was built on the north-facing slope of such a low hill. It has its own watercourse on its northern boundary. In general, the school is surrounded by well-tended and impressive gardens. Development of the built infrastructure has, over time, been rather haphazard, and it is difficult to experience a spatial logic at first glance. In order to give spatial direction to this loosely arranged group of buildings, Framework Planning was carried out by Nicola Irving of CCNIA Jarna Klitzner of TKLA and Jacqui Perrin and Sandra van der Merwe of Design Studio. As a result of this work, a central (parking) space has been created. This space greatly enhances and assists with the spatial orientation within the campus.

The architects of the pre-school and art centre had a difficult task, as they had to insert new buildings into the existing built fabric. This had to be done sensitively in order to enhance the spatial definition, without detracting from what is already there. This they have achieved in a judicious and careful manner. The pre-school is 'quiet and demure' in design and execution, while the art centre is far more expressive in its form making. However, both groups of buildings use similar methods and principles, namely to carefully relate it to its immediate surroundings. Most sections have been designed to bring in light by means of clerestory windows, and a white-walled architecture typical of the region has been used.

It was obvious that great care was taken with the design of the pre-school to relate it, in terms of scale, to its tiny users. Spatially, it is arranged alongside a newly created pedestrian street. There is excellent visual interaction between this circulation space and the school's interior spaces. The infinite care of the architects is also beautifully evident in the way in which they have related this building to the sports fields on its southern side. Here, they have created a well-considered seating arrangement overlooking these fields.

The art centre is the more expressive counterpart to the pre-school building. It has been arranged to define and respect the Sisters' Cemetery and the historic gardens, is adjacent to the Laundry Building of 1883 and overlooks a north-facing slope that leads to a small watercourse.

This building manages to expertly define its outside space, while remaining a sculptural form to be viewed and enjoyed from all angles. Internally, it has several floor levels, and a constant spatial interrelationship has been created between each of the spaces and levels. This results in a wonderful relationship between the viewing and production of art. While the focus of the building is mostly on this internal world, the architects have succeeded in bringing its interior and exterior into a positive relationship with each other. In a sensitive and respectful manner, the cemetery has become part of the internal landscape of this building. It can only be a positive experience to view and produce art here.

The design of the pre-school and art centre is underpinned by well-considered judgement calls that have been carried out by the obviously caring and highly talented architects.

(Paul Kotze - 2014)

See also Springfield Convent School.


Books that reference Springfield Convent School - Pre-School Campus, Fra Angelico Art Centre and Jasper Walsh Art Gallery

South African Institute of Architects. 2014. Awards : South African Institute of Architects. Awards for Excellence, Awards of Merit, Regional Awards for Architecture 2013/2014. Cape Town: Picasso for SAIA. pg 20-21