WITS Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management Administration Building by MMA Design Studio
The elegant new Commerce, Law and Management Faculty Administration Building serves its purpose well as a beacon of development. Located on the West Campus of the University of the Witwatersrand, it stands tall on the city’s historical showground precinct, which dates back to 1907. More than 100 years since its inception, the showgrounds have been transformed into the present-day university campus, a space that sports new architectural signatures spanning different eras. Today, thanks to MMA Design Studio, one of the latest faculty buildings adds to the collection of stylistic assortments that the campus celebrates.
The Commerce, Law and Management Faculty Administration Building (the recent winner of the GIFA Award of Excellence and Presidential Award) presents itself as a delicate interlocking of two L-shaped functional zones. The zones house private office wings on one side and a bank of public social amenities on the other, the two sides connected on all four storeys by a habitable bridge, forming a skylit atrium with a hanging staircase. The building accommodates nine departments and splits its square metres in two, offering shared collaborative and social areas interconnected through a central atrium to promote a unified faculty community.
Illuminating the interior, connecting the exterior
The bridge link offers staff and visitors a view of the heritage precinct, while the atrium is considered a spatial continuation of the historical stadium. The atrium skylight is a refreshing source of natural light, illuminating the interior of the building and creating a striking visual impact that spotlights the iconic Tower of Light structure. This design element effectively connects the interior space with the surrounding exterior of the campus, inciting a sense of the cohesion and connectivity that tertiary education is all about.
The tectonics of the building were chosen based on the careful study of the existing buildings and spaces. The design is imagined as a forward-looking trajectory of the site’s history, from the filigree architecture of the Victorian bandstand to the modernist concrete awe of the adjacent Tower of Light. Internally, this filigree architecture is carried through in the detailing of the timber acoustic cladding, balustrading, and ceiling acoustics.
Minimising environmental impact
The building system is undoubtedly energy-efficient and thermally applied, utilising pipe work integrated into the concrete structure to enable heating and cooling through water circulation, resulting in reduced energy consumption. Additionally, the roof is entirely covered with solar panels, effectively offsetting electricity consumption from the grid. To further minimise its environmental impact, the design incorporates several passive strategies, such as natural ventilation, high insulation, and optimised natural light. These measures significantly reduce the building’s environmental footprint, particularly during its operational life cycle.
MMA Design Studio’s contribution to WITS’s West Campus has brought new opportunity for development among the local students and the future of business, economics, and commerce. With its bright open spaces and welcoming appeal, the spirit of success is a tangible experience for students, staff, and visitors alike.
Photography by Tristan McLaren
This article is an extract from our June Issue. Read the full issue here.
