WGHS New Eco Lab by Noero Architects
On a mission to reimagine old spaces in the school, Wynberg Girls’ High School embarked on a major refurbishment endeavour in 2022. The new Eco Lab formed a key part of this project, aiming to bring to light how school infrastructure can be designed and built to have a lighter impact on the planet. To reimagine what classroom spaces can look and feel like whilst being self-functioning and -sustaining, WGHS recruited the team that is their long-trusted first-choice — Noero Architects.
A peculiar site
A peculiar way to begin the design journey, the Eco Lab has a roof slab as its base. As a result, heavy masonry was out of the question, so Noero Architects had to find their start through research on lightweight structures. Particularly useful was the lightweight building explored by Buckminster Fuller and developed by Norman Foster. Essentially, the thesis put forward by Fuller was that the lighter a building the more ecologically and environmentally suitable it would be. To overcome structural weight issues, as well as align with Fuller, Noero Architects constructed the Eco Lab using a cross-laminated timber floor panel system placed on brick piers. A lightweight steel structure clad with fibre cement boarding was then bolted onto it. The team also developed a combined ceiling roof system using recycled cork as both the ceiling and the insulation. These roof ceiling panels were finished with fibre cement sheets which were then waterproofed.


Eco in every way
The Eco Lab incorporates sustainable design elements beyond expectation, living up to its name. Solar panels on the superstructure are supported by lightweight steel. The solar PV array comprises 25 solar panels in rows of five that join to form one circuit. This circuit feeds into the Eco Lab, connecting to the inverter and DB board. The solargenerated power then gets converted to usable electricity and excess power is stored in four floor-mounted batteries.
Within the major framework of steel is a layered wall build-up comprised of two layers of Nutec/ fibre cement boards with cavity insulation panels set between the boards. The result is a much lighter and better-insulated wall build-up compared to the traditional brick-and-mortar construction system. Lightweight aluminium opening sections were installed and exterior electronic, remote-controlled blinds made from canvas are used for additional temperature regulation when needed. For water conservation, rainwater is collected from the roof into the storage tanks and is used for the heating and cooling systems within the classroom. This water will be used to irrigate the plants in the planter boxes and other nearby planted areas in the school.

An emphasis on education
In an attempt to maximise the educational potential of these systems, Noero Architects aimed to expose these systems as much as possible so that the students can see how energy is generated, stored, and utilised within their classroom. For the closed thermal loop system, the piping is visible under the worktops. The electrical equipment at the back of the Eco Lab has been fitted with display panels to show the students in real time how much power is being generated and converted. From this, data collection studies can be performed as part of the class syllabus.
The Wynberg Girls’ High School Eco Lab is an exemplar of brilliant educational building, considered sustainable design, and a holistic approach to the practice of architecture. It is a vision of how the future might look to the thought leaders of tomorrow, sensitising them to the challenges that lie ahead and the potential that lies within them to make a difference.
Photography by Paris Brummer.
This article is an extract from our August Issue. Read the full issue here.