Architecture Students Display Portfolios for Exams

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The Architecture Discipline within the School of Built Environment and Development Studies held a display of student design portfolios for external examination on the Howard College campus.

These Portfolios are the culmination of a full year of Architectural urban design, mixed used (trade, office and social housing) projects done during the first semester with the final project public buildings completed in the second semester.

The theme of the display was: Public Buildings as a Generator of Trade in an Urban Precinct, with projects produced mainly public libraries, art centres, art galleries, tourist centres, museums, civil society centres, train stations, bus stations and multi-modal public transport stations.

According to Architecture Lecturer, Mr Juan Solis, there were 40 students with individual Public Building projects ranging between 12 000 and 15 000 sq.m in design area.

‘In line with their Urban Design interventions this semester, students were tasked to design public buildings with projects all located in Warwick Junction. During their first semester the students studied the area in great detail and came up with the design of six Urban intervention proposals as to how they saw Warwick Junction in 50 years from now,’ said Solis.

Fourth-year student, Ms Kajal Budhia, whose project titled: “Bridging the Past: A Museum as a Generator of Trade in Warwick” designed a museum to bridge the apartheid past. ‘This museum can be considered a living museum as it allows for the public to get involved in exhibiting their work and in turn facilitates the healing process.’

Another fourth year student, Mr Nischolan Pillay, designed and proposed an Eco-Innovation Centre in which the ecology and sustainability theory was used as a basis for his design. ‘My design can be seen as a way to empower Warwick. This centre can be used in many ways such as a training centre to teach people about green building and even as a management centre in which systems can be monitored.”

Both students plan on becoming fully-fledged architects and advised all students to work hard and to have passion for what they do.

-           Melissa Mungroo