South African College Junior School - SACS (Urban Design Framework)
Newlands, Cape Town

Within the leafy Newlands suburb, surrounded by natural springs, tree avenues and mountain views, lies the SACS campus on what was previously part of the historic Papenboom Estate. The space is layered with history from early breweries and plantations to what exists today as the school campus for both the junior and high school and adjacent, the Montebello Estate.

Although only having been located in Newlands since the early 60s, SACS will be celebrating its remarkable bicentennial anniversary as the South African College School in 2029. Urban Concepts was invited to investigate opportunities and potential short and medium-term catalyst projects on campus to commemorate the occasion and provide a facility that speaks to the 200-year history yet embraces the future of schooling in South Africa.

The study involved an 8-week urban design initiative to engage with the campus, its history and the school’s incremental growth over time. A charette with the staff proved immensely beneficial to better understand the intimate knowledge and core values of SACS as a learning institution and how that manifested within the school’s spaces and buildings. An initial site walk identified the primary links, buildings, potential spaces for renovation and growth as well as the daily spatial stresses experienced by the school. Encompassing the knowledge gained from the staff, two key sites were pinpointed for potential strategic catalyst projects that would propel the school into a new era of innovation.

Initial 3D images and plans were created to aid the school in its planning and fundraising and provide an overall vision for tactical yet holistic growth of short and medium-term projects over time.