The NMU - Engineering Building - Phase 2
My first glance of the exterior, and I thought to myself, “wow well this is different”, while entering the building creates a completely different perspective to the building. The main thing I thought to myself is “WHY?” and again WHY??? Let me elaborate on this. I would like to keep this review as short as possible:
The Nelson Mandela University Engineering Building – Phase 2 was designed by Afriplan Associates Architects and the construction of the building ended in 2017.
Observing the building form the exterior is a total misconception especially when you enter the building and you expect something totally different.
I completed a few points that caught my attention:
This is not the entrance.. its actually just a glass plane under neath the concrete canopy, the concrete bench serves no purpose at all to the public, no one uses it.
Glass plane & Concrete Canopy
Concrete bench, unused
You would expect this building to be functional thinking that the perforated aluminum cladding would be there as a purposefully designed element to the building. The following picture is a good description; on the left, you will see a solid wall with now glazing what so ever, on the right next to the building the perforated aluminum cladding device. I ask myself “why?” why have a double skin if this serves absolutely no function to the building?
I took this photo through one of the holes of the perforated aluminium devise. Notice the solid wall with no glass planes or windows on the left and the aluminium shading devise on the right.
Why put this window on the ground and why make is so small even if its shaded? I do like the shadow effect on the ground.
This is one of two large portions of glass that portraits the Aluminium shading devise, but that's all.
Why have window frames on the exterior of the building when it serves absolutely no function? Again there's a solid wall behind the perforated Aluminium skin.
Why have this incredible height to a one storey building?
Notice at the preportion between the average human and the building height
Take note that I do think that some of the interior elements of this building are quite attractive and the attention to detail was considerably good. For instance the shadowline around the window frame in the hallway but then again why did you construct the window frame out of a cheap chipboard and not even joining the corners in a proper manner?
Shadow line around the window and the window frame.
On another note, I really enjoy the interior more than the exterior of the building, especially the curved ceilings and the lecture auditoriums :
Curved ceiling with light detail.
One of the lecture auditoriums
I enjoy the link between the old Engineering Building 'Phase 1' and the new building 'Phase 2'
The link between the two buildings
I think in my opinion this was truly a building that’s was designed with some futuristic implement but then all these materials and elements where added to the building to create an expensive building with a lack of functionality. I would have like to see a bit more functionality in the building in regards to the exterior of the building.
