ESTEAM is a pedagogy that teaches Entrepreneurship, Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Maths through an interdisciplinary, collaborative and project-based learning model. At Somerset College, a fruitful client-architect dialogue transformed the client’s ambitions into reality, and the new ESTEAM Centre gives its users everything they wanted and more.
The scheme was designed by the London based firm Walters & Cohen specialising in education projects, and the local firm 2AD Space Architects Inc. ran the project meticulously on site.
The ESTEAM Centre is a contemporary response to the local Cape Dutch architecture: verandas, white walls and dark-grey pitched roofs. This is wine country, and we have given users generous views of their beautiful surroundings. The light here almost sparkles, and the white walls with shadows from the vines are poetic and elegant.
Given the modest budget, there is nothing fanciful about the building and everything has a purpose. For example, the large concrete beams spanning between the pitched roofs are shaped so as to provide additional thermal mass, assisting in the environmental control of the building. There are discrete classrooms, studios and a large open space where all kinds of performances, exhibitions and celebrations can happen - formal dining for 100 people one day, a laser show the next. The deep plan typology of the ESTEAM Centre is very different, and the building is being used creatively and boldly to enrich the curriculum. The project was delivered on time and under budget.
This completely accessible building makes a significant contribution to the school. The simple, legible layout makes it very easy to use and clear sightlines give great passive supervision. The central space is wide and generous, and classrooms spill onto the outside with no level change. The ESTEAM Centre is a place where ideas are born, explored, refined, shared and celebrated.
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