Extracts from collections in the UP Archives: Architecture on the Tukkie Campus

Building the Aula

 The following extract was taken from "Tukkies oorskou sy eerste honderd jaar. 1908 -2008" and highlights the UP campus’s the diverse and rich architectural heritage.

"...1943, the year in which the School of Architecture was established at the university, the Brazil Builds Exhibition took place in the Museum of Modern Arts in New York. The shortage of corrugated iron during the war years was a stimulus for experimenting with roofs made out of moulded concrete and before long confidence was established in the use of this material. This trend took root in South Africa and would find its way to the university and its Department of Architecture. The impressive Aula complex (1958), designed by Karel Jooste, is undoubtedly its focal point. This building, as well as the Academy of Music, the Musaion and the Amphitheatre, enhances the status of the university as a true cultural centre. The current Engineers 2 Building and the Mineral Sciences Building were designed in the Little Brazil idiom, with their sunken windows and brise-soleil louvres..."

For this and more on UP’s past, contact us on 012 420 2123/3036 or email: archives@up.ac.za.

 

<< Back to the news list