WYNBERG GIRLS’ HIGH SCHOOL INSTALLS POLYFLOR LVTs IN INNOVATIVE NEW EXPANSION PROJECT
WYNBERG GIRLS’ HIGH
SCHOOL INSTALLS POLYFLOR LVTs IN INNOVATIVE NEW EXPANSION PROJECT
We need to grow… but where to?
According to Uno
Pereira of Noero Architects, the school needed to add additional classrooms in
order to meet the demands of a growing school.
Previously, they were told that the only way to build eight new classrooms was to add an extra floor
onto the two side existing banks of classrooms. This, however, would obliterate
the view of the Table Mountain range from the courtyard and paralyze the use of
eight classrooms below the new classrooms during construction, creating havoc
with the school’s timetable.
Noero Architects suggested an
alternative to this option. After much deliberation, they presented a novel
solution by creating a “street” between existing classrooms and the new ones on
either side of the court that allowed for the adding of two new wings of four
classrooms. Each wing was placed to either side of the court at ground level.
Classrooms
for the future
“The school’s
headmaster, Shirley Harding, wanted us to start imagining what the classroom of
the future would be like. To this end,
she allowed us to hold a series of workshops with the teachers and students to
understand how the classroom environment and teaching methods have changed and
what new possibilities await us as we embrace new technologies and rethink how
learning can happen in these new spaces,” Uno explains.
The newly built classrooms were covered with earth for environmental and climatic reasons – resulting in a new inclined planted courtyard and which offers even better views of the mountain range. The increased size of the courtyard and the shape itself allows the school to use the space for a whole new range of uses, such as concerts and performances, or a communal space which can be used by a number of different groups of pupils of varying sizes and ages.
The right
floor to do the job
Fortunately, the
task of deciding which floor covering to use to not only complement the
interiors, but also be able to withstand the rigorous demands of school life in
the newly completed classrooms, posed to be less of a challenge.
“We selected Polyflor based on the excellent
support they had given us during previous projects that we had worked on
together, especially the UWC Sports Centre”, Uno explains. He adds that the requirements and guidelines
set out by the Department of Education specified the use of vinyl tiles as
mandatory floor finish of choice for WGHS.
“We had a limited palette of colors
to work with due to maintenance requirements from the school. With the interior walls being painted white
and the polycarbonate sheeting used for the skylights diffusing the light and
dulling most colors, we needed a warm color on the floors to make the interiors
more vibrant. For this reason, we selected Polyflor’s XLPU 2mm in Citrine, which gave us a modern look
that was warm, yet practical and worked well with the school’s colours,” he
observes.
Understanding
the specific flooring demands of educational environments
Commenting on the success of the
project, Polyflor SA Chief Executive Officer Tandy Coleman says they were very
excited to work on the project. “Because
my father and the Chairman of Polyflor SA, Denver Coleman, is an Old Boy of
Wynberg Boys’ High School, we have a strong connection with the WGHS. We also have in-depth knowledge of the
particular demands that the school environment puts on floors and how to best
meet these needs with our floors,” Tandy says, explaining that educational
establishments, in their very nature, are busy and challenging environments
that require a high performing floor.
“The primary function of a floor
finish is to provide a durable, safe, clean, attractive and affordable surface. The specific type of flooring selected is
often a complex decision that is influenced by various factors, such as the age
of the children, function of the space, activity levels and the intensity of
footfall. Durability and ease of
maintenance are general concerns throughout teaching and classroom facilities.
However, floors should always enhance the learning environment,” Tandy
explains. She emphasises that the
overwhelming advantage of modern day vinyl flooring is that it meets all the
performance, design and flexibility requirements and contributes to a superior
learning environment.
“Today’s
school floors are bright, colourful and cheerful without sacrificing on
practicality or ease of maintenance. For this reason, we have seen an
unprecedented increase in the amount of vinyl floors that are being installed
in schools targeting all age groups over the past decade. The successful
installation at WGHS has once again demonstrated the importance of
understanding what the needs of the learners and the teachers are, and trying
to find a floor that will best fit between those creating the learning
environment, those who will use the learning environment and those providing
the products for the learning environment,” she concludes.
For more information,
visit www.polyflor.co.za or www.noeroarchitects.com