Project Details
- Project Name
- Universidade Agostinho Neto
- Location
-
Luanda ,South Africa
- Client/Owner
- Ministry Of Urban Affairs And Public Works On behalf Of The Ministry Of Education And Culture
- Project Types
- Education
- Project Scope
- New Construction
- Awards
- 2012 AIA - State/Regional Awards
- Shared by
- Editor
- Consultants
-
Structural Engineer: Dar Al-Handasah, Shair and Partners—Yousef Motar,Civil Engineer: Dar Al-Handasah, Shair and Partners—Yousef Motar,Dar Al-Handasah, Shair and Partners—Yousef Motar,Dar Al-Handasah, Shair and Partners—Yousef Motar,Battle McCarthy—Guy Battle,Landscape Architect: Dar Al-Handasah, Shair and Partners—Yousef Motar,Lighting Designer: Schuler Shook—Emily Klingensmith,Paulien & Associates—John Bengston,James Steinkamp,General Contractor: Grinaker LTA,General Contractor: Soares da Costa,General Contractor: JiangSu International,General Contractor: Somague Engenharia,General Contractor: China Jiangsu International Economic Technical Cooperation Corporation,Landscape Architect: Battle McCarthy—Guy Battle,Perkins+Will - Karen Schuman,Perkins+Will - Paula Pilolla,Perkins+Will - Chinatsu Kaneko,Perkins+Will - David Carr,Perkins+Will - Linda Swain,Perkins+Will - Austin Zike,Perkins+Will - Ralph Johnson
- Project Status
- Built
Project Description
Education Projects
2012 Annual Design Review
Perkins+Will
Seeking to centralize higher education and retain talent, the government of Angola funded the construction of a new university campus, designed by Perkins+Will, on a previously undeveloped savanna site outside the capital, Luanda. The architects created a pinwheel master plan, concentrating the recently completed first phase—including a new central library and four classroom buildings—at the center of the site, with room for expansion along the “spokes.” Cooled by natural ventilation, the classroom buildings are linear concrete bars oriented to capture prevailing winds. The library, sunken below grade, is the only building with air conditioning. The campus’s defining feature is an undulating louvered roof canopy that spans the classroom buildings and the courtyards between. Its angles function much like the wings of an airplane, creating pressure differentiation to maximize airflow.
“I think it’s extraordinary in terms of resurrecting some earlier modern motifs and materials, and yet doing it in a way that feels pretty fresh and appropriate for the context.” —G. Martin Moeller Jr.