The old ‘Rembrandt Gallery’ (built in 1963) on the University of the Witwatersrand west campus, has been given a second chance. After years of neglect, the refurbishment of this unusual little building has finally been completed, emerging as the ‘new’ Post Graduate Centre for the faculty of Commerce, Law and Management.
Through the application of a handful of carefully considered architectural tactics, our objective (in the end) was quite simple: to respect and enhance the original design intent of the building’s architect, Jan van Wijk.
A refurbishment is like receiving the baton in a relay. In a sense its also a kind of design reply to an architectural statement. The most challenging question is how much, or how little, should be done.
We’ve thoroughly enjoyed this conversation, and hopefully our reply is sensitive enough to acknowledge due respect for Mr van Wijk’s inventive, finely-crafted tectonic, and quirky enough to continue his delight-seeking design tradition.
The architectural team comprised of Amy Maniá, Sandeep Nicha, Darren Sampson and Craig McClenaghan.
Below are a few before and after photos.
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