Hatfield’s new village in the heart of the city
STUDENT LIVING: NEW ACCOMMODATION
An exclusive look inside the funky off-campus quarters.
Bringing an element of spunk and edge to affordable off-campus student living, Hatfield Square in Pretoria is a newly developed block of student apartments.
Built and designed by a team of innovative architects, Respublica Student Living is the company responsible for giving a facelift to what was formerly a student hub for pubs and restaurants.
Development started in January last year, and the first of two phases was finished just in time for the new academic year.
Located within a walking distance from the University of Pretoria’s main campus, the development offers a mixed-use precinct that includes state-of-the-art student residences, and retail and leisure facilities, specifically designed for Pretoria’s student community.
“Our construction team worked around the clock to ensure that the student residence
was ready for occupation at the start of the academic year,” says Craig McMurray, CEO of Respublica. “It provides students with a purpose-designed environment to support their academic careers in what is often a first move away from home.”
The Hatfield Square development is different to any other student accommodation offering, with various room configurations and premium facilities, such as unlimited Wi-Fi, a gym, multiple recreation rooms, outdoor courtyards, communal pause areas on each floor, laundry facilities, study rooms, computer labs and a swimming pool.
With varied price points, the precinct offers options ranging from four-sleeper apartments that share a communal kitchen, to single studios with an en suite bathroom and kitchenette, as well as more affordable bedrooms that have shared ablutions and kitchens.
“We believe this variety makes it possible for students with diverse resources to have access to the kind of environment they need to excel in their academic endeavours,” says McMurray.
The residential component of the first phase of the Hatfield development opened at the beginning of this month, and the retail component will open next month.
The development has secured top retailers, including Rhapsody’s, Studio 88, and Cross Trainer.
Phase two is expected to be complete for next year.
Another Respublica residence in the area is Eastwood Village, which opened in 2016.
Located a mere 2.8km away from Hatfield Square, it provides a free shuttle to and from the University of Pretoria throughout the day.
Eastwood Village, which offers all amenities that are standard across the Respublica residences, recently saw its shared bedrooms transformed into techno-pods, with screens installed above each bed for ultimate convenience.
A gaming room has been set-up for students who love spending their down-time in a world of uninterrupted LAN-gaming.
A professional indoor action cricket facility was also built in the basement.
ARCHITECTURE:
The redevelopment of Hatfield Square has been designed around the concept of a village.
The design acknowledges the need to socialise and interact with other students, and to study.
Each room has maximum access to air and light, following various sun studies.
The precinct includes four buildings. Each building is defined by a colour theme.
ELV AND IT SERVICES:
The structured cabling system was designed as a central distri- bution system with a fibre optic backbone and a CAT 6 network, which integrates all ELV and IT services over a single IP network.
This future-proofs the network so that when technology changes, it’s only hardware that needs to be replaced.
Fully managed network hardware is installed, allowing it to be monitored and managed offsite by creating virtual networks, priority of services and controlling network traffic.
A wireless network will be deployed with about 900 access points, which will cater for 2.4GHz and GHz devices and connectivity of multiple devices per user.
An IP networked Biometric Access Control system is being installed to control access to the various buildings.
The biometric access control enables the administrator to manage, grant or deny access rights to any individual at a click of a button. This can also be controlled offsite.
A dual biometric and card reader will be used to accommodate the 1% of the population that possess unreadable fingerprints.
An IP CCTV system to monitor the entrances, exits and the perimeter will be installed. This modular system can be expanded and does not require power at each camera as it is powered via the network switches.
The CCTV system has built-in analytics that can be programmed to alert the operator of any intrusions or if someone has entered high risk areas or ‘no-go’ areas.
ELECTRICAL WORKS:
Almost all lighting is fitted with LEDs.
All common areas are fitted with occupation sensors so that lighting is only on when movement is detected.
Parking areas are also fitted with occupation sensors.
Emergency power is provided throughout all resident areas if there is a power failure.
Each room is fitted with additional power and data points.
The buildings have been designed to cater for the special needs students, particularly those who depend on wheelchairs and other mobility aids.
Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC) blocks have been used in construction because they are more lightweight than conventional bricks and offer a fire resistance of four to six hours.
It has two emergency route stairwells that are fire rated for 120 minutes. These stairways are naturally ventilated, or pressurised where natural ventilation is not possible.
The escape routes include refuge areas of 1.4m x 0.9m to accommodate larger wheelchairs.
Water required for fire-fighting is stored on site, including a 140kl automatic fire sprinkler tank and a 150kl fire tank, as well as a multi-stage fire pump and multi-stage sprinkler pumps.
Emergency power supplies of 120 minutes are provided to power all the fire pumps, ventilation systems, the firefighter’s lift and emergency lights. Fire safety systems includes automatic fire sprinklers, fire detection and alarm systems, basement smoke ventilation systems, pressurisation systems, and fire equipment such as fire extinguishers, fire hose reels and fire hydrants.
PLUMBING
Sustainability and energy efficiency were top of mind in the design process.
Large reservoirs in the basements will ensure full operation for at least two days.
Constant water pressure is maintained with high efficiency variable speed pumps.
Hot water demand is anticipated to be approximately 300kL per day, to be supplied by high efficiency heat pumps, reducing the electricity used for heating water to a quarter of conventional heating.
HEATING, VENTILATION AND AIR-CONDITIONING
An in-depth heat load study was conducted, which led to the incorporation of the latest building and insulation technologies.
Specific attention was given to the thermal characteristics of the buildings through the installation of high performance glazing, sun screens, and external façade and roof insulation.
All rooms are naturally ventilated and equipped with windows that can open.
Bathrooms are ventilated mechanically.
Ventilation equipment is linked to timers with speed controllers to reduce operational costs.
3D modelling was used to ensure co-ordination of services in vertical shafts.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND CONTRACTORS
Demolition of the existing buildings were completed in a record time of two months.
Vertical faces of up to nine meters in height had to be supported by means of underground anchors and vertical gunnited faces.
Various methods, materials and specifications were considered to make the building process quicker and more cost effective in order to deliver the project in time and within budget.
A fully constructed mock-up room was fast-tracked on site to enable all stakeholders to view, inspect and fine tweak the room design and configuration to achieve the most ergonomic room, finished to the highest possible standard.
Construction work began in January last year, and the first phase was ready for occupation this month.