Phoenix rising from ashes
R110-million project to restore, rebuild Woodridge to former glory gains momentum
WOODRIDGE College and Preparatory School has steadily gained momentum in rebuilding the facility following a devastating fire that destroyed about half of the school’s infrastructure in June.
The project has been divided into several phases, with the first milestone of the demolition of damaged buildings and removal of rubble, completed earlier this month.
Following the fire on June 10, the school was closed until July while academic and administration staff secured the provision of mobile and temporary classrooms and a dining hall for boarding pupils, as well as the reinstallation of the necessary IT systems.
Among the buildings destroyed were 13 staff houses and flats, three classrooms and the girls’ hostel at the preparatory section, which accommodated 29 pupils.
Also gutted were six classrooms and offices at the college, the dining hall, kitchen and the administration building, which housed the finance department, school records and the principal’s office. The library was also destroyed.
Among the considerations that the school management and trust took into account while determining what the future will hold for the school, was the improvement of safety for the pupils of Woodridge.
Other considerations included the urban and spatial order of the campus, the enhancement of the outdoor classroom experience and the establishment of a new academic “heart” for the school.
It is projected that by December, the school sanatorium will be fully repaired, while the aim is to complete the rebuild of the preparatory girls’ and Kohler boarding hostels by the end of January and March next year, respectively.
Meanwhile, all the classrooms, a computer lab, resource centre, music, arts and drama centre, college hall and staff housing will be rebuilt by June next year.
The cost of rebuilding and repairing damaged buildings will amount to about R110-million.
Woodridge College principal Derek Bradley said: “This entire project has been meticulously designed in partnership with qualified professionals.
“The safety of pupils, staff and visitors are paramount to the success of it and will be safeguarded until the last brick is in place.
“For us as management, this is not only an opportunity to restore what was once familiar to us, but to improve on the facilities of the school in many respects.”
One of the final phases of the project is aptly named “putting the wood back into Woodridge” and will involve landscaping and greening to further enhance the college grounds and its location which borders the picturesque Van Stadens area.