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Junior High School
Prinshof, Tshwane (Pretoria), Gauteng
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Click to view large map Coordinates: | PRINSHOF JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL, PRETORIA The Prinshof Junior High School, Pretoria, has just been completed, and the students now settling in for their first term will no doubt be pleased with the amenities provided in their new quarters. This interesting building accommodates the establishment previously known as the "Central Junior High School," which was formerly housed in premises of note in that Mr. Winston Churchill was held prisoner there during the South African War. He, of course, "left school" without a map which he had drawn showing the course of the war and compiled from fragments of information brought in by fellow-prisoners. This map still hangs upon the wall of the school. The new premises are situated close to the Aapies [sic] River, east of the Zoo, and adjoin the Riverdale School. Programme. At the inception of design work, it was specified that the accommodation should provide for the intake of 600 girls, but it was decided later to adopt a co-educational system, which necessitated several minor adjustments in the design. The accommodation finally decided upon included 14 classrooms, Manual Training Room, Laboratory, Domestic Science Room, Typing Room, Art Room, Library, Cloakrooms and Assembly Hall, together with sundry Administrative Offices. Planning. The lay-out was governed by the necessity to locate the classrooms so as to provide either a south or west aspect. Due regard had to be paid also to the proximity of the Riverdale School, a building recently constructed in the contemporary manner, and to the contour of the ground, which inclines steeply from the street and flattens out towards the river. The steep fall has been used to advantage and the pupils will have the benefit during the warm Pretoria summer of a cool covered playground, which extends the length of the main block, below the classrooms. In effect, the north-south wing of the new project, which houses classrooms designed for specific purposes, forms a clean definition between the two schools, with a necessary east-west orientation. It was considered advisable to provide two approaches, one from the south for the use of the public and staff, and another from the west for the use of the pupils. The bicycle storage accommodation is a free-standing block strategically placed between the street gate and the west entrance. Situated on the south side is the main entrance which is conveniently located in relation to the Administrative Block, Assembly Hall and the schoolrooms, with the approach to each section radiating from this centre. Lower Ground Floor. This floor is at the level of the grass-covered playing fields, which stretch towards the Aapies [sic] River. It consists of a covered and macadamised play-ground, school kitchen, boiler house and sundry store rooms. The kitchen is equipped with stoves and Soyer cookers to provide hot meals for students during the winter months, and this facility will be envied by many in schools which do their best to provide meals with makeshift equipment. A boiler room is provided to house the central heating equipment, which consists of a coal-fired, sectional Saville boiler, which feeds a pump-assisted circulation system. The coal is passed through a man-hole at street level, into the storage compartment. Main Ground Floor. This floor is approached from approximately street level, and consists of the entrance hall, administrative offices, laboratory, manual training room, classrooms, cloakrooms and Assembly Hall. For reasons of economy, the contours of the site have been followed, which accounts for the differing levels of the floors to the respective sections of the building. This, incidentally, breaks up the long continuous lines of the elevation and, by contrast, renders interesting what might otherwise have tended to appear monotonous. The Assembly Hall is provided with a stage 20 feet [6,0m] in depth extending the full width of the Hall, and will be adequate for plays and orchestral presentations. The proscenium wall is curved on a radius of 80 feet [24,0m]. This Hall is required also to serve as a gymnasium, and hooks have been provided in the concrete trusses, from which ropes and other apparatus can be suspended. There is also a Projection Room, situated at the back of the Hall in an elevated position. This unique feature, by catering for the modern trend towards more and better "movie" instruction, will facilitate a new approach in primary education. Incidentally, this projection room, which is fireproof, is complete with escape stair and generally conforms with current regulations. First Floor. In addition to the classrooms on this floor, there is a Library, Art Room, Domestic Science Room and Typing Room. Although no attempt is being made to form a hard and fast line of segregation, it is anticipated that this floor will, in the main, be used by the girls. When the school became co-educational, one of the laboratories was converted into a Typing Room, and one of the domestic science rooms was set apart for manual training. Separate cloakrooms for girls and boys are situated more or less centrally and, being on mid-landing level in relation to the main block, are easily accessible from either floor. Whilst on the subject of cloakrooms, it may be mentioned that there are no hand-basins or water-taps available to pupils. Washing is performed at "Bradley" wash fountains, and drinking fountains are fitted in the classrooms and also in the covered play-ground. Construction. An examination of the site revealed that, while the soil was excellent for agricultural purposes, it was unsuitable for foundations. A top layer of soft black loam was encountered and in parts was 6 feet [1,8m] deep, while below this the ground had a reasonable bearing capacity. It was therefore decided to employ a reinforced concrete frame, with all walls in brickwork, including those at ground floor, which rest upon beams. There are three suspended slabs, and one of these defines the ceiling to the first floor. In general there are no internal beams, the floors being 12 inches [300mm] thick and packed around hollow tiles in terra cotta, which are readily available in Pretoria. Apart from other advantages, a clean, beam-free ceiling is beneficial psychologically, in that it promotes greater concentration. It was decided to construct the first floor ceiling in concrete because of the high maintenance cost entailed by the use of insulation board. Furthermore, thistype of construction retains its pleasing appearance for years. The roof construction is a simple monopitch propped up from the slab, and covered with corrugated iron. By using this method of construction, the cost of the slab was almost entirely offset. A series of reinforced concrete trusses tied below floor level are incorporated in the Assembly Hall construction, the tie-beams serving the dual purpose of carrying the wood floor construction and stabilising the frame as a whole. The beams carrying the wall panels span from truss to truss. In the upper part of the truss, notches are provided, and these accommodate V-shaped pre-cast reinforced concrete purlins. These purlins carry the common rafters, which are in timber, and to these are secured 3 inch [75mm] x 2 inch [50mm] purlins. The ceiling consists of fibrous plaster sheets which blend with the walls and trusses in a clean and unobtrusive manner. Finishes The floor of the Hall is in oregon strip, but the classrooms and administration wing are finished with wood blocks. An asphalt tile floor is provided in the Manual Training Room, while the cloakrooms and corridors have cement tiles. The floors in general rest upon suspended concrete slabs, but the floor of the Assembly Hall is supported by means of timber joists. Owing to the prevalence of the ubiquitous white ant, the whole of this sub-floor has been made readily accessible for inspection. Walls and ceilings, with a few minor exceptions, are finished with distemper. Almost all joinery is in clear oregon, painted externally and stained internally, but the laboratory fittings are painted. In the interests of economy, a local brick was used for the major portion of the external facing. This brick, though excellent in every other respect, is not of the colour specified by the architects for this particular construction. It has, however, been blended with an "iron spot" from the Reef and this, coupled with a judicious use of "Cullamix" plaster, brings relief to a façade which might otherwise have appeared austere. Oil paint on plaster has been used to give emphasis to the elevation where required, as, for instance, the main entrance. Whilst the question of maintenance has not been overlooked, an attemphas here been made to break away from the rather drab "P.W.D." brown as favoured by authority. The Architects responsible for this structure are Messrs. Ralph Green & Hermer, of Johannesburg; Quantity Surveyors, Messrs. T. Moore & Bell; the Reinforcing Consultant, Mr. D. Thorp; and the General Contractors, Messrs. Engel & Ruyter (Pty.), of Pretoria. (PWSA September 1948 Vol IX No 28:16-21).This is now part of the TUT campus. |
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