Architecture as dialogue : the Law annexe : an extension to the Law Faculty precinct at the University of Pretoria

Abstract

The Law Faculty precinct, located at the north-eastern edge of the University of Pretoria’s Hatfield Campus, is already one of great esteem to the University. The precinct consists of two buildings: the celebrated Law Faculty Building and the inadequately accommodated Law Clinic. The Law Faculty is currently negotiating with the board of the University of Pretoria for a new facility, the Institute for International Comparative Law, for which they will require additional space. This design proposal is for an extension building within the existing Law Faculty precinct to accommodate the new Institute for International Comparative Law and to provide improved premises for the existing Law Clinic. The project seeks to design consciously, within its physical context and within the socio-political and historical context of South Africa. Furthermore, it seeks to reconcile the discordant boundary of the University of Pretoria with the Hatfield surrounds.