The Boarding House, St David’s Marist Inanda School

Location: Inanda, Johannesburg

The Boarding House is the first in a series of projects reintroducing boarders to St David’s Marist Inanda School. The school’s ethos of pastoral care and holistic learning guided us in designing a nurturing and trusting space. The end result is a series of open, fluid spaces that encourage interaction and engagement between the boys and provoke a sense of life and activity. An existing house forms the bones of the new facility which houses forty boys and four housemasters. Common living spaces are positioned in the heart of the building with a circular passage linking the bedrooms which look outwards to the grounds, framing views of the garden to the south and the Sandton skyline to the north. 

The selection of materials is sympathetic to the existing architectural character of the school, with an interplay between white plaster and red face-brick providing the palette both internally and externally. Exposed rafters in the common area and bay windows in the bedrooms add intrigue to the interior, while planted façade elements soften the exterior. Accentuated face-brick arches pay homage to the heritage and aesthetic of existing school buildings. Sustainability initiatives include a hybrid energy system for heating water, insulated cavity walls, provisions for water-based underfloor heating, energy-efficient lighting in common living areas and maximised natural daylighting in the bedrooms.