University Square combines classical ivy-league elegance with contemporary urban living and style in Brooklyn, Pretoria. When completed, the project will consist of four residential blocks housing approximately 1200 beds located on a landscaped raised podium with parking beneath. Retail and restaurants are connected at ground level with pedestrian access and thoroughfares across the precinct, including a bridge linking the University of Pretoria (TUKS)campus to the square over the busy Lynwood main road. Access control points that use facial recognition technology ensure the squares residents' security while the street integration and pedestrian access provide welcoming public facilities.
The design of the precinct considers the lifestyle, study-style and work-style of students and young professionals. It offers a range of unit sizes and facilities to accommodate the varying incomes and needs of students and the student who becomes a young professional and wishes to stay close to city opportunities. In this way, it extends the life span and usage of 'student residences'. It focuses on creating an easily accessible and pleasurable urban experience with the facilities needed to support working and studying. A shared co-workspace fused with a studying and library space is an integral part of the precinct plan that will create a central area that brings the precinct together while providing a new offering in the market.
BROOKLYN HOUSE
Quality finishes and smart design
The first of the buildings in University Square, Brooklyn House, opened in February 2021 and is exemplary in its use of considered design and quality finishes that set a benchmark for the delivery of the rest of the project. The site's yield has increased from the original 110 beds anticipated by the client to 199 when completed by creating a new floor plate and the inclusion of some units with shared kitchens. The tenant's experience isn't compromised through this increased density as each unit has been carefully designed for optimal views, including some units with balconies, all of which are fitted with high-end bathroom and kitchen accessories. Topping off the promise of an elevated urban lifestyle the building includes an outdoor pool and deck, which takes advantage of the building's location and height along with the favourable Pretoria climate for outdoor leisure and exercise.
Design detailing that combines a classical and contemporary aesthetic.
The ambition of the client was to refer to the architecture of classical ivy- league education facilities. The facades of detailed brickwork refer to this classical past yet are combined with clean, modular, geometric blocks that offset the reference to the past with the future promise. The articulation of different facade treatments and modular blocks with pedestrian corridors leading people through the precinct provides visual interest in the extended street-facing elevations while creating a permeable urban space.
