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CONSTRUCTION WORLD
JUNE
2015
rather than the upkeep of this magnificent
building.” Moon said the clay bricks also have
a natural propensity to absorb and release
humidity from the atmosphere on Durban’s
typical summer days. It is this attribute that
helps keep indoor humidity at the 40%-60%
level necessary for supporting healthy living.
An architectural perspective
Architect, Prieto, echoed Moon’s views,
saying the travertine fitted in with all the
ideals of resistance and low maintenance.
“We wanted a contemporary look but
didn’t want to go for the traditional brick
colours of red and orange, so we opted for
the silvergrey travertine.”
Initially the plan was to have no air
conditioning throughout the building, relying
rather on natural ventilation, however it was
eventually decided the bigger multi-pur-
pose rooms would need air conditioning in
summer. To maximise on natural light yet
reduce radiant heat so as to not direct too
much of the budget towards glass, Prieto said
long, narrow windows which were deeply
recessed provided light while protecting the
inside from the sun.
The triangular site proved challenging
initially but Prieto decided to use this to their
advantage, giving the building character and
personality. “We introduced an atrium which
resolved a number of issues. Firstly it intro-
duces light into all the public spaces so there
is no need for artificial lighting. We avoided
the need for corridors, the only one being on
the ground floor, so all the public spaces are
interlinked and it feels much more spacious
than it actually is. Secondly, it ventilates
the building and, with the windows open it
creates a draft.”
The atrium cools the building using an
extract system which creates a negative flow
of air out of the building, drawing the hot air
from each level.
Sustainability
Greg Hayhoe, contracts manager for
GVK Siya Zama Building Contractors, further
explained that the tinted glazing on the
BUILT
to
SERVE
the community
The heart of Warwick
Junction is beating with
new life in the form of
the recently constructed
community building, Denis
Hurley Centre.
windows also has heat abating properties
while letting in light.
Commenting on the building’s sustain-
ability, Hayhoe said, “The finishes within
the building are also minimalistic to save
on costs and maintenance. These include
polished concrete floors, off shutter ceilings
and the third floor ceilings have acoustic and
insulating properties.
“The roof is chromadeck sheeting on a
100 mm thick factorylite insulation which
provides optimum insulation.”
In accordance with the municipali-
ty’s stipulations, water tanks and a pump
were built in the basement for the sprinkler
system. The heat pump provides hot water
for the showers however all the ablutions use
only cold water.
Originally the plan was to renovate the
old parish centre, but it was so rundown that
it wasn’t financially viable.
Hayhoe explained, “The building was
an AMAFA heritage site but, unfortunately,
very little of the existing building or mate-
rials were worth recycling because of the
state of disrepair.”
However, he explained that they did
manage to salvage some components of the
former centre which have been incorporated
into the new centre. These include handrails
from the staircase, decorative cast iron air
grilles and 500 bricks which have been recy-
cled to build the counter in the café.
Whereas the old centre had three floors,
the Denis Hurley Centre has four floors
catering for the three social programmes
which assist the sick, hungry and homeless.
The ground floor has a room for
the feeding scheme where people are
given a meal and can shower. This leads
into the clinic where screening and first aid
is administered and finally a room for the
refugee programme.
The centre also houses a library, with
information on the history of South Africa,
a prayer room, caretaker’s apartment and a
number of multipurpose rooms.
>
Replacing the demolished 106-
year-old parish centre which sits
adjacent to the Emmanuel Cathe-
dral, the new community centre is
named after the former archbishop of Durban,
Denis Hurley, who actively spoke out against
the atrocities of apartheid for five decades.
Hurley believed a church should be a ‘commu-
nity serving humanity’ and this centre will
allow for his work to continue.
Gonzalo Prieto of Ruben Reddy Archi-
tects said the aim was to make the multi-faith
establishment as energy efficient as possible
to cut down on future costs.
Tight budget
“We had a tight budget so we needed to
make practical use of the materials and not
rely on the finishes. We decided that face
brick would be the right choice.”
Prieto said they opted for Corobrik’s
range, selecting 65 000 silvergrey travertine
FBX face bricks, 50 000 non-face plaster and
20 000 non-face extra bricks.
Given Durban’s summer heat, Corobrik
sales manager, Pat Moon, said the silvergrey
travertine was the perfect choice.
“The light colour of the face brick has
reflective properties which will minimise
heat retention within the building,” said
Moon. “Being colourfast with excellent resil-
ience the face bricks will well withstand the
elements so there will be very little main-
tenance later on. It is a great cost-saving
choice, particularly for a community centre,
such as this, where funds will go towards
the upliftment of those visiting the centre,