An inspiring education project in Limpopo uses Safal Steel Colorplus^® AZ150 roofing steel in colour Thunderstorm, formed by Global Roofing Solutions (GRS) into their respected Klip-Lok 700^TM profile.

The Curro Northern Academy in Polokwane, caters for learners ranging from grade 8 – grade 12 and is located in the Flora Park suburb.

In line with the Curro way, the school limits class sizes to make sure learners get personal attention and also offers a full boarding school option for learners who live too far away for a day-school education.

During 2022,  an upgrade to the entire school campus was planned and BPAS Architects (www.bpasa.co.za), who have worked with the Curro school group on other successful design and build projects in the past, was appointed the project architect.

Utilising their deep experience in the design of education infrastructure, BPAS readily took up the response to the client’s brief of reimagining and modernising the existing school, which had previously assumed the layout of a “mining camp”.

The BPAS design response was to reimagine the campus into something more in line with modern trends in educational architecture, while supporting classrooms for up to 35 learners maximum and integrating education spaces with residential facilities (boarding houses). In addition, these boarding houses were also planned for a modern makeover. The project rolls out over a 5 year period.

School sports/recreational facilities were also upgraded, providing a sports clubhouse feature, for the students and also for visiting school parents and involved community members on official event days.

According to BPAS CEO and Principle Architect, Landseer Collen: “We were challenged by this project. We strove to balance the client’s budget with function and form.

“It came down to matching building materials specified by design to meet both function and form ambitions, with life cycle – the best possible materials to make the project sustainable within a reasonable timeframe. Materials also had to support the best achievable interior climatic performance bearing in mind the Polokwane climatic zone (SANS 10400-XA: 2021).

“This led to our specifying a multiplicity of building materials, some of them reused or repurposed from the legacy buildings, bearing in mind both human usage and weathering by climate.”

An interesting element is the sports clubhouse which is based on repurposed shipping containers from other sites within the school or closeby places. These are painted in the prevailing dark grey color. This colour was inspired by Safal Steel Colorplus^® AZ150 roofing steel in colour Thunderstorm, and formed by Global Roofing Solutions (GRS) into their ubiquitous Klip-Lok 700^TM profile.

Hence, a key component of the BPAS approach was the use of pre-painted AZ150 steel roofing/cladding which is designed to handle all the climate and the human factor could throw up against it, given the climatic region.

Along this line, Colorplus^® AZ150 in the specified profile was cut into pre-measured lengths and supplied ex. GRS warehouse.

A central part of the campus redesign is the multi-purpose dining hall which also serves various other education needs on demand.natural lighting has been introduced to the roof of the hall and the same profile and rhythm extends to the covered functional outdoor verandah extension. Colorplus^®; sheets alternate with Opal colour tinted polycarbonate sheets in a profile that matches the Klip-Lok 700^TM. Similar polycarb panels were also used in the eves of the hall. The effect harmonises when viewed ground level looking outwards – the Cool Grey backing coat of the Safal Steel material, blending with the Opal-coloured translucent sheets which allows light in.

The hall was completed during Oct/Nov 2023.

Client: Curro Schools
Project architects: BPAS
Project manager: Curro
Quantity surveyor: Calcoli
Main contractors:  Oribi Construction and Impact Civils & Construction (later)
Roofing contractor: M Square Projects
Roofing and cladding role-former: Global Roofing Systems
Roofing/cladding steel supplier: Safal Steel
Site photography: Burger Engelbrecht

• Project: Northern Academy Roofing/cladding phase completed: Oct/Nov 2023
• Steel roofing/cladding material: Safal Steel Colorplus^® AZ150  53mm G550 steel in Thunderstorm. Backing coat colour (exposed): Cool Grey.
• Role forming by Global Roofing Solutions: GRS Klip Lok 700^TM concealed fix profile.