Corobrik continues to be a preferred choice in construction of the affordable housing and schooling sector with the completion of the independent Royal Schools Sky City in Watervalspruit on the R59, Johannesburg a sterling example of its quality face brick.
The 8 500m2 school, which can accommodate 1 655 pupils from Grades RRR to Grade 12, is located within Sky City, a mega-development which provides affordable homes and schools to families living and working in the burgeoning Central Johannesburg, Alberton and Vereeniging areas.
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“Royal Schools Sky City is providing affordable, quality private education to local residents with plans to extend the school to Grade 12 by 2021,” explained Musa Shangase, Corobrik’s Commercial Director. “Corobrik is proud to form such an important part of this development which is meeting the ever-growing infrastructure needs of the country,” he added.
Shangase noted the ongoing need for schools in Gauteng which had stimulated the private sector assist in meeting this demand. The establishment of schools such as Royal Schools Sky City is helping to fill the gap of much-needed classroom space and quality education provision.
“The improving matric pass rate in Gauteng has been improving overall and is a clear indication that the contribution of affordable, independent schools to the local communities is boosting education overall,” said Shangase.
Corobrik’s high-quality, low-maintenance face brick
“By opting for Corobrik’s high-quality, low-maintenance face brick, developers are further investing in the education of youngsters as there is no need for future outlay on additional upkeep expenses. They are also ensuring that every child who enters the school building is getting an opportunity to be educated in an inspired structure which they can be proud to call their own,” said Shangase.
The successful development of an independent school requires the involvement of various stakeholders. For Royal Schools Sky City, this included funding from Schools and Education Investment Impact Fund of South Africa (SEIIFSA) and shareholder, Old Mutual Alternative Investments (OMAI); land development and construction by Cosmopolitan Projects (CP); design by Roos Architects with Royal Schools operating the facility.
For the construction the school’s developers selected 328 000 Nebraska Travertine and 320 000 Montana Travertine face bricks from Corobrik’s range. Central Developments’ Construction Manager, Bertus Fouche, explained this is a standard blend with the packages mixed onsite before construction.
“Lighter and darker applications of the brick were used for aesthetic enhancement of this modern school,” explained Fouche. “To provide world-class education affordably, we had to be practical with the choice of bricks.” he said.
Fouche said that the zero-maintenance of Corobrik’s face bricks in this long-term investment was a major contributing factor.
Cost-effective bricks
“These are cost-effective bricks with particular application in the affordable sector,” he continued. “We also have to factor in the quality customer service we receive from Corobrik which means no waiting time on deliveries. This contributes additionally to the cost-saving aspect of the project,” noted the commercial director
According to Christine Roos of Roos Architects, the colour of face bricks is usually chosen to provide an aesthetically pleasing yet neutral background.
“In this budget-conscious project, two contrasting face brick colours were selected to colour the block walls,” explained Roos. “In combination with the grey roof colour, this forms the basis of the school’s permanent colour scheme. These colours work well with the minimal-plastered sections which were painted in bold, cheerful colours,” he added.
Royal Schools Sky City consists of 58 classrooms, a hall with seating for 650 people, two fully-equipped multimedia centres including wi-fi, two further fully-equipped computer laboratories as well as two science laboratories, an administration block, tuck shop and uniform shop. There are also a multitude of sports’ facilities including a combination tennis and volleyball court, four netball courts, two soccer fields, cricket nets and an athletics track.
