Page 40 - SAICE book proof 2 LATEST JULY 2014

s a i c e
GAUTENG PROVINCE

to the north of Johannesburg. These two magnificent ◊ Below: University of Pretoria
arch bridges carry the main outfall to the north across ◊ Centre: University of South Africa
two valleys. The concrete pipes are approximately 3 m ◊ Bottom: University of Witwatersrand
in diameter and are protected from the warming effect
of the sun by metal shields, necessary as differential
expansions of the concrete could create damaging
stresses and strains in the pipes.

9. Universities of Gauteng

• The University of Pretoria grew from the Transvaal
Universiteitskollege (TUKS) to a university catering
for approximately 60 000 students. The expansions
quickly reached the boundaries of the site it was es-
tablished on in 1910 and soon whole street blocks
of residential development were bought to extend to
the east. One of the many designer type buildings on
this campus is the library that was built across Roper
Street; it acts as a bridge from west to east. The en-
gineering faculty buildings also feature a bridge-like
structure of which the opening frames the original
buildings when looking east from where the original
main entrance was situated.

25°45’20.95” S, 28°13’51.13” E

• The University of South Africa (UNISA) is the
biggest distant learning tertiary institution in the
world. Its main building complex on the west of the
Muckleneuk hill in Pretoria is about 550 m long. The
seven storey building at the west end is supported on
a single pillar equipped with large bearings on its top
to allow for lateral movement caused by wind pres-
sure on the building. One could venture to say that
this supported cantilever structure resembles a lizard
that looks out over the Fountains Valley and guards
the southern entrance to Pretoria.

25°46’05.27” S, 28°11’59.53” E east and west and the Wits engineering faculty is
accommodated in a modern concrete finish building
just west of the bridge. South Africa’s first school of
• The University of the Witwatersrand buildings mining opened in Kimberley and was then transferred
which were originally built around 1922 are most to the University of the Witwatersrand.
typical for their time in terms of drab grey structures.
As with other universities rapid expansion necessitated
acquiring new land, but in this case the boundaries 26°11’23.30” S, 28°01’56.39” E
of the site includes a freeway and a number of
commercial properties. The Milner Park Showgrounds
were then purchased to the west of the M1 freeway • The University of Johannesburg was first known
and converted into university facilities. A 284 m free as the Rand Afrikaanse Universiteit (RAU) and the
span corten steel bridge for pedestrians now links buildings on the Auckland Park campus are a state-

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