Rhodes’ multi-million rand Library Building Expansion Project has been completed on time and under budget.
The remarkable project, described by Rhodes Vice Chancellor Dr Saleem Badat as “the most important embarked on by the University in recent times”, will be officially opened by the Minister of Higher Education and Training Dr Blade Nzimande on Thursday, 4 November.
“It is a building which is central to our purpose as a University. From undergraduate studies to post-graduate research, to the scholarship and publishing that epitomises Rhodes academics; the new facilities and the enhanced services provided by our Librarians will better support these endeavours.”
The new extension has almost doubled the size of the library with an additional 4500 square metres added on.
The existing building was altered, redecorated and modernised to complement the new extension, although the design of the new building is such that it blends timelessly into the existing campus environment.
The library now has more study space, a 24-hour access reading room, group study rooms, an Information Commons for dedicated and supported online research and the Carnegie Research Commons for senior postgraduate students and academic staff. It also offers collections arranged in Faculty sections: Science & Pharmacy, Commerce and Humanities & Education.
The project was started in September 2008 and it has taken just over two years to complete.
An interesting design feature of the new building is the main staircase, which is a steel structure suspended from the roof with rods. The building itself is regarded as a high-tech building, fully computerised and designed to minimise energy usage.
The thicker walls, use of solar glass, energy-efficient air-conditioning, the open stairwell, which acts as a ventilation shaft, and a mechanical system that controls and optimises flow rates of fresh air all contribute to it being an environmentally friendly building.
The project has been completed on time and, best of all, below budget, says the Vice Chancellor.
The original estimated cost of the project was R86-million. Initial funding was secured by way of a grant of R50-million from the Department of Education, with the University undertaking to raise the balance through fundraising activities and, as a last resort, from its own reserves. To date, the university’s Development Office has raised R20-million.
But the final cost of the library is expected to be in the region of just R75 million, which is R11 million, or 13%, below the original estimate. Dr Badat attributes this to “lower than anticipated pricing on key components of the building” as well as to the “exceptional management” by the project team.
“This is additionally impressive when one considers that construction has taken place at the time when South Africa was preparing for the Fifa World Cup and during one of the worst recessions ever experienced,” said Dr Badat.
It also means that only R5 million more needs to be raised by the university. The grand opening of the Library will include a cocktail function attended by many of donors and supporters of the Library Building Project. The donors are acknowledged on donor boards in the entrance foyer and elsewhere in the Library.