Wynberg Girls’ High School now boasts an off-the-grid science lab and a new music studio.
The “eco lab”, as the school refers to it, is designed to make sustainability visible and accessible, and the studio, which is named after a former principal, Shirley Harding, was designed by acoustic engineers, according to school principal Dr Jennifer Wallace.
Current and former members of the school staff and governing body, neighbouring school staff, alumni committee members as well as representatives from UCT and the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa were introduced to the new facilities at the launch function on Thursday February 29.
Dr Wallace said the lab would encourage pupils to expand their minds and imagine new possibilities.
“All of this contributes to our vision of Wynberg Girls’ High School being at the forefront of producing the scientists, mathematicians, biologists, technologists, engineers, and sustainability guardians of the future,” she said
According to the school, the lab is self-contained and does not rely on municipal connections for electricity, heating or water supply. It is built using sustainable materials. With a 25 solar-panel array connected to an inverter, the lab generates its own electricity. Four floor-mounted batteries store any excess power, and display panels show how much power is being generated.
Dr Wallace said the studio provided an intimate rehearsal and performance space for pupils, and every aspect of its design had been “envisioned through an acoustic lens“.
Lead architect Joe Noero said the studio and lab were built in a way to help pupils understand what it took to live in a future that was much better for the environment.
“It is just introducing young girls to the idea that there is a future for them in that world. Not only in terms of how they live but in terms of the kind of jobs that they can have,” he said.