Rhodes University's multi-million rand library expansion project was completed on time and below the budget, something which Rhodes Vice-Chancellor Saleem Badat attributes to “lower than anticipated pricing on key components of the building” and “exceptional management” by the project team.
Rhodes University's multi-million rand library expansion project was completed on time and below the budget, something which Rhodes Vice-Chancellor Saleem Badat attributes to “lower than anticipated pricing on key components of the building” and “exceptional management” by the project team.
"Here there were no tenderpreneurs," Badat told guests during the official opening ceremony. He added that they acted modestly with their use of taxpayers' money. The original estimated cost of the project was R86-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.
The new state-of-the-art building has almost doubled the size of the library with an extra 4 500 square metres added on. The old building was altered, redecorated and modernised to complement the new extension. It 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 which are arranged in faculty sections: Science & Pharmacy, Commerce and Humanities & Education. The new building's main staircase is a steel structure suspended from the roof with rods and the building 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 make it an environmentally friendly building.
Badat acknowledged the following sources of funding for their contribution: overseas donors (R3.4 million); local alumni (R2.3 million); overseas alumni (R1.7 million); gifts in kind (R2.2 million), state funding (R50 million) and fundraising (R20.2 million). The university has to raise almost R5 million to finance the whole development.
