CPUT continues its mission to provide one of the most state-of-the-art campus housing offerings in the country.

The university is leading the way in setting a standard of excellence in residence management, and our students are the welcome beneficiaries of the new changes.

Last year ended on a high note with the institution celebrating the completion of the Cape Suites Residence Project. This project will see 400 beds go online and will provide female students with a living and learning environment in one of the most state-of-the-art campus housing offerings in the country. Cape Suites is a few metres from the District Six campus and provides safe and comfortable accommodation to some of our most vulnerable students.

Understanding the sustainability aspects of the university’s properties, the focus in 2024 was on quality enhancement to ensure that CPUT-owned residences remain attractive to our clientele, according to Phillip Chibvuri, Residence Finance Specialist.

This focus area is key for sustenance and the institution invested in the following:

 The Residences Facelift Project

This is an on-going project which focuses on the look and feel of each residence

“We are exploring the benefits of well-designed underutilised areas in each residence and bring them alive as research has shown the interior design of places and productivity are closely linked,” said Chibvuri

Operational Equipment

The Housing team has enhanced a number of residences with brand new microwaves, fridges, smart televisions and stoves.

A new batch of 100 laundry machines is in the pipeline to ensure that malfunctioning machines do not affect utilities such as water and electricity.

All heat pump systems received the necessary attention to ensure hot water in all 26 CPUT-owned residences.

Security

All 26 residences have been set onto the SALTO system, which is fully compatible with local technologies at CPUT.

In addition, the replacement and reconfiguration of all turnstiles at all residences are underway with some already fully functional

“We now have over 200 cameras for the exterior areas installed at strategic angles, functional, and monitored. More are underway in terms of interior and special areas of control in 2025. A facial recognition system (SAMS Project) has been piloted and the results are encouraging, and Campus Protection Services and Housing are working on a sustainable roll out plan in 2025.”

Chibvuri added: “We are optimistic we are going in a particular direction which will require thrifty approaches, sustainable solutions, and forward-thinking”.

Written by Ilse Fredericks
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Students in the Department of Architectural Technology and Interior Design recently visited three Cape Town neighbourhoods to learn about the different housing typologies in these communities and how they were impacted by apartheid.

Junior lecturer Abigail Roberts said the Extended Curriculum Programme students visited three neighbourhoods – Langa, Pinelands and Ndabeni and the objectives were for students to learn about the history of these neighbourhoods and the factors that influenced the housing typologies and architecture styles.

“They then had to draw up a strip elevation which showed the relationship of boundary lines, pavement sizes and front yard sizes etc.”

Earlier this year the students also visited the District Six Museum Homecoming Centre and the Bo-Kaap Museum.

Roberts said the aim was for students to learn about the history of these areas and the people that lived in them to allow students to better understand how to support them from an Interior design and Architectural Technology perspective. These areas then became the sites for the students’ mobile home assignment.  

“The mobile home assignment was for Interior Design and Architectural Technology students to design a mobile home for their chosen community, which was either Bo-Kaap or District Six. The point of visiting these areas was for students to learn about the history of these communities and how this heavily impacted the architecture and interior design. Students then had to design a mobile home which celebrated these areas in their respective manners. They are currently concluding the design and technical drawings and will end the year with a model representing their mobile home.”

Written by Ilse Fredericks
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.