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The Joost Van Der Westhuizen Centre for Neurodegeneration
Kettle Collective’s mission was to create a building that looks to offer hope in a dynamic form to promote physical and mental wellbeing to sufferers of neurodegeneration. Joost Van Der Westhuizen was an athlete, who arguably was one of the most dynamic movers in the game of rugby. After being diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND), one of the many neurological diseases that affects the movement of the body, he like so many others is now restricted to a wheelchair.
Tony Kettle’s vision was to design a sculpture to celebrate the athleticism of one of the world’s finest rugby players and to create a Centre that will lead research into how to bring movement back to sufferers in the future.
Location
South Africa
Status
Concept
Building Type
Mixed Use
Health
Research
Leisure
Skills
Architecture
Interior Design
Landscape
A site, in the shadow of Table Mountain in South Africa is being donated for the 2,500m2 facility that is made up of 5 floors. The building includes a mixture of functions, including therapy, research and gym facilities. The views of Table Mountain are maximised with the open circulation space and café on the fourth floor. The concrete structure will be finished with white polished concrete glazing with a timber louver system to minimise solar gain to maximise the building efficiency.
The unique building form was inspired by the famous dive of the Springbok scrum-half, captured in a fluid, floating structure. Situated to maximise views of Table Mountain, the research facility houses therapy and gym facilities as well as a double height café. The building contents are situated around a 4-storey central atrium with skylight reinforcing the sense of openness and space.
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