NMU George Student Housing

Client: Nelson Mandela University | Date: November 2020 | Type: Residential / Institutional

This Nelson Mandela University (NMU) student housing project required 200 new beds to serve the George campus.

As with all projects, a design was required to achieve a cost-effective building solution, yet at the same time provide students with the best possible accommodation.

Architectural principals like placemaking and adapting were applied — by turning the spaces between buildings into courtyards and using tactile material textures, colours and focal points of the buildings themselves to promote positivity and interaction between students.

Prior to this project, DMV Architecture was involved in the production of a detailed specification document with the possibility of being rolled out by NMU across all new student housing projects.

During this process, a typical unit typology evolved and formed the building blocks of this student housing project in George. Each unit consists of 8 bedrooms with common ablution, shower and kitchen amenities creating an apartment-style living (opposed to your standard outdated dormitory).

Students are encouraged to take on a sense of ownership of their particular room that then engages with the apartment and the overall scheme as a whole.