From a high-tech, multidisciplinary work lab to a reception desk inspired by a sound wave, Ina Oosthuizen enjoys designing spaces at UP.

When Ina Oosthuizen goes cycling out of town, she loves being able to see the horizon from end to end. It’s a sight she remembers from her days at an architectural firm on the outskirts of Bloemfontein, where she first worked part time as a student, then for seven years after she’d graduated with a master’s degree in Architecture from the University of the Free State.

It is the solace and beauty of design such as this that captivates Oosthuizen. Even when she talks about why she loves the Free State, it is all about aesthetics, the magic of its “nothingness, just the wide open, empty space”.

So it’s no surprise that she loves creating her own designs in spaces. An architect in Facilities Management at the University of Pretoria (UP), her projects include the recently launched Digital Capability Laboratory, better known as the Employability Lab; the Graduate Hub at the Graduate Centre; the IT Atrium; the refurbished admin wing with its parametric reception counter at the Musaion; and the entrance gate to the Future Africa Institute.

Admittedly “passionate about architecture”, Oosthuizen gets a kick out of seeing her designs transform spaces. “That’s something I’ll never get used to as an architect – seeing structures and spaces come to life in front of your eyes; it’s always an amazing feeling,” she said.

But designing structures is more than just instilling a sense of wonder, for either its creator or the end user. She draws a distinction between “architecture that makes a statement, which is a piece of art in its own right but not necessarily an enjoyable or practical space for the occupants”, and architecture that provides value for its users.

In that sense, she loved working on the Digital Capability Laboratory, a high-tech space in a heritage structure, the Old Chemistry Building. “I hope the facility will add value to the users and their functioning there,” she said.

The lab has a large touchscreen for the presenter, ancillary screens and software to train students, and state-of-the-art technology such as a camera that tracks the presenter’s movements to facilitate live streaming. Each of its seven workstations has a webcam, which allows for activities to be broadcast to any location.

From a design point of view, the vast amount of cabling required was a challenge, which Oosthuizen overcame by installing acoustic panelling with a false back to contain everything neatly. 

The venue is multidisciplinary and is used by the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, Faculty of Humanities and Career Services, each with its own requirements. It is also transformable, with moveable furniture, so its layout can be changed as needed.

Oosthuizen also recently refurbished the Graduate Hub at the Graduate Centre. Primarily a service centre that postgraduate students can visit for various forms of assistance, it is also a multipurpose space that allows for informal interaction.

“There’s a great need for informal learning spaces on campus,” Oosthuizen said. One she helped create is the IT Atrium. Previously an open courtyard until it was enclosed with a roof, about three years ago, a concrete floor slab was added to create additional floor space.

“Now it’s a social learning space for students,” Oosthuizen explained. “There are workstations, soft seating, electrical points and Wi-Fi, and the space is full to the brim, every single day. We’re trying to provide spaces where students can interact informally. Instead of new builds, there’s a lot of opportunity in optimising space in existing buildings, like using wide passages where students can sit. Environmentally and financially, it makes a lot of sense.”

Oosthuizen loves the opportunities that UP provides to explore different things. As part of the refurbishment of the admin floor for lecturers’ offices in the building that houses the School of the Arts: Music, she designed a parametric reception counter, an organic shape comprising different fins, which were cut with a computer numerical control machine, each slice slightly different to the previous one. The design is an abstraction of the concept of a sound wave, even though that wasn’t part of the brief. “You can come up with innovative ideas, and people are quite supportive,” she said.

She particularly enjoys working at UP because it offers her a broader focus. “It is a place where you can dream and make end-users’ dreams come to life. That’s my experience at the University – people haven’t lost that ability to dream and imagine, like with the Employability Lab, where they come to you with a vision.”

Even in her private life, Oosthuizen is focused on architecture, and is busy with a major refurbishment of her home as well as making furniture for it. “I like working with my hands,” she said. “Architecture is not an occupation – it’s a way of life. It is a demanding occupation. It is not something that you do; it’s who you are as a person. I think a lot of architects will attest to that.”