2024

AFRIKAANSE HOËR MEISIESKOOL PRETORIA

New entrance

MAAA - Education - Icon
AHS Ingang

The threshold between the old and the new

Officially opened on 28 October 2024

The entrance not only protects the pupils and staff, but also the tradition and heritage of the Afrikaans Hoër Meisieskool Pretoria. The design of the entrance is anchored in the past but focuses on the future. With a history and rich heritage of AHMP, it was important that the new entrance spoke the same language. Pretoria.

Important architectural decisions captured in the final design include:

The bricks

The colour of the bricks matches the existing main building and represents a rich true Pretoria history. The original bricks were manufactured by Kirkness brick Factory, a brick supplier in Groenkloof. The Capital City is mostly built by these bricks. The Afrikaanse Hoër Meisieskool Pretoria is bordered by Kirkness Street, which is named after these significant bricks. Additionally, the white bricks used represent the new, the future, contrasting the past whilst also creating the ideal backdrop for the mosaic coat of arms.

The concrete

Concrete is a material that is used to lay foundations and here symbolizes the Gr. 8 pupils’ academic and social foundations that will be formed here. The eastern part of the entrance is designed as a bookend, terminating the contemporary and not distracting from and interfering with the heritage of the main building.

 

The ‘kappie

The school emblem is derived from the Noitje of the Underveld, a sculpture by Anton van Wouw. It is a portrait of a girl wearing a ‘kappie’ or a hood/hat. The idea of a ‘kappie’ is a golden thread that we have woven into all the designs we have designed on the AHMP Campus, for example the iconic roof structure of the Marna Jordaan Klubhuis (previously known as the Sport complex), the guardhouse in close vicinity to the new entrance and the addition and alterations to the EC Steijn Hall.

The mosaic coat of arms

The Afrikaanse Hoër Meisieskool Pretoria has always had art woven into their academic environment. The coat of arms was masterfully translated into mosaic by Marina Giovito Ehlers from the renowned Mosiac Arts.

With the exceptional work of AJ Renovatum, the new entrance is a practical amalgamation of contemporary and heritage elements working to preserve and build the legacy of the Afrikaanse Hoër Meisieskool Pretoria.