Name of the Project
University of Fort Hare (UFH) Alice Student Village.

Location
Alice, in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province.

Project Owner/s
UFH.

Project Description
The UFH student housing project is the biggest-ever undertaken by a South African public university. The new student village addresses critical student accommodation shortages in Alice.

Phase 1 of the project was completed in 2014 and resulted in 610 beds being made available to the university.

The Phase 2 project comprises a 12-block, 1 440-bed accommodation block.

The Alice Student Village Development comprises five cluster developments and two self-standing blocks and can accommodate 2 050 students. It has 34 rooms that are accessibility-compliant for students with physical disabilities.

The overall student village design and walkway integration, including the student centre, has been designed with wheelchair accessibility in mind.

Each of the five clusters, comprising three blocks each, has its own courtyard and landscaped gardens. The apartment-style design of the blocks clusters a small number of rooms with a shared bathroom, giving students more privacy and better social integration.

In addition, the 1 500 m² student centre has space for shops and a lecture or meeting space with platform seating. There is also an outdoor concourse for student assemblies.

Potential Job Creation
Thirty-six small-, medium-sized and microenterprises were contracted during the construction for cleaning, wet works, building materials supplies, painting, roof work, civils, plumbing, hot-rolled steel, supplying materials, closed-circuit television, access control and medical services.

In total, 500 empowerment employment opportunities were created, 326 youth received employment opportunities, 37 women were employed during the construction period and 115 training opportunities were provided.

Capital Expenditure
R419-million.

Planned Start/End Date
The project was completed in December 2020.

Latest Developments
With the completion of the Alice Student Village Phase 2 project, built over two years, the UFH has 6 049 available beds in Alice, which are enough to accommodate 70% of students on its Alice campus.

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
Stag African (construction contract).

Contact Details for Project Information
UFH, tel +27 40 602 2016.