Developed in 2000 and 2001, the initial master plan of new Universidade Agostinho Neto Campus in Luanda was based on a projected student population of 17,000 and consisted of nine faculties and institutes of higher learning with appropriately sized amenities. This programming process used population projections, utilization factors and basic space requirements.
In 2005, the reevaluation projected student populations increasing to 40,000 students at the Luanda campus. Addressing the issue of an evolving student population, the design team produced a modified plan which will provide direction for the future campus.
The initial program and master plan of the Phase I features planning and design of four classroom building zones, a central library and a plaza. The classroom buildings are planned to accommodate the university’s core departments of mathematics, physics, and chemistry and computer science.
Apart from that the campus also includes a student union as well as integrated outdoor areas such as reflecting pools and a sunken garden to serve as a reading and gathering space on the plaza. Clear, accessible organization of programmatic functions is the driver in the planning of the academic campus, which is situated between two river corridors in the middle of a 2,000-hectare greenfield site. The central library and four academic building clusters establish the core from of the project.
The SCUP Honor Award, which began in 2000, recognizes an exemplary physical master plan for an entirely new campus or for planning a new satellite or branch campus physically separated from the established college or university campus.
