Natural Sciences building (G1-G7) - "Spider complex"

Photo:  the building today

• The first building that would later be part of the Spider complex, was the Physics building. It was officially opened on 11 June 1955. The building was designed by Prof AL Meiring. Mr JH Viljoen, Minister of Education, Art and Science, officially unlocked the building. 
• In this Physics Building, the second lift in Potchefstroom was installed. This lift was still in operation in 2016! The first lift in Potchefstroom was in the Potchefstroom Hospital. 
• A complex for natural sciences was envisaged by former Rector, Prof HJJ Bingle, early in 1965. The existing buildings of Physics and Chemistry were to be linked and the complex was also to house Mathematics, Applied Mathematics and Statistics. 
• Only in 1968 the Committee for Grounds and Buildings recommended that the buildings for a certain group of departments that were near to each other should be rebuilt in a group complex.
• Departments housed in those buildings already experienced a lack of space. They were Pharmaceutics, Chemistry, Physics, Statistics, Mathematics, Applied Mathematics and Computer Science. 
• The Section: Computer Services, Instrument Making and Glassblowing were also to be housed in the new building.
• Nardus Conradie of Conradie Müller and Partners designed the building and it was built north of the existing Physics, Chemistry, Industrial Chemistry and Pharmacology Building. 
• The formal name was the Natural Sciences Complex. The building quickly was nicknamed the “Spinnekop-gebou” (Spider Building) since viewed from above, it looked like a spider.
• Building work was completed in 1979. 
• In 2000 part of the complex was refurbished, at a cost of R2 111 000, to house the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering.
• In 2010 the building was again modernised and in 2015 the office of the Dean of Nature Sciences was housed in the ground floor. 

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Photo:  the building under construction in 1976

Photo: 1955 Opening of Physics building 
Mr JH Viljoen, Minister of Education, Art and Sciences, speaking during the official opening of the Physics Building on 11 June 1955.
With him is his wife and to the right is Prof J Chr Coetzee, Rector. The photo appeared in Die Westelike Stem in June 1955.  

Photo:  Spider building scale model
This photo of the scale model of the Nature Sciences Complex, appeared in Wapad in March 1972. From this it is clear why the building was named the “Spinnekop-gebou” (Spider Building) by the students. 

Photo: Spider building with logo
 The Natural Sciences Complex – better known as the Spider Building – was designed by Conradie, Müller and Partners. A photo of it was chosen by the architectural firm for the front page of their folders. 

Photo: Maureen Quinn 
The art piece in the foyer of the Spider Building was designed by Maureen Quin. It depicts the prehistoric history of the earth from the view point of natural sciences.
Quinn received a medal of honour for Visual Art from the South-African Academy for Science and Art in 2016. 

Photo: Van der Walt artwork
In 1976 the artist, J Petro van der Walt, was commissioned to create a  work of art for the Physics Building. The piece, which is 6,5 m in length, has four elements. The glass sphere with its reflecting stainless steel surfaces, symbolises sources of light, energy and radiation. Under this are curved triangular aluminium plates that depict two hands which pour out all the gifts for men to appreciate, trace and develop. It represents Godly gifts. The third element is a formed aluminium ring, which symbolises atomic movement. It is representative of man’s achievements, his labour, techniques and development, but specifically research. A ray penetrates the design exploding in a nuclear reaction to depict a cross. The ray represents the research on cosmic rays and nuclear physics which is done by Physics and the cross is the symbol of the Christian character of the institution. The artist is locally known as Hannes van der Walt and from 1959 to 1989 he was the head of Instrument Making that was also housed in the Spider Building.
(Photo and information from NWU Galery vier die beeldhouwerk van Hannes Petro van der Walt, 2015, compiled by John R Botha.)