African project Sasol offices – South Africa
Sasol , the tenant is a very large multinational Petrochemical Organisation with a wide variety of business units and activities . This building was to replace their current occupation of 14 buildings in Rosebank and elsewhere in Johannesburg and unify the Sasol corporate culture .
Their logo which encapsulates their values , provided the departure point for the conceptual design of the building . Best described as : ‘[ a ] central sphere denoting stability , while the six rotating ‘ business units ’ suggest a force greater than the sum of its parts – strength through synergy .’ They further add : ‘ At the same time as the new logo , a set of shared values and brand characteristics was launched to guide everyone on how best to live up to our brand promise .’
Paragon studied this distilled essence closely to interpret it as built form , the company structure was used as the departure point for the conceptual design of the building . The concept was initially set up as a straight line linking the various units . However , this was seen spatially as too linear and thus the form evolved into something more serpentine ; this generated a more interconnected space and was more easily accommodated on the site . This approach proved to be very successful in presentations to the tenant , but it was ultimately the architecture that won the commission . A central core of circulation and services ties the building together and the various areas are linked by a series of bridges . The major challenge was the site which is on a curving edge of Katherine Street , and to ensure a large building of 68 000m2 could be accommodated and well connected both vertically and horizontally . The building can accommodate up to 7500 people and leaps the boundary of the commercial edge of Sandton to sit as a floating glass box hovering above an indigenous parkland .
The glass façades were carefully engineered with Pure Consulting and Paul Carew from PJC Consulting to ensure that this 5 Star Green Star design satisfied performance and aesthetic requirements . The glazing is a combination of reflective glass spandrels and vision glass which combine to form a unified crystal façade . It was important for Paragon Architects to push boundaries in this design which is characterised with light volumes externally and two dramatic skylights articulated with acoustic baffles , internally . These elements drive a concept of light and airy . The building will have 7 basements levels with ten storeys above ground . The concept of open , transparent and remote work spaces is extended to embody the mores of Sasol to include interactive facilities such as restaurants , canteens , art galleries and coffee shops .
Externally the park-like staff facilities include varying planted indigenous biomes comprised of differing landscapes ; wetlands , grasslands forests and savannah areas . The client is very committed to supporting bird-life in South Africa and this will be extended into providing an indigenous environment for birds . africandesignmagazine . com 27