NEWSWORTHY
ARATA ISOZAKI
RECEIVES 2019 PRITZKER
ARCHITECTURE PRIZE
Arata Isozaki, distinguished Japa-
nese architect, city planner and
theorist, has been selected as
the 2019 Laureate of the Pritzker
Architecture
Prize,
the
award
that is known internationally as
architecture’s highest honour.
Lauded as a visionary amongst his
international contemporaries, Iso-
zaki’s forward-thinking approach,
deep commitment to the “art
of
STORAGE KING HEAD OFFICE BY ARCHITECTS OF JUSTICE
Not many buildings can be summed up in just one sentence, but that doesn’t stop Kuba
Granicki from Johannesburg-based Architects Of Justice (AOJ) from trying; “It’s a giant
box for boxes which are filled with boxes of people’s stuff.” The building in question is
Storage King’s new head office, comprising 10,800m 2 under roof, and despite Granicki’s
oversimplified description, the building is actually an incredible vision brought to life by a
dedicated professional team aligned to the project.
Design
The architects purposefully pulled the office off the warehouse end which exposes a
portion of the warehouse and creates a longer street frontage for minimal expense, while
the large warehouse allows Storage King to consolidate its operation in one easily accessible
‘super facility’. The idea behind the architecture was to allow the client to ‘sell the perception
of space’. From the moment clients enter the building into a double volume reception
space – beyond which is an even larger volume glass-fronted area – the idea of space as
an asset is expressed
Granicki explains that the overall design of the building was dictated by form and proportion
and that it was a requirement by the client and tenant for the building to attract attention.
An extremely large angled glass façade and a playful entrance balance the otherwise stark
and striking brick elevation The warehouse is designed for high level racking and supersedes
the tenant’s current needs, while the height of the warehouse pushed the office section
several courses higher than is typically seen in industrial parks.
Striking Façade
The offices feature the largest black brick façade attempted to date and the intention is to
illuminate the façade which will give the client an opportunity to brand the company in a
number of ways, including the possibility of animation. “Early in the project, the developers,
Orpen Group, suggested using face brick as they have experience with the long-term
benefits regarding maintenance on their existing face brick buildings. Thus, from the design
concept we knew that these would be industrial building and that brick would be the best
option,” says Granicki. The Orpen Group’s Fabiano Cellini notes that Corobrik’s eye-catching
black brick was chosen because of it originality in the market. “We wanted to create
something new with face brick, keeping the shadow lines and maintaining the darkness
of the façade and therefore a decision was made to use tile adhesive as the mortar. From
a developer’s point-of-view, face brick was selected because of the timelessness of brick,
low maintenance and skills development in the local community. In order to have a striking
façade that would be built correctly (remedial work would be too expensive given the mortar
and brick), the architects simplified the brick bonds and let the material do its own talking
From a sustainability perspective, insulation inside the brick cavity walls helped meet the
buildings energy standards. A total of 40,000 bricks were used in the façade, while 180,000
were used for the warehouse walls.
The Storage King offices and warehouse, clearly visible to commuters on Malibongwe
Drive, is a physical manifestation, brought to life by the architects, of what a facility such
as this can offer users.
News Watch
space,”
and
transnational
methodology have been evidenced
since
the
1960s.
The
prolific
architect has been credited with
facilitating dialogue between East
and West, reinterpreting global
influences
within
architecture,
and supporting the development
of younger generations in the
field. His precision and dexterity
are
demonstrated
mastery
range
of
of
an
through
his
intercontinental
building
techniques,
interpretation of site and context,
and intentionality of details.
The 2019 Jury Citation states,
in part, “Possessing a profound
knowledge of architectural history
and theory, and embracing the
avant-garde,
he
never
merely
replicated the status quo, but his
search for meaningful architecture
was reflected in his buildings
that to this day, defy stylistic
categorisations,
are
constantly
evolving, and always fresh in their
approach.” Isozaki is the 46th
Laureate of the Pritzker Prize, and
the eighth to hail from Japan.
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