Architect and Builder August/September 2019 | Page 21

BRICKFIELD CANVAS, WOODSTOCK
An exciting 10,400m 2 A-Grade commercial building has been
born out of the repurposing of a 3,500m 2 warehouse in Brickfield
Road, Woodstock. The development involved the introduction of 3
new concrete floors (±3,300m 2 each) within the previous building
envelope and introduces a central triple volume atrium that fills the
building core with natural light and landscaping.
To enhance the sustainability and green initiatives of the building,
the concrete floors were designed to make use of the thermal
capacity of the building rather than rely solely on conventional heating
and cooling systems.
The architectural design creates a seamless flow of work and
flexible shared spaces and facilities encouraging collaboration
and synergy amongst tenants. The fresh and innovative offering
addresses the evolution of new businesses and reduces the need
for tenants to build often under utilised facilities like meeting rooms
and boardrooms.
Acknowledging the importance of business sustainability,
Brickfield Canvas has additional initiatives such as the use of borehole
water for flushing ablutions, a solar PV plant and back up generator
power. The integration of building design and operational functionality
is aimed at achieving a 4 star Green Star rating of the project.
On completion, Brickfield Canvas will be the largest commercial
Thermally Activated Building Structure (TABS) in South Africa. TABS
is an energy efficient heating and cooling system whereby the mass
of the building structure is cooled and heated to maintain comfort
conditions of the building through cooled or heated water contained
in specialised pipework built into the floor structure.
heat exchange) and the water movement through the system is
less energy intensive than fan power.
• The TABS system is also complimented by the introduction of
tempered fresh air into the building.
www.brickfieldcanvas.com
Developer: Brickfield Group
Architect: Anthony MacBride
Project Manager: Russell MacAdam
Structural & Mechanical Engineers: Sutherland
Electrical Engineers: Claassen Auret
Sustainability Consultants: PJ Carew Consulting
Main Contractor: Lovemore and Company
Benefits of the TABS system
Since the system is built within the concrete floor, efficiency
replaces operating costs and cumbersome space sapping plant
and ducting of conventional heating and cooling systems. In addition
the TABS system makes tenant fitouts, changes or renovations
more economical without having to demolish, change or reroute
conventional HVAC, plant and ducting.
• TABS reduces tenant fitout timing as the system is already installed
in the structure.
• TABS is an inherently quiet system
• TABS is energy efficient as comfort conditions are maintained
through both air (convective heat exchange) and surface (radiation
Project Watch
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