Architect and Builder December 2016 | Página 12

PROJECTWATCH PROPOSED, CURRENT AND FUTURE PROJECTS FROM SOUTH AFRICA AND ABROAD GATEWAY OFFICES WEST – WATERFALL CITY A new office development is currently under construction at the Gateway to Waterfall City. The development will be the first of two P-Grade buildings designed by Aevitas Group. The site is located directly in front of the recently completed Mall of Africa and the two identical buildings will frame the northern piazza and entrance to the mall. With prominent exposure to Lone Creek Crescent and access off the main ring road of the City, the building enjoys a prominent position within Waterfall City. The development comprises four basement levels of parking and seven office levels above ground with four lifts serving all floors. With over 13,000m2 of Rentable Area and direct pedestrian access to the Mall of Africa, the building will be an attractive proposition to blue-chip tenants. The brief was to create an iconic statement that would mark the entrance to Waterfall City and set the standard for future buildings. As such, the architecture is 10 bold and progressive, employing sweeping curves and dramatic cantilevers that give the impression of a sculpted or moulded form. At the base of the free-form buildings are moulded landscape berms which ground the buildings and give them a sense of weight. The berms also serve as privacy screens to the offices and help soften the street edge. The design is conceived to respond to both the street as well as the public piazza. It will have a grand triple-volume atrium that faces onto the piazza creating an impactful sense of arrival and seamless integration with the public space. Inside, the atrium will comprise bold, monolithic forms with floating bridges that pierce through the heavy walls and link the two wings of the office. The façades are a combination of unitised curtain wall glazing and a lightweight EPS system that is clad in aluminium. Aluminium louvres are provided to protect the glass from solar heat gain. The building is targeting a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver rating. A full energy model of the building has been completed which has analysed thermal loads on the building and the façades have been designed accordingly to be a combination of single and doubleglazing. Rain water will be harvested in tanks located in the basements and reused. The building will be constructed by Group 5 and completed in 13 months. Client: Attacq Architect: Aevitas Group Quantity Surveyor: NWS Civil and Structural Engineer: DG Consulting Engineers Mechanical Engineers: Adaptive Resource Engineers Electrical Engineers: OneZero Consulting Fire Engineer: SFT Wet Services: Watsol Landscape Architect: DRLA Green Consultant: Ecocentric / Ecolution Main Contractor: Group 5 Project Watch