WEST ELEVATION
and information dissemination - a history which now resounds with its new use for Stats SA .
The drum finds form in an outward- reaching elliptical building on the solid base of the auditorium below . The highly glazed first and second floors speak clearly of the transparency and openness of the Department and its work . The glazed drum is wrapped with a balcony that both enables wonderful views and shades the windows and a prominent mesh with an exceptional art piece providing further glare management .
The aesthetic of the drum mesh is taken through into the main building ’ s two northernmost wings on either side of the entrance , embracing the entire built form , and expressing the integration of all the Department ’ s staff and functions in one coherent and unified campus .
Tally Stone : Counting , Art , and History The tally stone is a striking piece of the cultural history of humankind . Dated to some 77,000 years old , the ochre stone was found in the Blombos Cave in the Western Cape near Stilbaai in 2002 . Believed by some researchers to be a device for counting or recording information , the tally stone has been adopted by Stats SA as representative of their work in a contemporary context as an extension of a very old tradition .
The geometric patterns on the ochre stone are regular and clearly organised , leading some researchers to the conclusion , that more than decoration , the markings represent information , recorded and re-recorded over a period of time . The notion of the tally stone has been incorporated into the architectural solution for Stats SA as a key element of identity and expression . The bold graphical marks on the tally stone ’ s surface have been translated into a riveted beadwork design on the mesh wrapping the drum . These imperfect hand-written strokes are aptly represented by the pixellated beads which underline the importance of the personal mark of people on the landscape and in information gathering and echo the tactility of the tally stone . The palette of the beading colours could be that of Nguni cattle – a perfect reference to wealth , prosperity , counting and tallying and , of course , to the diversity of both the landscape of South Africa and of her many peoples .
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