Architect and Builder February 2017 | Page 31

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 68,000m 2 could be accommodated and well connected both vertically and horizontally . The building leaps the boundary of
the commercial edge of Sandton to sit as a floating glass box hovering above an indigenous parkland .
Façade 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 .
The external façade is interesting in that it comprises floor to floor unitised double glazed panels of vision glass and spandrels . The shapes and glass variations are encapsulated in each
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