Architect and Builder January/February 2016 | Page 53

The varied use of glass, lighting, wooden cladding and pergolas on each façade has ensured that all the ‘layers’ of the building form a cohesive entity Design One of the major considerations with regards to design, was establishing the connection with the street. Once the street level design was in place, attention could be paid to maximising the bulk requirements of the developer on the upper levels. The upper storeys were an exercise in mitigation and balancing between the design and maximising the square meterage requirements. Vertical Cores The binding elements are the vertical cores, which, once the decision was made to move them to the exterior corners, provided a link between the base and the superstructure. The two main structural and service cores act as ‘book ends’ and allowed the corners to be expressed as key components of the façade design. As a result of this, the corner of the building on Strand and Chiappini Streets is one of the most striking aspects of the design. The two cores at opposite ends of the building have become design features in their own right . The ‘Sky Bar’ joins the two at roof level, forming a distinctive band across the vertical mass. The placement of the cores also allowed for an open atrium within the centre of the building and more flexible scope within the design. Due to the changing demands on the building in terms of usage and tenancy throughout the build process, the design often had to be modified. As the central core of the building was appointable, usable space, the design was more easily adaptable. The scale of the superstructure façade was adjusted depending on the orientation. The The Mirage façade facing up towards the Waterkant and Bo Kaap differs in scale and setback from the façades facing towards the CBD. There was also an attempt to bring the character found in Hudson Street through the building onto the more utilitarian cityscape of Chiappini Street. The 2,000m2 shopping precinct connects both Hudson and Chiappini Street at street level. Entering from Chiappini Street up a generous staircase, shops and restaurants provide the link through the core of the building. The restaurants have balconies opening onto the street, allowing the building to connect actively with pedestrian traffic. There are separate entrances for the private apartments and the hotel. 51