BUILDING A Kwa-Zulu Natal Drakensberg |
BUILDING B Free State Golden Gate |
BUILDING C Western Cape Table Mountain |
BUILDING D North West Pilansberg |
BUILDING E Limpopo Waterberg |
EAST ELEVATION |
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DESIGN CONCEPT The central design concept was inspired by the land itself , which lies at the very heart of the department ’ s activities : agriculture , forestry , rural development and land reform . The curved , organic shapes of the building and its low-slung form take their cue from shapes moulded by nature itself . The architecture quite literally hugs the ground rather than towering vertically over it , almost as a refined or abstracted landform itself . Its edges rise and fall like the curves and carved hollows sculpted by natural forces . Its dimensions and scale , too , are intentionally respectful of its context , with the city and the Magaliesberg mountain range forming its backdrop .
The building consists of five nodes or wings leading off a central spine that bends along the curve in the Apies River , which runs along the edge of the site . This long , low form creates the wide floorplates that facilitate a light , open , friendly and spatially connected environment in line with the department ’ s values of inclusivity and progressive organisational culture .
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