Architect and Builder June 2017 | Page 31

FIRST FLOOR PLAN 8TH FLOOR PLAN - TYPICAL
CORE LANDSCAPING CONCEPTS
Open Edges The development required open edges to the street that allowed free flow of pedestrian movement , pulling visitors inwards – welcoming and inviting .
Gateway The landscape needed to differentiate itself , announcing your arrival into the precinct – ‘ gateway ’ and ‘ threshold ’ became important elements .
Active Core The three buildings accumulate around a central zone – the heart of the piazza – and the team worked with the architects to ensure that the functions that gathered around this core would activate the space and allow opportunity for gathering and business ( cafés and restaurants spill out towards a central space that in turn can be used for functions and exhibitions ).
Fluidity of Design With the brief encouraging that the piazza space spill between core and edges , the lines on the ground naturally interpreted paths of movement , bleeding and sweeping below the buildings . Users of the precinct can walk freely between and underneath the building structures and the piazza sweeps through .
Simplification of Aesthetic Common design language , construction-type and materiality were key but each zone of the precinct required various alignments / combinations of those elements to differentiate the spaces and allow for interest in the design . Five years worth of ideas had to be harnessed , broken down and merged into a cohesive whole .
CONCLUSION The completion of Alice Lane Phase 3 marks the end of a 10 year journey towards redefining an entire city block in the heart of Sandton . It sets the benchmark for development in South Africa ’ s premier commercial real estate node .
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