Concept, Materials and Aesthetic
The site was characterised by a long, east-west
facing crescent shape with a substantial fall from
west to east. The challenge from a conceptual
point of view was to make efficient use of the
steep site while mitigating the harsh exposure to
east-west light. The design of the building had to
be informed by, and respond to, the Master Plan
of Waterfall City which called for a building that
was completely integrated with the future urban
fabric of the city. Particular attention was paid to
the major arterial pedestrian route between the
building and Mall of Africa but also to creating a
building that expressed a philosophy of openness
and connectedness. Priority is placed on the
pedestrian and rather than isolating the building
behind walls, it is essentially open to the public
with graduated levels of privacy and security as
one moves through it.
In keeping with the philosophy of the City as
well as a very specific brief from Deloitte, Aevitas
created a large, low building with generous
floorplates (roughly 6,000m 2 each). At the heart
of the building, a large, multi-volume atrium allows
24 Deloitte