Architect and Builder Magazine South Africa March/April 2015

PROJECT Chevron Head Office The project stands out in terms of innovative use of concrete and aluminium cladding and its five star green rating, which addresses issues of sustainability by lowering energy usage CHEVRON HEAD OFFICE Century City, Cape Town EMPLOYER Chevron South Africa PROJECT MANAGER & PRINCIPAL AGENT Turner & Townsend QUANTITY SURVEYOR Turner & Townsend SUSTAINABILITY CONSULTANTS Turner & Townsend ARCHITECTS Louis Karol Architecture & Interiors STRUCTURAL & CIVIL ENGINEERS Sutherland MECHANICAL & ELECTRICAL ENGINEERS GIBB ACOUSTIC ENGINEERS Mackenzie Hoy INFRASTRUCTURE ENGINEERS HHO Africa HEALTH ENVIRONMENT & SAFETY CONSULTANT PRASC C hevron made the decision in 2012 to independently develop its own new headquarters at Century City - opting to develop as owner-occupier, as opposed to the de rigeur model of leasing a turn-key, build-to-let project from a 3rd-party developer. Rated five green stars, the results are original and stunning. ARCHITECT’S REPORT Overview Louis Karol Architecture & Interiors promoted the “The Naked Building”, one exhibiting no artificial adornment or cladding. Since Chevron required an environmentally sustainable head office, the architect sought to achieve a building that is only built once – i.e. that a striking white concrete structure forms the actual façade - challenging the widespread commercial practice of cladding with expensive additional layers of aluminium, granite or curtain walling. The result, set around a protected garden courtyard, glows like travertine marble in the prevailing north-west light. Chevron prioritised staff quality of life and, ultimately, wanted to be the long-term institutional owners of a “solid” building with a long design life, made from a solid material, rather than a “veneered” or clad building with a limited shelf-life. Economic & Financial Considerations Chevron had occupied its original (Louis Karol-designed) headquarters on Cape Town’s Foreshore for 40 years. Chevron was impressed that the old building had withstood the decades with only minor alterations. Chevron’s properties department therefore FIRE CONSULTANT Keith Fletcher & Associates GEOTECHNICAL SURVEYORS Kantey & Templer LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS & TOWN PLANNERS Planning Partners LAND SURVEYOR David Hellig & Abrahamse INTEGRATED SECURITY CONSULTANTS Smart Line Integration MAIN CONTRACTOR Stefanutti Stocks Building Western Cape TEXT Louis Karol Architects Turner & Townsend Keith Fletcher PHOTOGRAPHY Grant Duncan-Smith, Subiaco Photography; Images also supplied by Louis Karol 24 Chevron

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