Architect and Builder Magazine South Africa May/June 2015 | Page 35
The building façades are
finished in a combination
of painted plaster and
red facebrick panels
in winter. This difference in level allowed
the architects to position the majority of the
parking undercover in a naturally ventilated
semi-basement, the minimum level of which
was determined by the level of the water table.
The ground floor is therefore elevated above
the surrounding streets, which improves the
views, particularly towards Table Mountain.
Facts and Figures
17 Park Lane is a U-shaped 2 storey building
with a gross rentable area of 3,247m2, with a
landscaped forecourt, over a semi-basement
which covers the entire site, with a double
volume entrance foyer midway along its
length, separating two office wings of
equal length.
The entrance foyer is fitted with a glass
elevator and glazed with low-E glass frameless
glazing. Externally generously proportioned
galleries link the foyer to two secondary
staircases, which have been finished to match
the entrance foyer, and act as fire escapes.
These galleries fulfil a number of functions.
Park Lane
They act as emergency escape routes in the
event of fire, but also allow access to the edge
of the office space should it be subdivided
into smaller tenancies, as well as acting as
an external breakaway space for the offices.
Fourteen parking bays have been provided
at street level in the landscaped forecourt,
93 parking bays have been provided in the
semi-basement and a further 5 parking bays
have been provided at the edge of the site.
There are also a further 24 unreserved parking
bays abutting the street edges surrounding
the site.
Design Philosophy
The project brief called for a flexible 5 Star
Green Rated office building which was in
keeping with the Century City Property
Owners Association design guidelines for the
Park Lane precinct.
Working very closely with the Green
Consultant, each façade has therefore been
designed with integral architectural sun
control to respond to each specific orientation,
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