is sculpted down to the street level, giving the
pedestrian approach a comfortable human scale.
A gentle pleasant promenade up through the
verdant gardens to the piazza brings one to the
main entrance.
Building Planning
The overall scheme comprises in effect two
buildings - one the primary building, and the
second to be occupied by other tenants in
the short-term and to provide expansion space
for Webber Wentzel in the long-term. However,
both elements are physically connected and
offer a seamless unified building identity and
spatial form.
A strong spine of building sets up against the
eastern site boundary with fingers of office wings
facing north stretching out across the site. The
southern wings form the first phase occupied by
Webber Wentzel, enclosing a generous atrium and
addressing the prominent corner of the site; the
northern wing sits back from the Rivonia Road
edge, creating the park element and embracing a
secondary entry with a smaller atrium and circulation core, and the courtyard garden. The auditorium and related spill-out area occupies the knuckle
between the two phases and the indoor-outdoor
relationship here sets up the tone for the easy flow
between the building wings.
The building footprint is angled to better face
north, setting up the slight twist on the site
establishing the dynamic of the plan. Regular
office footprints turn slightly on each floor making
a variety of façades which are further sculpted by
stepping in and out to create interest and special
features of outdoor terraces.
The Atrium
The central heart of the building is the generous
broad rectangular atrium which creates a dynamic
and active zone where staff and visitors can
gather, meet, and exchange ideas. The triplevolume entrance forms the entry threshold,
given comfortable human scale by the floors
60
90 Rivonia