SECTION AA
The Brief Designed by Boogertman + Partners , the original brief for the Castle Gate precinct and lifestyle centre aimed to reflect the site ’ s history by taking into consideration the old Erasmus house that formed part of the original property . Bought from the Erasmus family , it was decided that parts of the buildings should commemorate this . This is even reflected in the Castle Gate logo . Facebrick , exposed timber beams under farm-style veranda like canopies , and pitched roofs were incorporated into the design to facilitate this notion . To incorporate industrial style with the design was opportune as the building required long span roofs and faster construction times , thus steel was introduced into the mix . Likewise , as with the farm-style , the industrial style works well with raw brick and timber .
Due to its corporate identity the offices and gym building was approached slightly differently . The client brief asked for a 6,000m 2 building that not only reflected and complemented the lifestyle centre ’ s sophisticated mix of industrial and farm style , but needed to be sleeker and more formal . It required that the building follow similar principles as that of the retail centre . The west wing of the building had to comprise of a 3,300m 2 , three storey office space and the east wing had to house the 2,700m 2 two storey Planet Fitness signature gym . Due to its location on a prominent corner , it necessitated that the building had to be iconic and create a sense of arrival .
Further , a naturally ventilated one level lower ground parking was required that could facilitate all tenant parking needs . Concyclic parking had to be introduced to cope with the different time cycles that the building goes through , this being the office space that use the parking during the quiet hours of the gym in daytime , and vice versa for the gym in the early hours of the morning , the late afternoon and evening .
Design Concept The concept for the design asked for the elegant fusion of two typologies , offices and gym . The building follows natural contours of the protected hill behind it and overlooks this green strip creating magnificent views from the interior to the exterior . A large overhang created the opportunity for a grand entrance joining with the horizontal lines on the façade and further enhanced the horizontal sweeps on the façade . This grand entrance required grand columns to reflect a similar concept of tree like structures as with the retail . These columns raise the main entrance overhang three storeys above podium level .
The building needed to sit proud on the site and the lower ground level and lifted for natural ventilation , which created the opportunity for a podium and a grand stair towards the entrance . The area around this podium is used by its tenants as spill out spaces and social areas . A central courtyard atrium was added in the office wing to break up the floor plate . This shaded area introduces soft natural light into the offices . The tenants utilise this seated planted space as another breakaway area .
Façade Keeping in mind that as part of the brief the building had to be low maintenance , materials were chosen that could accommodate this . Using face-brick meant the architects had ample opportunity for brick detailing and working on brick scale . The ground floor level in contrast has more brick elements , whereas the upper storeys introduce more glass and steel . The glass and steel matches in hue to co-ordinate with the colour of the industrial aesthetic pulled through from the existing architecture . Another layer to the façade
56 Castle Gate