Architect and Builder November/December 2015 | Page 44
Broadly defined, the base of
the building, as it meets the
surrounding streets, is clad
in the rich, dark layers of
Table Mountain stone
In the commercial realm, it is often the
case that the overall building form is derived
from a predetermined maximum allowable
development envelope as defined by the Town
Planning regulations, as it was in this case.
Having achieved the commercial target of
financial feasibility in the built form, it is in the
materials palette that the architects were able
to find expression for that nostalgia by creating
an environment reminiscent of the tactile quality
of space that defined ETV’s roots.
The materials palette therefore, included
off-shutter concrete, Table Mountain Granite
stonework, facebrick, steel, glass and aluminium
fenestration and a lightweight roof clad in
Rheinzink. Each material was carefully chosen
for its relevance, locale and character in the
overall composition.
As an added challenge, the brief was
extended to meet the criteria for a 4-star rated
building as defined by the Green Building Council
of South Africa. Materials and technologies
had to conform to these standards. The overall
composition is a well-defined hierarchical
stacking of layers vertically, with each layer
clearly expressing the accommodation structure
within the building.
Internally, the theme of nostalgia and
reminiscence of ETV industrial origins
is continued, though more subtly, in the
expressions of painted bagged brick, raw
concrete ceilings and exposed servicing where
possible. A blend of sophisticated, sleek
materials with the robust, industrial components,
make an interesting bridge between the humble,
rooted beginnings and the anticipated hi-tech
future of the station.
Massing
Phase 1 at Roeland Park is a 32,000m2 (GCA)
building that includes 4No. Basement parking
levels - (15,000m2) and 7No. above-ground
accommodation levels (17,000m2).
Broadly defined, the base of the building, as
it meets the surrounding streets, is clad in the
rich, dark layers of Table Mountain stone. The
bulk of the office accommodation ‘floats’ in a
brick-clad box spanning the length and width
of the footprint, separated from the solid base
by a layer of glass that encloses the communal
facilities such as the canteen and the 3-story
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ETV Head Office