Auditorium
Office Space & Meetings
GROUND
FLOOR PLAN
Library
Archive
Conference Room
Ablutions
Vertical Circulation
vertical circulation and serves as a common foyer
for the auditorium, conference facility, meeting
rooms, library and archive. The atrium is therefore
an activated and flexible social space at the heart
of the building, which forms part of a ground floor
plane that houses all communal facilities. The
upper floors are dedicated to access controlled,
open-plan office space with kitchens and ablutions
on each level. The office space is entirely flexible,
allowing it to be adapted as the occupants’ space
requirements may change over time.
The Green Building is designed to enhance the
feeling of transparency and a sense of community.
This is achieved by strategically locating all shared
facilities on the ground floor, which encourages
movement through the building and a sense of
collective ownership of all spaces. Balconies are
provided on the upper floors, and landscaped
courtyards on the ground floor, for occupants to
use as breakaway spaces.
UPPER
FLOOR PLAN
60
The Green Building is among the first govern-
ment owned buildings to achieve a 5 -star
GreenStar rating. From the outset, the professional
team subscribed to the philosophy that sustainable
design was not merely an option, but an absolute
necessity, necessitated by increased energy
costs and water scarcity.
The building achieved its efficiencies
primarily through passive design. This included
optimised orientation, appropriately proportioned
glazing, filtered natural daylight, well-considered
acoustic design and a water use strategy
that recycles all waste water in a fully organic
recycling plant, and captures all storm water in
bio-retention ponds. All water is used at least
twice before entering the municipal system. This
results in the Green Building using significantly
less water and energy than conventional build-
ings, which is is in line with the Department’s
110% Green initiative.
The ventilation system allows for greater user
control, and has filters to reduce the spread of
harmful bacteria. The use of electric cars is
encouraged, with the provision of dedicated
parking bays close to the building entrance. The
provision of bicycle parking and shower facilities
promotes a healthier, non-motorised means of
commuting to and from work.
The Northern facade comprises floor-to-ceiling
glazing, with a layer of horizontally slatted screens
to control gla