In terms of planning , the building is a refined version of an H-shaped plan around a narrow vertical atrium . An eastern and a western block , clad in contrasting finishes , create a striking basic silhouette . North and south façades are faced in continuous glass curtain walls , framed by projecting wall and roof edges . Views over the surrounding landscape are maximised , both to the residential north as well as over the adjacent business node to the south .
The east and west façades are defined by judicious placing of openings to reduce direct heat gain , and a layering of seemingly hovering sheer vertical walls . Much design effort and a fair part of the façade budget have been invested into fine-grained detailing of these walls . The grain of the architecture works at two different scales : one relating to the southnorth traffic axis past the site , the other at the pedestrian and office worker scale . The building can be grasped at a glance , and stands up to closer inspection simultaneously .
At night , the filigree sunscreen covering on the eastern façade appears to dissolve and provides a finely textured setting for a projecting , internally illuminated glass box . The night time appearance of the building was an important design consideration throughout the project .
The raised parking plinth has been designed for intensive plant growth , with a view to softening the interface of the building to the pocket park at its base on Oxford Road .
Commercial usage at ground level has been made possible , in order to provide an active street edge . With the Rosebank Gautrain station within short walking distance , the basement has been designed so that parking bays can be removed and line shops added on the street façade . This is a future-proofing design idea that anticipates the realisation of the vision of Rosebank as a higher density and more urban node in the city of Johannesburg .
Internally , abundant natural light reaches all parts of the floor plates . Due to constrained site
110 Oxford Corner