steps up to its maximum height on the south east Loop Street façade . This façade offers North Wharf Square a measure of protection from the prevailing south easterly winds . The building is a strong sculptural form , which offers an interesting combination of stepped massing elements when viewed both from close up and afar .
As a corporate Head Office building , the brief called for a building that would be contemporary but not specific to current trends . The quality of the building needed to transcend the vagaries and fashions which may prevail in the years to come . It was to be an icon building which stands out from the surrounding built form without
being ostentatious . The building is colonnaded on its Loop Street and Charlie Street façades with larger detached glazed canopies on Delta Street abutting North Wharf Square . Restaurants and coffee shops line this north-east edge at ground floor , and by agreement with the City of Cape Town , Delta Street has been pedestrianised encouraging outdoor activities and a meaningful interface with the Square .
The main Loop / Delta Street south-west axis has determined the expressive articulation of the south west corner of the site . A 15-storey tower adorns this corner providing visual articulation as well as corporate identity . The tower punches through the parking decks on floors One to Four , where it becomes a glazed cylinder partially wrapped by two solid but projecting elements . These are functional ducts but also act as screens to the harsh west sunlight . Only on the top double volume floor does the glass cylinder re-emerge as the building ’ s crowning element . A sloping and projecting disc shaped roof with a spire adorns the cylinder .
The Planning The site , being of a unique shape in the city centre , presented more opportunities than constraints . Its axial relationship with Loop Street , its edging of North Wharf Square and the dramatic sweeping curve of Loop Street extension all influenced the design .
The brief called for a corporate Head Office building with retail at ground floor . No deep office space would be required by the tenants , and it was the developer ’ s preference to limit office widths in all cases to a maximum of 13m . The importance
24 SHG House