at the southern end of the building and this is also enclosed with glass in sympathy with the adjoining glazed office area . Full extent is made of the southern exposure where flush glazing covers the entire façade .
On the east of the building there are generous terraces and balconies with large sliding doors that open up onto the quiet side with attractive views over this well treed suburb of Houghton .
In all the architects office buildings , they try to avoid a completely sealed and airconditioned environment and thus they are always seeking opportunities for outdoor space from each floor even if it is just to step out and have a smoke or make a telephone call . The air quality and the views in this part of Johannesburg warrant such appreciation of the exterior .
On the northern façade , facing the adjoining property , the openings are limited to punctures in the wall . On the roof of the building at its southern end , is a covered entertainment terrace with a built-in bar and barbeque facility . The views from this terrace are east over the treetops of Houghton , south , towards the Hillbrow Ridge and southwest towards the Johannesburg CBD .
times , they have even requested that the architects change the colour of the building in order to incorporate these colours .
Energy Efficiency The building has been designed to conform to SANS 10.400-XA requirements for energy use buildings . It incorporates the following features :
• Low E laminated glass is used throughout the building in all the windows .
• Hot water supply is by means of heat pumps with all the piping insulated .
• The building envelope : the building has been sited with orientation and sun angles in mind . Extensive shading is used where required . All the fenestration is in accordance with the SANS requirements and low E Pilkington glazing is used throughout The roof is insulated with 100mm thickness of polystyrene .
• LED lighting is used throughout . All rooms , including the basement , are fitted with lighting sensors .
Use of Colour Coming from a generation of colourless Johannesburg buildings and an education that extolled the virtues of using “ natural ” materials , the architects never lose the opportunity to inject colour into their buildings . This is tricky . First of all , because the use of colour in buildings is complicated and launches into the field in which most architects have not been trained . Secondly there is also the possibility of client resistance to using bold colour . Some like it and some do not . What the architects have found , however , is that tenants , particularly if they are occupying the whole building or a major part of it , respond positively to the use of colour on the building and encourage the architects to include their corporate colours in the design . At
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