Architect and Builder Offices Retrospective | Page 268

prominent . Firstly the significant slope across the site . And secondly the sweeping curve of the southern boundary as it followed the street edge .
The architects aimed to use the steeply sloping site to create the impression of a building that emerged from the ground - rooted on the high side and floating on the low side . Of course , a floating building also needs to connect to the street if it is going to respond to its context and integrate itself into the City . In the end , this challenge turned into one of the great opportunities and attributes of the building , which was a grand staircase that linked an elevated ground-floor platform with a
falling site . The staircase not only merged the building with its surroundings but also ensured a healthy response to the street by blurring the lines between private and public space .
By placing the building on a podium it also resulted in a powerful presence for the building which further reinforced the brief to create a strong identity for the tenant . The sweeping curve of the southern boundary was used to create a feature that contrasted with what was viewed as an otherwise rectilinear building .
On the northern perimeter , the building follows the straight boundary line resulting in a
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