The culture of the business needed to be assessed in order to design the space around the function and the people . With the final appearance dependent on the Business Units selected to occupy the building , an appearance and standard similar to that of the existing Bank City campus was required to be achieved .
Complexities of Design and Site
• 5-storey change in level from one corner of site to the opposite corner of the site
• Design has to withstand wind loads from its location on a ridge
• Views to be panoramic but have to be controlled in respect to heat build-up and glare
• Building to be timeless and yet contemporary allowing for most efficient use of space and having the ability to adapt to churn .
Office Space The core of the building is located centrally on each office floor . Multiple entrances to each floor allow for multi-tenancy if required . Basic Bank City principles apply with regard to enclosed meeting rooms being located around the core area , low-level screens centrally and the open plan environment placed closest to the windows . Primary circulation is generally located around the core and in each direction toward fire escape stairs .
Partitioning and Screening The partitioning type is demountable partitioning for ease of churn and saving time and costs in the long run . Any desk based screening was determined by and dependent on the furniture type that was used .
Restaurant A staff restaurant is located on the ground level . This is a fully fledged staff restaurant with ‘ meal of the day ’ facility . A Welcome Centre has been planned adjacent from the main entrance to the building .
There is a pedestrian entrance to the site from the corner of uMhlanga Rocks Drive and Kikembe Drive . Vehicular access to the basement is from Precinct Boulevard only .
The FNB building comprises rentable office space spread over six levels that will house 800 employees .
296 FNB Acacia House