The drum finds form in an outward- reaching elliptical building on the solid base of the auditorium below . The highly glazed first and second floors speak clearly of the transparency and openness of the Department and its work . The glazed drum is wrapped with a balcony that both enables wonderful views and shades the windows and a prominent mesh with an exceptional art piece providing further glare management .
The aesthetic of the drum mesh is taken through into the main building ’ s two northernmost wings on either side of the entrance , embracing the entire built form , and expressing the integration of all the Department ’ s staff and functions in one coherent and unified campus .
Tally Stone : Counting , Art , and History The tally stone is a striking piece of the cultural history of humankind . Dated to some 77,000 years old , the ochre stone was found in the Blombos
Cave in the Western Cape near Stilbaai in 2002 . Believed by some researchers to be a device for counting or recording information , the tally stone has been adopted by Stats SA as representative of their work in a contemporary context as an extension of a very old tradition .
The geometric patterns on the ochre stone are regular and clearly organised , leading some researchers to the conclusion , that more than decoration , the markings represent information , recorded and re-recorded over a period of time . The notion of the tally stone has been incorporated into the architectural solution as a key element of identity and expression . The bold graphical marks on the tally stone ’ s surface have been translated into a riveted beadwork design on the mesh wrapping the drum . These imperfect handwritten strokes are aptly represented by the pixellated beads which underline the importance of the personal mark of people on the landscape and
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