Architect and Builder Offices Retrospective | Page 51

light and transparent entrance hall from the harsh western sun . From this raised platform , a sweeping distant view towards the western horizon is just possible , before one enters the building from the south . A soaring , glass-enclosed vertical space has been cut through all floors of the existing structure , forming a narrow ‘ waist ’ at which one can see through the depth of the building ’ s floor plate on the lower floors .
The eye is drawn through the building to a narrow external garden between the main building and its northern annex . The northern annex pushes up to the northern and western boundary and fills up the site footprint to its maximum extent . The northern annex contains canteen and wellness functions , and formal meeting rooms accessible off the entrance lobby .
Above the jutting angular form of the northern annex rises the opaque greenish and white glass façade of the main building . The articulation is strongly horizontal and the entire glazed façade is detailed to appear as a separate plane from the main body of the building . The apparent mass of the wide office wings is broken down by careful articulation of the façade as a series of separate planes or layers .
The glass façades step down towards the western end of the main building to reveal a circular arrangement of slender steel columns holding up the prominent canopy roof .
Two floors of steel-framed office spaces have been added to the top of the structure , fundamentally changing the proportions of the body of the building . These floors are integrated into the façade design and do not appear as an addition to the original structure .
Conclusion The building has been substantially transformed as a piece of architecture , and given a much stronger urban presence and character . Internal circulation has been fundamentally reorganised . As a result of this reorganisation , the building represents a completely different , more robust and flexible letting solution and value proposition for the developer .
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