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Site The site is located on the corners of Buitengracht , Hout and Breë Streets in the Cape Town city centre . It is a densely built up area and buildings surround the site very closely . Special care had to be taken in the demolition phase not to damage neighboring buildings . Some of the buildings next to and part of the site were Heritage buildings . The piling was a critical phase and special care in the form of monitoring and bracing had to be done to secure the Heritage buildings .
There were two existing buildings on the site - Beaufort House was not of great heritage value and was demolished to make way for the new building . The main reason for the demolition was the impractical column structure of the existing building that prevented it from being successfully integrated . The other building , known as The Jazz House , had value as a landmark Heritage building and was retained . This building was not part of the design brief , but formed a large part of the architect ’ s initial construction consideration , as it had to be secured . Major structural bracing had to be done to make sure it wasn ’ t damaged during the foundation phase of the project .
Architectural Features The two main architectural features are the striking white composite aluminium screen walls and the vertical green garden on Buitengracht Street .
The composite aluminium panels are functional as they enclose and ventilate the parking areas of the building . Where they have been used in front of windows on the West façade , they act as sun protection .
These panels are fully recyclable and designed for disassembly as part of the Green Building Credits . The screens also display the pattern of trees that reflect and provide hints as to the sustainable nature of the building . The same pattern is repeated in the planting of the green wall .
The Green wall was suggested and followed through as part of the improvement of the site ’ s ecological value , as no greenery existed on the site . This formed part of other green garden areas on the roof levels of the building .
The dark colour of the building allows it to merge itself well within the fabric of the city and buildings in close proximity . The dark walls set off the white screens that dominate the façades .
Sustainable HVAC A green building requires additional fresh air to increase the indoor air quality and reduce the effect of air born deceases . Due to this additional fresh air it increases the amount of air-conditioning required for the building . As airconditioning is a big contributor to the energy usage of the building the designers reduced
604 Electricity House