The building ’ s vertical circulation , a contemporary glass-clad lift and stair core , was primarily relocated from inside the building to the sunken courtyard - outside the footprint of the heritage building . The significance of relocating the circulation is that it again acts as a ‘ stitching device ’, which provided the required floor space within the main building footprint and the opportunity for an open-plan layout with a potential split tenant .
This maximised the usability and quality of the rentable office area without detracting value from the historic building .
Overall , the modernist and minimalist aesthetic of the new addition is juxtaposed against the ornate detailing of the original masonry building . This allows a new tectonic extension to celebrate rather than dominate the historic stereotomic building below .
704 32 on Kloof