Key Challenges & Engineering Responses
TABS Passive Cooling & Heating: Implementing a Thermally Active Building System( TABS) was a major challenge. To ensure it functioned properly, the design had to carefully manage thermal mass, insulation, ventilation and service routing. The system drove several other design decisions.
Exposed Ceilings & Service Integration: To benefit TABS, ceilings were left exposed. The design had to balance aesthetics, visual coherence and organisation of services – electrical, HVAC and plumbing – ensuring these elements felt deliberate.
Limited Floor Coverings: Because TABS relies on thermal conductivity from the slab into the occupied zone, floor coverings had to be carefully selected. Thick carpets or highly insulating floors would impair efficiency, thus limiting material choices.
“ When we began, Cipla had no baseline identity across their global offices – each space looked and felt different. Through this 13-month design journey, we created more than just an office for the Cape Town headquarters; we established a design language. The golden thread we’ ve woven here will now guide
Cipla’ s facilities worldwide, connecting their heritage with a unified, forward-looking identity,” comments Reinhard Kretzen, Creative Director at Urban Spaces Interior Design.
Senior Interior Designer, Anton Jansen van Vuuren, elaborates,“ I believe in creating spaces that are practical, inspiring, and alive with possibility. I suppose I’ m a bit of a visionary— I live in the design long before the client becomes aware of it. And one thing’ s for sure: life is too short for cheap coffee and bad design.”
Outcome & Legacy The project was delivered on time and within budget. The client’ s enthusiastic response confirmed the design had succeeded in realising their vision. The Cipla headquarters now stands as a benchmark for future office interiors, merging brand identity, environmental performance and a rich employee experience.
By integrating heritage, identity, flexibility and sustainability, this office achieves more than aesthetics. It affirms architecture’ s power to shape environment, culture and performance in harmony.
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