Primedia Head Office, Sandton
REFURBISHMENT AWARD
Located in the heart of the commercial district of Sandton, the redevelopment of 15 Fredman Drive into new offices for Primedia has taken a fresh approach to the refurbishment of existing office buildings, with an exciting design juxtaposing the old with the new.
The building had been vacant for quite some time and had become difficult to let due to very narrow floor plates, limited parking and its dated aesthetic. The architects were tasked with coming up with a design that resolved the main difficulties related to the current iteration of the building and met the requirements of the new tenant, Primedia. The primary design approach was to make the building more functional, which entailed redesigning the building’ s narrow and disconnected floor plates. The existing floor plates made up a disjointed H shape and none of these connected with each other.
The floor plates were very narrow and in addition there were two courtyards that isolated various components of the buildings and separated them off from each other. In order to counteract this problem the courtyards were converted into internal atria, connecting the edges of those courtyards with wide, usable bridges. The floor plates were opened up to look into those simple atria and build a connection between the very disparate parts of the building that weren’ t functional. In order to maximise the floor space for the new tenant some of the floor plates were extended, creating more depth and practical space.
An additional clerestory floor was added onto the roof using light-weight steel construction. The new floor has created a wonderfully light studio space that brings in plenty of light from the south. The design and materials of the new floor add an industrial aesthetic to the building, which is carried through in the interiors.
Developer: Zenprop Property Holdings Tenant: Primedia Project Manager: Morta Project Management Tenant Project Manager: Baseline Project Management Architect: Paragon Architects Quantity Surveyor: Schoombie Hartmann Structural Engineers: Sotiralis Consulting Engineers Electrical Engineers: Claassen Auret Inc Mechanical Engineers: Graeme Page Consulting Engineers Wet Services: Wills Franklin Pretorius Fire Engineers: LDS Fire Consulting Sustainability Consultants: Zutari Interior Designer: Paragon Interface Kitchen Consultant: KDH Catering Design Concepts Studio Specialists: Mtshali Moss Projects Africa Main Contractor: WBHO Construction
112 SAPOA Awards