Architect and Builder September/October 2015 | Page 48

The office component,
consists of four floors
with balconies and a roof
garden with endemic
plants and trees

endemic plants and trees. The office
component, consists of four floors with
balconies and a roof garden with endemic
plants and trees. We created an office
environment that would ensure every tenant
would have breath-taking panoramic views
from every corner of the building, including
a cityscape of Johannesburg to the South,
Sandton to the North, Bedfordview to the
East and the Magalies mountain range to

the West, creating the illusion of one being
part of the surrounding environment. As
Johannesburg has the biggest man made
forest in the world, why not make use of
the beautiful views?
Façade
The façade of the building, manufactured
by Seveme in Portugal, constitutes a
structurally glazed curtain wall system,
creating a flush glass surface by avoiding
the use of external cover caps. The glass is
bonded to the aluminium sub-frames. Those
are then fixed on the basic substructure
of the system and offer a solution for
combinations of fixed or opening panels in
both straight or facetted applications.
Sustainability
Due to the Client’s request for the building
to achieve a 5 Star Green Star SA Design
Certification, the following had to be
considered in the design of the building,
in addition to many other requirements
mentioned elsewhere in this article:
• a high performance double glazed façade
was required to ensure the comfort levels
of the tenants as well as facilitate low
energy output levels.
• glare and heat build-up due to direct
sunlight were to be restricted without
impacting on the visibility.
• the internal finishes, external lighting and
landscaping were designed to comply with
the relevant requirements.
• safe, easy-access cyc