Architect and Builder September/October 2015 | Page 68

INTERIOR FEATURE

TOTAL
SOUTH AFRICA
INTERIOR DESIGN: PARAGON INTERIORS

T

IMAGES: RIKKI HIBBERT, PARAGON INTERIORS

otal South Africa is an oil and petroleum company founded in
South Africa in 1954. The head office is located at Total House,
3 Biermann Avenue Rosebank, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Objectives
The building was to be renovated, re-vamped, re-designed and meet
the requirements of the new building regulations, with the focus on
safety. The size of the floorplates in the existing building was to be
increased by 1,000m2 to accommodate increasing staff numbers
and to allow for future growth.
The new head office was to reflect the global corporate identity
of Total while at the same time remaining local and African. A new
corporate identity for Total Africa was recently developed and this
is portrayed through the interiors of the office space in Rosebank.
A 4 Star Green rating is being applied for both the design and
construction of the final building.
Architectural Changes
For the new façade, Axient Architects used a unitised façade system
which was fitted to the outside of the existing concrete structure.
This not only met the new SANS 10-400-XA energy efficiency
regulations but also added additional floor area around the perimeter.
A fully automated blind system was installed, which adjusts as the
sun moves during the day.

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The design of a new central core in the middle of the building,
stretching from the lower basement right up to the mezzanine level,
incorporated a new central staircase and lift. On either side of this,
the use of escalators from ground to first and first to mezzanine
levels was implemented.
The extension of the mezzanine level within the existing skeleton
of the building was made possible by the engineers at BSM Baker
providing the additional 1,000m² of office space the client required.
This also incorporated the necessity to re-design the roof truss
structure to provide more head height in a specific grid area.
The original entrance to the building was located on the East side.
This was problematic in that the space was not efficiently used as
it faced a taxi rank. The idea to move it to the North made sense in
a number of ways. A double volume area already existed and since
the sun was at its harshest in this area it made staff seating in this
area impractical.
The two existing atrium areas were reduced from 12 x 24m to
12 x 12m. A joint effort between the architect, engineer and interior
designers brought about the innovative, cantilevered meeting rooms
that now fill these voids.
As part of the brief, the professional team needed to meet the
Green Building Council of South Africa’s specifications in order to
achieve a 4 star rating. Various systems were put in place to achieve
this, from rain water harvesting to VOC free carpets.

Total South Africa