COVER FEATURE
thermal insulation as required by the position of the sun at various times of the day .
There are three double volume areas on the ground floor , two are reception atriums which are specifically for the use of the new corporate tenant and one which is for the retail spine . These double volume spaces allow for a vertical space creating a grand reception area and allow for ingress of natural light from the south .
“ As a financial services provider , Standard Bank is associated with stability , combined with a flexible modern approach . A major driver in our overall design of the façade was that the building should be clearly differentiated from surrounding buildings .”
Access to the site is off Baker Street , allowing staff , visitor and delivery access . Pedestrians visiting the corporate tenant gain access at two of their designated entrances , whereas the retail mall visitors gain access through the existing central spine . The new paved walkways around the building have been tailored with new foottraffic densities from the Gautrain Station to the Rosebank Mall in mind .
Sustainability As is common with most projects , it was imperative to create a building that was efficient in terms of water usage . Fernandes says that while it would have been is standard practice to plant living creepers , the decision was made to opt for EasyIvy . This product , created from moulded plastic , closely resembles real ivy from a distance and has been used to create visual green breaks in specific areas on the façade , such as the newly created galvanised steel fire escapes .
Water efficient initiatives have been implemented in the new
16 AFRICAN DESIGN MAGAZINE © | APRIL 2018