African Design Magazine ADM #40 May 2018 | Page 23

GATEWAY WEST
Furthermore, hard and soft landscaping
played an integral role in marrying the
buildings with the Mall of Africa’s central
piazza.
Employing a high volume of glass
and aluminium in its façade, Gateway
West features a central triple-volume
internal atrium that provides abundant
The hard landscaping included the
development of a black granite
reflection pond which served two
purposes: as an area to eat, drink
and relax for tenants of the office
buildings and as a spillover area for
diners at the high-end restaurants on
the northern entrance to the Mall of
Africa.
The soft landscaping took the form of
moulded grass berms placed at the
base of the building. These berms not
only ground the building, with their
shape following the contours of the
building’s footprint, but also act as a
privacy screen for the office building’s
tenants.
The P-grade building was designed
for tenant flexibility with the ability to
house either one large single tenant
or a number of smaller-sized blue-chip
tenants in the three separate wings
contained within the ‘star-shaped’
footprint. As with most prime grade
buildings there was an additional
goal in terms of environmental
stewardship. The team pulled out all the
stops and has registered to receive a
Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design (LEED) Gold Star rating.
Bold statement
The building contains seven office
levels above ground and four basement
parking levels, with four lifts serving all
floors.
light for its occupants while creating
a comfortable sense of space and
marrying the building’s three wings.
“Not only is the building highly functional,
but its artistic form and structure are
extremely sculptural. We achieved this
by employing sweeping curves in the
façades and dramatic cantilevers in the
structure,” says Chandler.
AFRICAN DESIGN MAGAZINE © | MAY 2018
23