African Design Magazine Africa's Top 10 Projects of 2015 | Page 14

entrance to the offices and commercial area.
A pair of escalators directly join the public
space and the two floors of the underground
car park. Even the underground floors are
configured considering the typography to
the site and present technical solutions for
structural earthquake resistant.
The building envelope is the key element
that demonstrates the integration between
form, structure and environmental
strategies. The building, which is compact
in form, contains within it a large hall the
function of which is to provide lighting
and to facilitate natural ventilation of the
interiors.

Variation of depth of the shafts determines
the configuration of three office types:
maxi, midi and mini. A defining element of
the building is the movement generated
by the projecting terraces, which gradually
recede as they rise, floor by floor. These
section variations enable increased
flexibility in configuring the environments in
accordance with the varying requirements of
prospective tenants.
A further defining element consists in the
reinforced concrete structure, the inclined
piers of which confer greater rigidity upon
the building and the overhangs, while also
featuring as a decorative motif for the front.
One Airport Square is the first building
in Ghana to have been awarded 4-Stars
(Design Stage) by the Green Building Council
of South Africa (GBCSA). The project was
designed based on a detailed analysis of
the site, the topographical and optimal
orientation to become a point of reference
and example for the new generation of
office buildings in West Africa. At this
latitude, the sun’s path makes it particularly
exposed to solar radiation fronts east and
west. This, combined with medium to high
temperatures present during the entire
course of the year, made it necessary to
adopt strategies to reduce the need to cool
the building.
The plant is based on a principle of
distribution of the fresh air conveyed in the
floating floor which reaches in a uniform