Construction World December 2021

ARCHITECTS

the 3D BIM technology f rom the latter to coordinate and test various shapes and plans for the former against the exi st ing Sasol basement wal l . In the test fix exerci se, the bui lding was pul led away f rom the Sasol basement to al low l ight into the south and east of fice areas . The addi t ion of ful l -height black windows and undulat ing balconies were strategical ly planned when cons idering the fi re-break regulat ions in relat ion to Sasol . Thi s resul ted in the unique shape and rhythm you see now. The undulat ing geometr y created between the levels of the bui ld also al lowed for private courtyards in unexpected areas . These courtyards included water features , recessed seat ing and sof t surrounding landscaping, which adds a cool , quiet and shaded atmosphere outs ide of a busy, loud and hot urban envi ronment . Sasol ’s wal l i s clad in a natural black slate t i le. Therefore, we opted for a contrast ing whi te smooth grani te t i le fini sh that would of fset Sasol ’s basement façade. The whi te marble wal ls and strong undulat ing geometric des ign of 52 Katherine Street contrasts strongly against the dark grey, organical ly-shaped slate-t i led Sasol head of fice, which give i t i ts own ident i ty and presence outs ide of the Sasol precinct . The façade cons i sts of strong hori zontal and vert ical elements made up of ful l -vi s ion, dark , low-emi ss ivi ty windows and sol id whi te cladded ceramic t i led wal ls . The façade sol id to vi s ion rat io was art iculated to al low l ight and views to fi l ter into ever y of fice module. The undulat ing nature of the des ign creates balconies towards the north and east façade, providing spectacular views over Sandton. The bui lding des ign maximi ses the coverage of the ent i re s i te. I ts proximi ty to the Sasol head of fice presented des ign chal lenges relat ing to fi re des ign and compl iance. The whole of the south and west bui lding façade faces onto the Sasol basement façade, where special fi reproof Pyron glass had to be introduced for of fice planning along that façade so as to receive natural l ight . Whi le 52 Katherine Street may look l ike a s imple bui lding, i t i s in fact ver y compl icated in i ts inter face detai l ing regarding the use of glass , aluminium, steel , brickwork and ceramic t i l ing. Rather than us ing the tradi t ional special i sed cladding and uni t i sed systems for the facade, Paragon Archi tects opted for a more tradi t ional masonr y façade construct ion made up f rom pos i t ively fixed t i les and steel channels to reduce construct ion costs . The scale of the bui lding was per fect ly sui table for thi s type of construct ion, al though managing such large- format t i les on scaf folding did prove a chal lenge. Environmental Impact Consideration The bui lding i s not Green Star rated. However, as good pract ice, some key strategies were accommodated:

Indoor envi ronmental qual i ty: The unique window arrangement i s purposeful ly planned in a rat io that al lows natural dayl ight into ever y of fice module arrangement . The windows have a low- emi ss ivi ty coat ing to improve solar control and thermal insulat ion, wi thout sacri ficing too much natural l ight . More than 60% of the of fices have a di rect l ine of s ight to the outdoor envi ronment . Low-VOC materials were speci fied in the interior components of the bui lding. Transport : The parking bays do not exceed local planning requi rements . The project i s located central ly to the Sandton hub, which promotes the use of publ ic transport , especial ly wi th i t being in walking di stance of the Gautrain. 52 Katherine Street was a unique project for. I t showed the archi tect that no matter how smal l or di f ficul t a s i te may seem, even a narrow taxi rank on a seemingly unusable, t ight s i te can be made into an income-generat ing asset . The project has establ i shed a relat ionship between the developer and the local municipal i ty, due to thei r

RLB Pentad was responsible for the full scope quantity surveying and cost consultancy services on 52 Katherine Street, Sandton.

Rider Levett Bucknall (ZA) (Pty) Ltd t/a RLB Pentad Quantity Surveyors | T: +27 (0)12 348 1040 | W: www.rlb.com

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72 20 th Best Project Awards 2021