Construction World December 2022

true Af rican innovat ion in i ts detai l and construct ion. The double-skin façade, not only contributes to solar shading for the bui lding occupants , but also provides a f resh aesthet ic that i s on par wi th other commercial property assets on Al ice Lane. From the outs ide, the per forated facades seem sol id, however, f rom the ins ide the per forated aluminium screen has transparent opening views and bring defused l ight into the interiors . Bui lding informat ion model l ing (BIM) was the key pract ice to integrate des ign, manufacturing and construct ion processes to increase the level of transparency and internal operat ion among the profess ional teams and contractors .

3 ALICE LANE

Pre- fabricated components and advanced fabricat ion tools were used to bring the three-dimens ional façade to l i fe. Thi s refurbi shment embraces the energy of i ts context but starts to demonstrate the level of ski l l , technology, and des ign enthus iasm wi thin our archi tectural landscape and bui l t envi ronment . Cons i st ing of over 900 panels al l st i tched together l ike an Af rican qui l t , thi s double skin facade i s layered and introduces a three-dimens ional dynamic façade plain being the fi rst of i ts kind in the Sandton Central Di strict . The Archi tect took ordinar y materials and used such in an extraordinar y way. A secondar y double-skin façade adds a ‘wow’ factor to the des ign and what we deem as a giant piece of ‘Urban Art ’ infused in bui l t form. Wi th Johannesburg arguably being the largest man-made forest in the world, as part of des igning and conceptual i s ing the aesthet ic of the per forat ions , a concept of a forest tree canopy was adopted as a ‘natural algori thm’ that would define the per forated holes and create a giant-s i zed artwork that can be seen on the street- facing façade. 

T he development team sought to develop a concept that would not only cater for Bayport ’s requi rements but also would re-establ i sh 3 Al ice Lane wi thin the greater Al ice Lane precinct . The des ign was such that i t needed to provide a solut ion for the tenant to operate in the bui lding whi le under construct ion. The des ign solut ion was to use a uni t i sed facade system to be instal led on the exterior precast panels , wi th the old glaz ing being removed outs ide working hours when the tenant was not operat ing. The exi st ing façade of the bui lding had begun spal l ing and posed a safety ri sk . Compared to recent ly completed counterparts in the Sandton precinct , the bui lding had become dated in terms of i ts aesthet ic des ign and envi ronmental per formance. Uni t i sed facades were used which cons i st of pre- fabricated assembled uni ts that can be moved di rect ly f rom the factor y envi ronment to s i te for fast instal lat ion onto pre-prepared fixings , thus improving ef ficiencies and overal l qual i ty control on s i te. The end resul t being a per forated uni t i sed façade system, di st ingui shed by the use of a Gal tex vent i lated façade system. Thi s uni t i sed system i s made up of a high per formance, solar- reflect ive coated glass product that del ivers energy ef ficiency that exceeds the minimum regulator y requi rements . Wi th a combinat ion of bending and folding aluminium, thereaf ter the introduct ion of per forat ions of non- regular shapes that are not typical to s imi lar projects in South Af rica, the archi tects achieved what can be cons idered as a piece of ‘urban art ’. The complex per forat ion was achieved in col laborat ion wi th a Serbian col laborator. The patterns and angled planes of the facades were achieved by the Structural team wi th the use of digi tal tools . The final façade i s al ive wi th movement and appears vi sual ly di f ferent , depending f rom which angle you view i t . A tapestr y of

PROJECT INFORMATION

• Company entering: Arc MU:V • Client: Public Investment Corporation • Start date: 20 June 2019 • End date: 8 April 2021 • Main Contractors: Façade Solution and GVK Siya-Zama • Architect: Arc MU:V • Principal Agent: Arc MU:V • Project Manager: BVi • Quantity Surveyor: Equate Africa • Consulting Engineer: THS & Consultants

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21 st Best Project Awards 2022