PROJECT INFORMATION
• Company entering: Boogertman + Partners Architects • Client: WBHO Construction • Start date: January 2019 • End date: March 2023 • Main Contractor: WBHO Construction • Architect: Boogertman + Partners Architects
• Project Manager: WBHO • Quantity Surveyor: AECOM • Consulting Engineer: Pure
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, LAND REFORM AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT
E very aspect of the building design down to the smallest detail takes human scale into consideration and forms part of the design approach and philosophy. Extensive landscaping further reduces the scale of the buildings and improves human interaction in the spaces created in and around the buildings. The building prominence in its context places an added responsibly to creating a welcoming and inviting form and space to the public. This is achieved by extensive landscape measures and where necessary introducing berms up to the structure. These berms reduce the visual impact and scale of the building when experienced from the public realm. Great care has been taken to promote pedestrian movement throughout the site and building by creating stimulating pedestrian spaces and walkways. The link between the heritage components and the new building will be exclusively for pedestrian use. A public drop-off space has been proposed off Lilian Ngoyi Street along the egress road from the podium. This space will be framed by a formal ‘entrance’ to the new public realm. This will allow for users to be bussed/taxied to the department and contact directly to the structure’s public interface. Furthermore a landscaped public ‘piazza’ is proposed on top of the podium which integrates to the street/pedestrian edge and draws users to the central entrance. The purpose of the design is to create a visual landmark for the city. The architectural language creates a powerful statement that acts as an aesthetic manifestation of the department’s purpose as a narrative gateway to the city. Through the combination of a unique architectural language, fundamental principles of responsible design, hierarchical entrance building and prominent public spaces, the new
structure and its ‘reformed’ surrounds help in the creation of a functional, meaningful landmark building. The above mentioned free-form shapes contribute to the landmark quality of the building and also reflects the importance of the building on an urban scale. It is envisaged that this new public realm will be appropriated as a gathering and reflective space. The connection from the podium to the bermed landscape provides a functional outdoor spill-out space. Users of the building are provided with a wealth of different external break-away and interactive spaces that provide tangible and intangible links to the historic nature and purpose of the site. The goal is to create a series of connecting building clusters, rather than creating a single large structure. This enables the designers to maximise the north–south orientation of the buildings and to optimise the depth of the office wings to enable easy access to natural light. The building design has been based on creating the highest quality of working environments, by ensuring that every person has direct access to natural light. Each block has shared service cores (vertical circulation and ablution facilities) connected through the structures span by a shared corridor across each level. This enables each block access to five ablution cores across the internal length which will improve access opportunity and movement efficiency. The building design has been developed with the goal of creating a built environment that is honest in communicating its function. By using forms that have been determined by their functionality and materials, textures and colours that are as close to the natural environment as possible, conveys a strong message of integrity to all who view this building.
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21 st Best Project Awards 2022
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