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PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT OF BANK OF MAURITIUS HOUSE AT CAMP DU ROI, PORT MATHURIN, RODRIGUES PROPOSAL AUTHORED BY ZAC ASSOCIATES LTD. MAURITIUS

Company Profile: https://issuu.com/zacassociates/docs/zac_company_profile CONTENT INTRODUCTION

PROJECT APPROACH – OUR INTEGRATED DESIGN PROCESS

DESIGN APPROACH AND STRATEGIES

ARCHITECTURAL CONSIDERATIONS

REFERENCE: INTERNATIONAL HOUSE OF SYDNEY G+6, BANGAROO, AUSTRALIA

INTRODUCTION Workplace design plays an integral role in maximizing the productivity of employees of any organization. Some argue that a workplace design that responds to the model of innovation and philosophy of the institution is the ultimate answer to leveraging the full potential of the employees. Others have proposed a more nuanced human-centric approach that uses human personality types and human well-being as the basic premises for designing the most effective workplace. While the latter focuses on the users and the former seem to be rooted in the organizational culture, the close-to-perfect solution to workplace design practices may ultimately be a hybrid of both of these approaches.

PROJECT APPROACH – OUR INTEGRATED DESIGN PROCESS The Integrated Design Process is a philosophy as much as it is a process. The IDP is an operating model offered by our company and concretized by a set of principles that underlie a successful integrated design – it integrates participants, systems, business structures and processes throughout the project, utilizing the synergy of common knowledge: •

A great collaboration

•

Effective and open communication

•

A well-defined scope, vision, and objectives

•

Innovation and synthesis

•

Systematic decision-making

•

An interactive process with feedback loops

Every participant is a part of the process from the initial stage, making it possible to optimize the results of the project as well as to maximize its efficiency at each stage of design and implementation.

DESIGN PROCESS AND WORKFLOW

DESIGN APPROACH AND STRATEGIES A workplace design strategy places these all-important aspects at the core of a design concept, so that all other decisions are motivated by these factors. It relies heavily on extensive evidence about these elements, so you get a design that fits your organisation like a glove, rather than one that employees are forced to “get used to” over time. It also takes into account where the company is headed, ensuring the design remains highly functional years after the installation. Workplace culture encapsulates many aspects of an organisation: its values and beliefs; its personality; its traditions; its behaviours and its attitudes. A strong and positive workplace culture is a key business driver because it helps attract and retain top talent, increase employee engagement and satisfaction, and improve performance.

Modern requirements of the workplace include spaces where the users are able to concentrate, collaborate, connect and re-energise. At the same time, the workplace has to act as a third space and be able to inspire the users.

AVAILABILITY OF MULTIPLE WORK SETTINGS

Highly-skilled people want more just a place to work. They need places to connect, grab a coffee, share ideas and escape to.

Agility is key. Just like in our homes, we need different

environments for different activities.

Teams need spaces where they can form organic,

temporary hubs for projects; spaces to co-work and collaborate. From our experience, today’s best offices are somewhere between a coffee lounge and stylish home. The deco, vibe and feel all matters. Different types of people work more effectively at different times of the day, especially those in creative roles. - Creating a workplace where the focus is on the output rather than hours spent in the office is a big factor in creating appeal, especially for high performing people trying to juggle childcare.

- Office Interiors, if designed well, can serve as powerful catalyst in driving innovation, influencing employees’ behaviour and leveraging maximum productivity. The contemporary discourse around office interiors and workplace design has seen an increased focus on certain aspects of workplace design pertaining to flexibility, informality, wellbeing, hierarchy, and technology, we aim to translate them as follows – - The amenities that have the greatest impact on happiness include fully stocked cafes, comfortable lounges and open areas with soft flooring where staff can stretch or take a break. The amenities chosen should reflect the company’s ethos and core values. For example, to foster a culture of collaboration, a lounge is essential for informal discussions and brainstorming – convenience and comfort will encourage more active teamwork.

- Flexible workspace design encourages employee engagement on a daily basis. Allowing staff to spend outside of their cubicles/ assigned desk-spaces and in zones better suits to specific tasks can improve mood and productivity. For example, if a File Representative needs to phone clients, he/she can move to a soundproof phone booth away from the chatter of co- workers. Without noise distractions, the task will be completed much faster. - To build specialized creative work zones, we will require to discover what the staff needs to be more successful. Do employees need more private space? Do managers and training teams need conference room outfitted with high-definition digital monitors? Does your café accommodate informal team brainstorming sessions? Each zone should be design with the employees’ task requirements and comfort in mind. - Supporting mobility through flexible workspace design will foster immediate creativity. Chairs and tale that include an embedded power source will prevent employees from having to find an outlet or return to their desk to charge their devices or if an employee comes up with an innovative idea while walking around the office, he/she can jot the note down on a mobile device or email the idea to a peer.

Increase employee satisfaction by addressing better workflow:

The layout of office space should respond directly to the workflow of occupants. The marketing and art department teams, for example, function much differently than the human resources and accounting teams, so their spaces should be conducive to their unique operations, needs and movements. An art department relies heavily on collaboration, so we imagine to design an open office space that is free of hurdles that might get in the way of productivity.

On the other hand designing individual HR offices off a long straight corridor will provide the necessary privacy for interviews and eliminate distractions during performance reviews. Furthermore, it is equally important to consider the ways in which materials and colours can improve workflow. While colour is most often used to enhance space aesthetics, it can also be used to complement wayfinding, identify teams, and even communicate unity and equity within an organisation.

Incorporate healthy, activity-based workstations. The most effective offices are

designed to meet a range of employee desires and physical needs. Therefore, a variety of workstations should be provided. Some employees require a simple desk and an ergonomic chair with ample back support in order to concentrate on their work, others prefer to stand while they work to improve circulation and avoid being sedentary. Modular chairs and ottomans will allow employees to stretch out during breaks. By accommodating various employee needs through flexible workstation design, we may foster good employee health and meet diversity initiatives.

WELLBEING

The health, safety, and comfort of employees in a high-performance office are of paramount concern. We intend to utilise strategies such as increased natural ventilation rates, the specification of non-toxic and low-polluting materials and systems, and indoor air quality monitoring.

- Natural light exposes us to vitamin D and helps with metal balance, light can be increased by lowering the wall to window ratios of offices and by avoiding deep floor plans. - Atriums are also a great way of introducing light and creating a focal centre. - Internal Green spaces/ walls are great spaces, they help to promote mindfulness and create good level of indoor air quality something that sound air filtration and natural ventilation strategies also support. - Workstations themselves have a huge impact on wellbeing and should be set-up in away that supports good postures and prevents strains - adjustable desk that enable people to stand are quite literally rising in popularity.

Our main objective is to design a building for the employees so that they can be productive, happy in their environment and be proud of where they work. It will be a place where employees can easily collaborate and innovate upon. We strongly believe that improving the quality of the work environment will positively affect the whole organization, the subsequent end product and the way customers are treated, overall attitude and ethics.

Incorporating biophilic design into the work environment.

Humans are innately

connected to nature, so it makes sense that employees perform better when working in spaces that feature views or even qualities of the outdoors. Incorporating biophilic design in office spaces can be fairly simple – it is possible to mimic the look of nature through colour choices and design elements such as, landscape murals, paintings or even photographs of nature and organic furniture design.

- Address better acoustics and lighting: Lighting and acoustics play vital roles in workspace design, as they set the mood for spaces and can improve employee concentration and productivity. It is difficult to read documents in a dimly lit room or concentrate on writing proposals while sitting next to a noisy printer. When designing workspaces, daylighting should be optimized to create a healthier and energy-efficient space. To improve the acoustics in a space, a balance between sound absorption and ambient noise will be required.

ACCESSIBILITY AND PROPER CIRCULATION

As a new build, we are going to ensure that the required standards

for

accessible

design —both scoping and technical—for the proposed facilities

readily

accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities. Some of the key elements are outlined below –

- Accessible parking, entrances and routes – Office buildings should have accessible parking, entrances, and accessible routes within the spaces that can accommodate persons with various disabilities, including wheelchairs. Office furniture should be placed a minimum of 80cm from walls and other obstructions to allow for smooth wheelchair passages. Allowance of 150cm clearance so wheelchairs can rotate and turn around corners. - Accessible countertops and workstations - Accommodating different employee needs through the use of standing and/or adjustable desks, and work surfaces and countertops that are modifiable. Desks should be 60cm -90cm high. Standard desks are usually 75cm high. Employees should not have to reach any higher than 120cm and no lower than 40cm.When an employee needs to reach to the side, items should be no higher than 140cm and no lower than 20cm. - Assistive technology – Planning will be done for employees with disabilities who require special assistive technology, as well as employees who use a large amount of technology that is not portable. - Toilet rooms and bathing spaces – Provision of accessible toilet rooms and bathing spaces as defined and required by the relevant Local and International standards.

RESILIENCE: FLEXIBILITY + ADAPTABILITY While the ability to adapt spaces for team working or business restructures is of course needed, at a more fundamental level, building in flexibility is key. Structural frames that create open space which can be easily divided-up or reconfigured with non-load bearing partitions extend the life of an office building and allow them to be easily expanded in the future, avoiding the need for demolition and further redevelopment. The office building design will easily and economically accommodate frequent renovation and alteration, sometimes referred to as "churn." Future modifications may be due to management reorganization, personnel shifts, changes in business models, or technological innovations, but the office infrastructure, interior systems, and furnishings must be up to the challenge. Use will be made of raised floors to allow for easy access to cabling and power distribution, as well as advanced air distribution capabilities to address individual occupant comfort. Other features will be incorporated such as plug-and-play floor boxes for power, data, voice and fibre, modular and harnessed wiring and buses, and conferencing hubs to allow for daily flexibility at work as well as future reorganization of office workstations.

FREE-STANDING MOVABLE WALLS

ARCHITECTURAL CONSIDERATIONS Apart from the functional and operational requirements discussed previously, there is also a need for the proposed building to insert in the local context with respect to the location, building orientation, spatial setting out, size whilst taking into consideration safety of premises and sustainable design approach.

LOCATION

The Site is at the corner of Rue Max Lucchesi and Rue Saint Paul, next to the Air Mauritius Office building. This region of the city has not seen any major development as from 2005 and

hence

the

proposed

project

may

very

impactful

terms

development/regeneration of the neighbourhood.

Natural physical entities on which views and vistas could be directed are the stadium in the South West, the river Camp du Roi to the West, the sea to the North and the Millennium Square to the North East. Glazing on the Eastern and Southern facades should not be a problem but those on the Northern and Western facades have to include shading devices to avoid overheating.

BUILDING ORIENTATION

Building orientation is a key aspect of the design. It will be conducive to creative a strong brand identity, providing scenic views from the interior spaces and helping the building to be more energy efficient and have low operating costs. As far as the building orientation and placement is concerned, side and rear setbacks to be as PPG requirements and street frontage to be aligned to existing neighbouring buildings. It is a strong intention to act along the street frontage so as the new BOM House building as a future culturally significant and historic landmark.

BUILDING GLAZING

Choosing the right glazing type is critical. Ultraviolet rays cause damage to furnishings and photos. Too much sun exposure may lead to skin cancer one day as well. Fortunately, there are ways to block the sun’s rays and keep everyone in the building and their belongings safer. In addition, the company saves money on energy expenses as it costs less to cool the building. Office furniture will last longer if protected from the sun’s harsh rays. The right glazing will also help in reducing external noise pollution, for instance noise coming from the roads.

SHADING DEVICES

Shading devices prevent the penetration of solar radiation into the building in summer, while allowing the needed solar gains in winter, which leads to a better thermal comfort with significant energy savings. Moreover, they play an important role in managing visual environment, protecting the openings from atmospheric agent, and providing a sculptured skin for buildings. These devices, if appropriately designed and selected, will decrease the need for artificial light, lower passive heat gains thus decreasing operations cost and increase building performance.

- A bioclimatic approach will also be adopted as it is an essential part in designing energy efficient buildings based on the local climate, with the aim of ensuring thermal comfort using environmental resources. Another aspect is the introduction of neo-vernacular architecture in the building architectural style so as to create an identity that locals can relate to. A reintroduction of colonial style louvres which will pivot is suggested as they can also be made using local materials and know how for example with the use of “bois de goyave de chine.”

COMMUNE WITH NATURE Since research shows that getting fresh air and natural light keeps employees healthier, many green buildings add a rooftop garden. A garden area, rooftop or otherwise, gives employees a place to get away from the stress of the workday and take in some sun and fresh air.

Utilize a rooftop garden to grow organic vegetables and share healthy food with employees who might otherwise not buy organic produce of their own. Businesses might cook a lunch using the fresh veggies or send bundles home with employees when the yield is more than is usable at work. Adding a rooftop garden also adds an element to a building that is unique. Not every business features a small garden area. Taking time away from a stressful environment to enjoy a bit of peace and quiet next to an outdoor pond or on a rooftop may be just what an employee needs to de-stress and face the rest of the workday.

ALTERNATIVE CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES

Sustainability is always expressed in terms of the endurance of systems and processes. The objective for ecological sustainability is sustainable development of the human habitat. A building is a designed intervention into the natural setting of the environment. With current global awareness of sustainability, it has become prime duty of an architect to be extremely sensitive towards the environment. In green building practice, both the structure and the processes need to be environmentally responsible, resource efficient, throughout the life cycle of the building. A conscious approach is to be maintained in the design and execution of a building, which will create a good harmony with the built and unbuilt environment.

One such emerging sustainable material is Cross Laminated Timber (CLT). Its main benefits are high strength, structural simplicity and is a cost-effective solution which has a lighter environmental footprint than concrete or steel. It also has a quicker installation time, offers reduced waste on site and possesses improved thermal performance. It also offers a greater design versatility.

The panels can function as walls, floors, furniture, ceilings, and roofs; CLT's thickness and length can be adaptable to the demands of each project. Generally, panels made of CLT are assembled and cut in their production, already foreseeing the joints, openings, and drills specified in the design. The parts are then transported to the site, and then assembly takes place there. Although the cost of the material is high, factors such as shorter construction time, greater quality control, and ease of cleaning can be taken into account when making this choice. Mass timber construction has many benefits from quick and quiet prefabricated installation to a lower carbon footprint when made from sustainably sourced wood. One other benefit of a product like CLT is its overall strength to weight ratio, making it lighter than many materials but structurally as strong (for example, one cubic meter of CLT weighs 400 kg and one cubic meter of reinforced concrete weighs 2.7 tons)