>> B LU EPRINT

The scale of the office building is designed to foil the scale of the factory to appear as a singular form, utilising perforated and folded sun-control screens angled for optimum west sun protection, while internally promoting veiled visual connection to the landscaped exterior. The long façade is fragmented with randomly arranged, protruding, coloured ‘meeting boxes’, creating a whimsical rhythm and the identifying architectural feature. At the entrance to the offices, a large white angled portal leans outwards to provide protection and thermal shading to the reception atrium area. The design of the office interiors is based on the concept of the corporate ‘agile’ workspace environment, which delivers ‘staff focus’, ‘connect’ and ‘vitality’ spaces to create a dynamic, flexible and stimulating work environment. DESIGN DIFFERENTIATORS

An important architectural differentiator in this building is the use of bold colour, used in the highly serviced factory internally to differentiate functional spaces, and externally and on the office façade to convey the nature of the complex’s use. The curvilinear ends of the office form allude to the traditional printing conveyor process and the funky interior design promotes a staff-friendly

PRO J EC T #2 H I RT & CARTE R

Clockwise from top left: The two-level office components elegantly articulate the blank west façade of the factory.

environment within the setting of a factory context. Within the factory, the sophisticated digital printing equipment, being an impressive installation, called for extensive glazing panels to showcase technical capability to potential clients visiting the facility. All these elements, facilitated within strict cost-control parameters, serve to animate what would ordinarily be a mundane construct in a regular industrial park environment.

The perforated sun control screens promote veiled visual connections to the landscaped exterior. The funky interior design promotes a friendly staff environment.

WORKPLACE AND SUSTAINABILITY

The shared facilities and services provided in the complex induce a fundamental efficiency, and a reduction in energy and water consumption. These serve to yield an inherent sustainability through significant savings in production and rental costs. Outdoor spaces accessed from canteens, collaborative and meeting spaces, enhance the workplace experience, as do the vibrant interiors in both the offices and factory. Carefully planned spaces across the scheme, while delivering high population densities and excellent efficiency ratios, offer flexible, exciting work environments with significant growth and future change opportunities. The building provides a broad range of facilities and functions to accommodate a large population of various employees.

28 LEADINGARCHITECTURE & DESIGN AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2019

Through careful design and interrogation of all facets of the business, a fresh, contemporary and vibrant workplace is offered to all occupants. PROFESSIONAL TEAM ARCHITECT: Elphick Proome Architecture CONTRACTOR: Stefanutti Stocks Building KZN PROJECT MANAGER: Schoombie Hartmann QUANTITY SURVEYOR: Schoombie Hartmann STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS: Sutherland Engineers ELECTRICAL ENGINEERS: Rawlins Wales and Partners WET/ MECHANICAL ENGINEERS: Spoormaker and Partners SCREENS: HB Hampson Interiors INTERIOR DESIGNERS: NMC Interior Design FIRE CONSULTANTS: Redline Consulting Engineers