50 / 72
DECEMBER • 2016
Construction
WORLD
48
MULTICHOICE CITY
Grosskopff Lombart Huyberechts and Associates Architects were
commissioned to design a building for Multichoice that would
capture this spirit and become a landmark to the communication
and connectivity that Multichoice represents.
Situated on the corner of Republic Road and Bram Fischer
Drive in Randburg, this prime location called for a bold state-
ment building.
Connectivity for staff needed to be considered as Multi-
choice occupy a number of buildings in the immediate vicinity.
A tunnel under Bram Fischer Road and a pedestrian bridge over it
create a link that seamlessly tie the existing and extended
campus together.
Technology that addresses sustainability has been integrated
into all aspects of the building resulting in the project achieving a
5 Star Green Star SA Office Design V1 Certification.
The most prominent of the elements that contributed to this
rating are the pixelated glazed blind system on the front facade
that is automatically controlled by the movement of the sun and
the cutting edge ETFE (Ethylene tetrafluoroethylene) transparent
tensioned roof system that spans the multivolume atrium area.
Group Five were the main contractors on the construction of
MultiChoice. The 96 000 m
2
building with 60 000 m
2
basement
parking and plant rooms with 36 000 m
2
offices and atrium
space had the makings of all the challenges for a building to be
constructed in the required time.
The state-of-the-art services and multiple colourful finishes
required superb planning and management to complete the high
quality astatically building in time. Group Five was especially proud
of the safety record achieved of over a million incident free working
hours and thank all involved, with a special thanks to the people
who did the physical work on site. At peak periods there were over
950 men and women working on site.
The use of steel has played a vital role in emphasising the
filigree detail that completes the building. The front of the building
facing west on Bram Fischer Drive has a very large cantilever ‘peak
cap’ roof that cantilevers out towards the street. This roof has
been sculpted to ensure form follows function with a very elegant
narrow leading edge.
Entering the building the visitor is immediately greeted by a
grand volumetric atrium space with a wonderfully elegant tubular
strutted arch structure supporting air inflated ETFE cushions. The
strutted arch spans order of 24 metres and its form is ideal for
resisting the more dominant uplift wind forces of such a structure
whilst being quite slender in form as a result of the very light in
mass ETFE cushions.
The fabricator for the two roofs, Tass Engineering, participated
in many design workshops to resolve connections together and
cranage and access had to be carefully worked out so that the
atrium roof could be erected with cranes standing on the ground
floor slab below albeit with props by main contractor under
the outriggers.
The building layout faces predominately east-west due to the
natural orientation of the property, which added to the design
challenge. Besides the thermally efficient glazing chosen for the
facades and the deep overhangs of the roof which create much-
needed shading, integrated blinds which track the sun’s movement
were specified, to adapt the building to its environment and ensure
comfortable working environments within throughout the day.
Both greywater and rainwater harvesting systems are employed to
minimise the use of potable water for uses like toilet flushing and
garden irrigation. Practical specification of finishes including those
with low VOC emissions, local sourcing, and reduced resource
consumption such as low flow sanitary fittings , low energy use
bulbs on movement sensors, solar geysers and gas stoves, were all
brought to bear on the detailed design development of the building.
The HVAC system makes use of a thermal storage approach which
allows the manufacture of coolth at night by freezing thermal
storage balls – when loads are low and energy prices are reduced
– to use during the day to power the AC when the building is
actually at maximum demand.
Multichoice, South Africa's premium broadcast
provider, has recently extended its primary campus
in the Randburg CBD with a brand new facility
boasting a Green Building Council 5 Star Design
and As Built Certification.
• 5 Star Green Star SA Office Design v1 Certified Building
• 5 Star Green Star SA Office As Built v1 Certified Building
• Winner: Steel Awards 2015 – Architectural and Cladding Category
• Winner: Sapoa best corporate building 2016
Project information
• Company entering: GLH Architects
• Client: Multichoice/NMSCom Properties
• Start date: 2012
• End date: 2015
• Main contractor: Group Five
• Architect: GLH Architects
• Project manager: BTK Pretoria
• Consulting engineer: PURE Consulting
• Project value: R1-billion
Professional Services
C
Joint Winner
E
Highly Commended