Construction World January 2016

Project information • Project start date: 13 May 2014 • Project end date: 11 February 2016 • Client: Rabie Property Group • Project team: Century City Square • Main contractor: Murray & Roberts Western Cape • Architect: Vivid Architects • Principal agent: Vivid Architects • Project manager: Rabie Property Group • Quantity surveyor: B&L • Consulting engineer: Aurecon • Project value: R664 078 524 (inclusive of VAT)

The glass clad The Apex with the conference centre in the background and the scaffold clad Century City Hotel and Matrix structures to the right.

the 125 room hotel and this forms an L-shaped footprint that is offset by the dramatically curved glass facades of the seven storey free- standing office building known as The Apex. Effective and efficient construction meth- odologies have been used to future proof the structures and ensure optimal response to climate, envelope and occupancy which varies daily and seasonally. The buildings share an overall environmental strategy that encom- passes transport, health, energy, water and waste. Aspects such as air quality, thermal comfort, adequate lighting and glare control, access to daylight and views, and sound levels have all been factored into the design which at the same time prioritises comfort, produc- tivity and health of the occupants. Furthermore, the site was previously built on and it is within the urban edge and there- fore assists in reducing urban sprawl. Looking in more detail at the conference centre, the ground floor houses conference halls, front and back of house areas and a coffee shop. On the first floor, adjacent to conference meeting rooms and pre assembly areas, is a 500 m 2 office suite while the second to fourth floors house office areas of 1 100 m 2 each (or 3 300 m 2 in total). The total office space provided by the conference centre is 3 800 m 2 . The Century City Hotel, which has five levels and will cater mainly for conference delegates, is linked to the L-shaped Matrix Building which will house showrooms, offices and apartments. The Matrix Building incor- porates traditional or ‘retro’ finishes in direct contrast to the more modern look of the Apex Building. There are manmade canals on two sides of Century City Square, and the

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Sections of the Conference Centre and The Apex will have canal frontage, the construction of which is illustrated above.

CONSTRUCTION WORLD JANUARY 2016