Construction World August 2018

Contemporary office development MDS Architecture has designed a contemporary office building on a prominent site along Rosebank’s busy Oxford Road for Ossero. With demolition of the existing building now complete, the earthworks, lateral support walls and piling has now commenced and is expected to be completed by the end of the year. The building’s final completion is anticipated by the end of November 2018. The rectangular site is located along the Gautrain servitude and is positioned between Oxford Road and 9 th Street, with the main access along 9 th Street. The L-shaped building offers 6 300 m 2 GLA and measures five storeys in height with four floors of basement parking. The top floor will comprise a clubhouse, gym and a landscaped roof garden. Chad Sampson, MDS Architecture’s partner in charge of the project, says, “The client wanted the building to have maximum exposure along Oxford Road, and to incorporate the views to the east. "Therefore the building’s west and eastern façades were designed using a high performance double glazing, as well as large vertical screen walls and light weight steel balconies, which act as deep sunscreens, to assist with the shading.” The building embraces natural materials such as fair face brickwork, steel, timber, concrete, living walls and black and white painted walls. Flush-jointed fair face brick is used as an architectural feature. Together with the steel and timber balconies and black exposed steel staircases, the building evokes a New York style loft aesthetic and a 'modern industrial chic' architectural language. There are four parking basements, with the first level jutting up above the ground, forming a green base on which the main building sits (the base will incorporate a vertical garden of screens and creepers). The lift lobbies will be enclosed by a continuous south facing glass curtain wall, allowing maximum natural light into the common areas. 

Professional team • Developer: Ossero • Main Contractor: Giuricich Bros Construction • Architect: MDS Architecture • Quantity Surveyor: Norval Wentzel Steinberg • Structural & Civil Engineer: L&S Consulting • Electrical Engineer: CKR Consulting Engineers • Mechanical Engineer: Graeme Page Consulting Engineers • Fire Consultants: Specialised Fire Technology (Pty) Ltd

and the Madiba Jive statue even made it to the front page of Time Magazine (19 April 2004). The first for such a dynamic project. One evening some months after the launch, Mandela Square was briefly closed and a car allowed to drive onto the Square. The back window opened and Madiba viewed the statue of himself. The next project is underway for a much smaller statue of 1 m so that those who are visually impaired can also appreciate the Madiba Jive statue, and can touch and feel the great man. 

Rob Newberry is a Registered Professional Construction Project Manager and Mentor. He has a management consultancy company, established in 1991, specialising in consultancy to both South African and international organisations in residential property development, residential, building and construction.

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CONSTRUCTION WORLD AUGUST 2018