Project Details:
| Location |
- Midrand, Johannesburg |
| Role |
- Project Architect |
| Project Type |
- Office Building with Training Facilities |
| Commissioned |
- 2006 |
| Status |
- On hold pending feasibility study |
The brief entailed that the existing building be enlarged and dedicated entrances be provided for each brand as well as the provision for the technical training centre on the property. Further the building had to reflect the company’s automotive technology and corporate identity of each distinctive brand within the architectural language of the existing structure.
The design proposal was to add an addition floor to the existing building in steel construction and provide a dedicated separate entrance for Audi and a new building with a combined entrance to the Technical Training Centre and SEAT. The existing foyer entrance to the building would remain for the dual brands of Volkswagen and Volkswagen Commercial. The existing building would be re-clad in glass and steel utilising common and typical detailing associated with the various corporate identities of each brand. Natural elements such as timber louvers and vertical cladding together with landscaped roof gardens soften the building and balance the use of man made technology such as concrete, steel and glass.
Each entrance and foyer would be uniquely fitted out and the design of the entrance would reflect each brands key philosophy. The overall design is sophisticated yet understated and evokes the company’s technological superiority in the automotive industry and its environmental consciousness in the way it utilises natural resources.
