18 Cell C Head Office

Transcription

1 PROJECT CELL C HEAD OFFICE Waterfall Park, Midrand DEVELOPERS Atterbury Property Holdings ARCHITECTS Bentel Associates International ARCHITECTS - WAREHOUSE Empowered Spaces QUANTITY SURVEYORS NWS Quantity Surveyors STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS L&S Consulting ELECTRICAL ENGINEERS Eksteen & Le Roux Consulting Electrical Engineers MECHANICAL ENGINEERS WSP Group (Mechanical) FIRE CONSULTANTS Specialised Fire Technology LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS Insite Landscape Architects ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTANTS Seaton Thomson & Associates MAIN CONTRACTOR Group 5 Cell C Head Office Cell C Head Office makes a highly visible statement and cements the company as a major mobile phone operator in South Africa PHOTOGRAPHY BY PHILIP MOSTERT PHOTOGRAPHY, INSITE LANDSCAPING, ATTERBURY (AERIALS) The brief was to consolidate Cell C s various operations into one cohesive and welldesigned campus, taking into account the excellent visibility, access and natural amenities that were inherent to the site. ARCHITECT S REPORT In designing the main office campus, the Architects, Bentel Associates International, made use of the natural slope on the site to create a platform that protrudes from the natural ground level. This places the building on a podium, giving it maximum exposure to the adjoining highway. The site was identified not only for its location, which is easily accessible to major highways and Gauteng s main business district, but for the natural wetland in the area. The wetland would be restored and incorporated as part of the Campus grounds. Cell C s new home in Midrand comprises 46,000m 2 of under cover space with 14,000m 2 planned for future development. 18 Cell C Head Office

2 Cell C Head Office 19

3 The brief was to consolidate Cell C s various operations into one cohesive and welldesigned campus taking into account the excellent visibility, access and natural amenities that were inherent to the site The campus includes 24,000m 2 of office space as well as a national network operations centre (NOC) data centre, customer walk in centre, call centre and Cell C retail shop. A distribution warehouse is also located on the campus. The contemporary design includes simple and bold elements, incorporating a play on texture with natural stone walls and glass façades, thus making maximum use of light and view. All elements were designed to be very sympathetic to the natural softness of the surrounding environment and landscape. The building s perimeter walling systems were constructed from a lightweight steel mesh which was installed without the use of bricks and mortar, and in less time than conventional methods. The officescape is understated and calming, with some lively punches of colour. The use of natural timber and timber look floor vinyl successfully mingle with the sophistication of the balance of finishes. An impressive four storey, 3 dimensional dark charcoal wall cladding and large scale pendant lights that illuminate the foyer space are dominant elements. The interiors draw inspiration from the site and landscaping, with shafts of natural 20 Cell C Head Office

4 The campus includes 24,000m 2 of office space as well as a national network operations centre (NOC) data centre, customer walk in centre, call centre and Cell C retail shop. A distribution warehouse is also located in the campus. light present at all faces thanks to three triple volume, glazed atriums within the building. Panoramic views of the landscaping from all offices and open plan workspaces unite the exterior with the interior, further enhancing the relaxed and productive atmosphere of the building. Cell C customers will be welcomed into the new walk-in centre. Alongside this, customers can drop into the light, fresh and contemporary coffee shop which overlooks the grasslands and enjoy a break with the feel of a surrounding Highveld countryside. Primarily for staff, but also available for customers, there is a restaurant with world class elements. Patrons can either sit in a relaxed contemporary interior, or go outside to the landscaped atriums surrounding the ground floor space. Added to this, there is a clinic located on the ground floor which is fully equipped, with ER trained personal in attendance. Completion took place in December 2013 and all the Cell C business units have moved in and settled into their new castle on the hill. It appeared to just grow out the ground overnight. were the comments received. As SITE PLAN 1 - Main Campus 2 - Warehouse 3 - Service Centre Cell C Head Office 21

5 22 Cell C Head Office

6 An impressive four storey, 3 dimensional dark charcoal wall cladding and large scale pendant lights that illuminate the foyer space are dominant elements the construction was planned on a fast track program, the complete professional team, contractors and suppliers all worked very hard and diligently together to pull this huge feat off within the time allocated within budget and to specification. Cell C presented a co-operative platform of their own skilled technical team, supporting the process along the way. All this made the project a very integrated seamless operation amid all the various players. ELECTRICAL ENGINEER S REPORT Although the building was not aiming to achieve Green Building Status, the brief to Eksteen & Le Roux Consulting Electrical Engineers was to use energy efficient lighting sources in the entire exterior parking areas and roadways, pedestrian walkways and interior common areas such as passages and toilets. To achieve this, extensive use was made of LED light sources. Special luminaires were designed for this purpose to accommodate the LED light sources and blend in with the design of the buildings. Approximately 1500 Low Brightness fluorescent lights and 800 LED down-lighters were used in the office block alone. Chilled water is distributed throughout the building via chilled water risers located within the air handling unit (AHU) plant rooms on each level. The fresh air is introduced into each mechanical plant-room by means of external weather louvres or ducted fresh air systems. Heating is by means of electric resistance type elements located in either the air handling units in the mechanical plant-rooms, within the fan coil units or terminal diffuser reheats. MECHANICAL ENGINEER S REPORT HVAC - OFFICE BUILDING The air conditioning for the office component of the development is by means of a series of air cooled chillers located on the rooftop plant area, generating the required chilled water. The chilled water is distributed to the terminal air handling units via of thermally insulated steel piping. Cell C Head Office 23

7 Panoramic views of the landscaping from all offices and open plan workspaces unite the exterior with the interior Toilet extraction is achieved by mechanical axial fans located in the rooftop plant area and sheet metal ducting from each toilet core. The relative humidity is not positively controlled but would be indirectly controlled within the comfort range as a result of the design and selection of the cooling plant. Chilled Water Generation & Distribution The series of air cooled chillers generate the required chilled water. The chillers utilise environmentally friendly refrigerants. The chilled water is distributed to the terminal air handling units by mechanical pumps and thermally insulated steel piping. The pump arrangement is duty-standby to ensure continuous operation during system maintenance. When required, the chilled water is distributed horizontally through the co-ordinated ceiling void to in ceiling mounted fan coil units serving dedicated spaces (cellular offices, boardrooms). Conditioned Air Distribution: Open Plan Spaces The open plan office space is conditioned by means of floor standing variable air volume (VAV) AHU s located in various mechanical plant rooms, located on each floor. The open plan areas are zoned, as necessary, to ensure optimal thermal comfort for the occupants. Conditioned air is supplied to the space by means of externally insulated sheet metal ducting and ceiling mounted diffusers (constant and variable volume type as required). Air is returned to the units via ceiling mounted ceiling curved blade return air grilles. The outdoor air (fresh air) is delivered to the space via external weather louvres located on the façade of the building within the mechanical plant room. Heating in winter will be by means of electric resistance elements located in the AHU s, FCU s and at the terminal diffusers as required. The AHU s maintain the desired internal conditions automatically. Conditioned Air Distribution: Cellular Offices and Boardrooms The cellular offices and boardrooms are conditioned by means of dedicated FCU s allowing full individual control to these spaces. These areas have been identified as requiring dedicated units due to their unique heat load profiles; this ensures optimal thermal comfort for the occupants within these areas. The outdoor air (fresh air) is delivered to each unit by means of uninsulated sheet metal 24 Cell C Head Office

8 Cell C Head Office 25

9 Cell C s new home in Midrand comprises of 46,000m 2 of under cover space with 14,000m 2 planned for future development ducting, mechanical fans and attenuators. The outdoor air supply equipment is located either within the nearest mechanical plant room on floor or within the ceiling void of the space. Toilet & Basement Ventilation The toilets are mechanically ventilated by means of ceiling mounted extract disc valves, uninsulated sheet metal ducting and axial fans located in the rooftop open air plant area. The basements are naturally ventilated with adequate openings, available and suitable. Stairwell & Lift Shaft Pressurization The escape stairs are pressurized in accordance with EN HVAC - CUSTOMER CARE & REPAIR CENTRE Air Conditioned Spaces These areas are served by a separate plant, comprising packaged, air cooled air conditioning units, situated in open plant areas. Conditioned air from each unit is supplied by means of externally insulated sheet metal ducting and distributed to the space through constant volume ceiling type diffusers. Re-circulated air is returned through grilles positioned at the rear of the space and shall be ducted back to the plant area. The required quantity of fresh air is introduced through louvres mounted on the sides of the return air ducts before they connect to the units. Heating in Winter is provided by means of electric resistance type heaters mounted in the units. The plants are automatically controlled to provide the required temperature conditions in Summer and Winter and shall be switched on and off automatically at the plant control. Toilet Ventilation The toilets are proposed to be mechanically ventilated by means of ceiling mounted extract disc valves, uninsulated sheet metal ducting and axial fans located in the rooftop open air plant area. Basement Ventilation The basements are mechanically ventilated by means of fans located in agreed positions extracting to atmosphere. These fans are dual purpose, providing everyday ventilation and smoke extract in fire conditions. They are operated by variable speed drives and carbon monoxide sensors, located throughout the basement. 26 Cell C Head Office

10 LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT S REPORT Cell C Campus design realm was split into three diverse legs, namely the inside site boundary landscape, the outside site boundary landscape and the wetland area. For Insite Landscaping Architects, each site had their own design challenges resulting in unique solutions, but still honouring a central design fabric that binds them together to form a collective unit. The Cell C brand was given centre stage in the landscape design. Elements like the custom designed furniture, innovative tree grids and planting patterns were extruded from the Cell C logo and interpreted into functioning Landscape Architecture. Sidewalk Area The landscape outside the site boundary compliments the rest of the design as well as creating a visually striking contrast with the manicured lawn areas. This contrast is further highlighted by being offset against the backdrop of natural grassy woodland. The soil shaping played an important role to assist drainage away from inside the site to the intended natural lawn swale along the roadway. Clusters of natural woodland were created with openings acting as preview windows to the Campus, and once fully grown this would also limit roadway noise in the Campus area. Another aim of the sidewalk area was to create low cost installation that will mature over time whilst keeping long term maintenance costs in mind. Main Campus The landscape area inside site boundary is functional, interesting, and innovative. Here the branding of Cell C becomes strongly evident in the design of the landscape furniture, where bollards were in the form of an extruded C, benches had a C profile, round planters were custom designed with a timber seating inlay to resemble a C. To include Cell C s black colour palette, some of these elements were designed to have a fusion of materials; for instance, the bollards and bins were custom concrete features combined with black steel to form striking elements. The overall landscape design was used to unify the three loose standing buildings as a singular campus. The main landscape intervention was to link the buildings with a striking central boulevard from north to south. Focus was placed on this boulevard by THIS SPREAD: Cell C Walk-in Centre Cell C Head Office 27

11 The Cell C brand was given centre stage in the landscape design. Elements like the custom designed furniture, innovative tree grids and planting patterns were extruded from the Cell C logo and interpreted into functioning Landscape Architecture. planting four rows of London plane trees along the edges. The central connector was further emphasized by projecting the pedestrian paving pattern across the roadways cutting through the boulevard. A great level difference across the site resulted in different podiums being created for each building. This allowed for innovative landscape solutions to render a serene, connected picture. At the entrance to the campus, neatly packed gabion structures were used to offset the big level difference on either side of the entrance road, and this created space to plant trees and shrubs next to the entrance to soften the retaining structures. All the retaining walls were planted with creeping groundcovers to green the walls. On request from the CEO of Cell C, Mr Alan Knot Graig, an impressive rose garden design was incorporated along the internal roads in the campus, to give explosive colour and fragrance. Apart from the London Plane trees and the Roses, most plant species that were used are indigenous and water wise. Courtyard Included in the Main Campus Office Building are three central courtyards. These courtyards provide ample break-away spaces for office workers during lunch hour. The courtyards were designed as striking patterned environments that are both visual and functional. Again, branding was a strong focus on the design of these courtyards, the custom concrete coping was done in two colours to allow a C shape to be seen on each of the circle planters from the offices above. Wetland The wetland landscaping serves the purpose of allowing people to enjoy the natural surroundings next to the campus development. Due to the fact that it is a pre-existing wetland area, the design and execution were governed by strict regulations regarding interventions and use of material. A permeable paving walkway meanders through the natural veldt area with benches along the way to give the opportunity to enjoy nature. The walkway leads to custom designed bridges as stream crossings, which had to be manufactured off-site and only assembled on-site to limit the impact of construction on the 28 Cell C Head Office

12 ADVERTISERS ON THIS PROJECT: Alania Building Systems High-performance façade cladding and related building systems Bentel Associates International Architects Eksteen & Le Roux Consulting Electrical Engineers Geustyn & Horak Glass & Aluminium Specialists Insite Landscape Architects Landscape Architects L & S Consulting Consulting Structural & Civil Engineers Norval Wentzel Steinberg Quantity Surveyors Ohlhorst & Partners Lightweight Building Solutions, Tiling and Plastering Contractor Specialised Fire Technology Fire Consultants WSP Group Africa Consulting Multi-Disciplinary Engineers natural area. Indigenous trees were planted in clusters to eventually create a green woodland backdrop to the campus and to integrate the campus placement on site. Focus was placed on the type of plant species to have an intermediate area between the wetland area and the campus landscape, thus allowing a natural flow from natural to sculptural. Exotic invader eradication is an ongoing exercise to leave the wetland in a better state than it was before. Conclusion Overall planting design was focused on the ability to create a visually striking landscape that functions really well with all requirements. Plant species were chosen not only for visual appeal but also for ease of maintenance and serving a specific purpose; for example the creeping groundcovers to green the retaining structures. The landscape installation happened in the midst of construction, thus allowing plants to have grown substantially by the time the campus was completed. By using interesting materials, functional planting design and innovative custom design elements, Insite Landscape Architects were able to successfully unify these three different areas into one successful landscape for Cell C Campus. Cell C Head Office 29