New Alexander Forbes headquarters opened in Sandton

Designed to accommodate 2500 people, there are currently about 2200 housed in the building and almost the entire staff turned out in the atria and auditoria to be welcomed by their CEO. Also on stage at the opening was Stuart Gibbs from Zenprop, the contractors; and Brian Wilkinson CEO of the Green Building Council of South Africa. Brian was there to confirm the accreditation of a four-star Green Star rating for the design of the building. The as-built confirmation will be completed in February 2013. This is the largest and most complex building by Paragon Architects and Paragon Interface, to be accorded this distinction. This lengthy and fairly complex procedure had commenced almost two years ago with the design of the building and was done in consultation with PJ Carew Consulting.

In his address to the staff, Kieswetter spoke of the pride of Alexander Forbes at moving into their new headquarters from the previously inefficient arrangement further up Rivonia Road. He revealed how the design of the new building reflected the values and attitudes of the company. These extended from the transparency that the company wishes to portray, which is reflected in the huge volumes of natural light and glazed layering.

Trust, which is a major component of the financial services industry, is extended throughout the design elements of the building revealing not only the mores the company wishes to convey to its clients, but also to enrich the lives of its employees. This is revealed in the architectural design and current developments in sustainable architecture, including reducing waste and recycling.

The major design elements of the project

Anthony Orelowitz, the director from Paragon Architects who led the project, described the major design elements of the project. These included the built response to a slight complicated north-west orientation, the efficiency of the floor plans, the variation of façade treatments according to orientation and the large attention paid to glazing and light control through scallops and atria.

Paul Carew from PJ Carew Consulting spoke of the early commitment of the client and the tenant to a four-star Green Star approach. This was vital to achieve the design, budgets and resolution of the critical elements needed to achieve this rating. The building is ground breaking in its approach to energy, water, waste and material usage. This will be monitored by 167 meters throughout its life cycle.

Paragon Architects is much emboldened by the experience, which will transfer into future projects as the standard approach rather than a green veneer.