PROJECTS BoE Head Office Founded in in the early nineteenth century, BoE, the specialist financial banking company, moved into their new corporate head office, constructed on top of the parking podium in the Clock Tower Precinct

BoE HEAD OFFICE n order to finance construction on a and IT hub on the Foreshore. Just as the V & A Waterfront, Cape Town virtually water-locked site, as well as Waterfront is extending infrastructure I extremely expensive infrastructure and into the CBD, in the form of the Roggebaai Client provision of public and civic space, initial Canal, so it was considered appropriate V & A Waterfront Company studies resulted in the maximising of that the CBD manifest itself at the Tenant available bulk. BoE is thus a 25,000m2 Waterfront in the form of BoE as a BoE building on a relatively tight site. major City building. Architects Though still dwarfed by the adjacent Future plans for the V&A Waterfront Louis Karol Architects grain silos, great effort was made to break include the development of buildings (more G Fagan Architects (Battery Restoration) down the mass of the new building by ‘city’-like than ‘waterfront’-type) along the Project Managers dividing it into three independent and self- Roggebaai Canal so that ultimately the two Clock Tower Project Managers: sufficient units (each with its own atrium), areas are completely linked. SIP Project Managers; Proman capable of being let separately should the BoE is integrated into the greater Clock HNV (Paulaner) need ever arise. These divisions, expressed Tower Precinct, which was set out to a Quantity Surveyors on the façade through the implementation master-plan by Mike Smuts Architects & McIntosh Latilla Carrier & Laing of setbacks and balconies, serve to Urban Planners. Ngewu & Associates drastically reduce the scale and impact that 2 STRUCTURE Consulting Engineers: 25,000m of office space would otherwise have had on the Clock Tower Precinct. BoE at the Waterfront is a simple, repetitive, Structural rational structure comprising plinth, colon- Partnership de Villiers URBAN PLANNING nade and crown, adorned minimally at Electrical The BoE site is a major point of celebrated entrances and junctions - where M2C Consulting Engineers convergance in the meeting of the modern, stripped-down, classical details HVAC V&A Waterfront with the City’s financial act as carefully-calculated visual cues. Basil Nair & Associates Geotechnical Knight Hall Hendry Facilities Planning Spatial Concepts Plumbing & Drainage Executive Plumbing Fire Protection Services Bramley & Associates Acoustics Jongens Keet Land Surveyor Gavin Lloyd Associates Archaeological Investigation Main Contractor Murray & Roberts Photography Fiona Barclay Keating David Southward

Facing Page: The BoE building viewed from the water with the silos in the background

48 ARCHITECT & BUILDER January/February 2002 BOE AT THE V&A WATERFRONT

But within the constraints of this WESTERN FAÇADE vernacular, the three main façades adapt to The longest side of the building relates their immediate, respective contexts. strongly to the City, in terms of bulk, views and signage. Here massing is most EASTERN FAÇADE apparent, with breaks in the façade created The entrance elevation adapts itself to the by balconies which offer panoramic views condition of the public square on which it of the City and . is situated, a generous civic space lined by Signage, which is restrained on BoE’s wide colonnade, culminating in the other parts of the building, is appro- grand spatial gesture of the entrance priately rendered at its largest and portico. The portico embraces the square brightest in blue neon on the building’s and serves to set up an appropriate spatial City façade, visible from the Foreshore - as geometry for the insertion of the bronze it was of utmost importance to BoE Above: The entrance portico statue of the Lady of BoE, a replica of the that the brand continues to have a with the statue of the Lady of BoE figure which adorned the company’s visible presence in the City’s financial in the foreground original, listed premises on . and IT centre. Three levels of parking were required so with least bulk impact. Even more fitting as to serve not only BoE, but the entire is that this side is the major interface Clock Tower Precinct as a whole - which between private and public, as the could have resulted in a blank edge on the building’s façade is broken open to the quayside. In order to mediate between the Chavonnes Battery Ruins, which has parking level and the quayside, fishermen’s become a major public space. Here visitors lockers were built into what would can view the ruins and actually enter the otherwise have been a blank plinth - a civic museum dedicated to them. gesture providing a badly-needed facility The staff canteen, BoE auditoria, and creating interest and activity on a executive boardrooms and dining rooms marginal edge. are all deliberately situated at this end of the building so as to provide BoE directors NORTHERN FAÇADE and staff with an opportunity to engage The side most visible from and within with the Waterfront - contrary to traditional Above: BoE building viewed from the the context of the V&A Waterfront is most office buildings which tend to cloister Waterfront highlighting the magnificent appropriately the short end of the building workers from the outside world. views available to the tenants MATERIALS alternative to ordinary galvanised steel. Crafted from huge panels of Kalahari Glazing is tinted bronze for air- granite, the building takes cues from the conditioning energy-efficiency, to minimise robust granite architecture of banks and computer-screen glare as well as to mining houses. Black granite was used to complement the granite. detail the base and plinth. Setbacks are Facing Page: Black recessed detailed in pink Giallo California granite to SPACE granite strips (75mm wide) are evident articulate the Kalahari granite façade. Clean, open, air-conditioned office floors in the Kalahari Sand columns along Windows and exterior doors are are broken up by balconies and atria - with the colonnade aluminium-framed for durability in the harsh detailing and resources concentrated on Below: Views of the attention harbour environment and are coloured foyers, lobbies, lifts and restrooms - serving to detail - light granite canopy and bronze/warm grey to complement the to create a desirable environment for all window canopy below as well as granite, while façade detailing in stainless levels of staff, inside a building which will bull-nosed edgings steel made a sparkling and hard-wearing deliver high returns for many years to come.

52 ARCHITECT & BUILDER January/February 2002 BOE AT THE V&A WATERFRONT

ELECTRICAL ENGINEERS REPORT The electrical engineering design included the BoE corporate office block and the restoration of the historic Chavonnes Battery. The specific requirements from the client were to provide a stable and guaranteed primary power supply to the building. This was achieved by power supplied from 2x 1,600kVA transformers and a 1MVA standby generator. Further security of supply was provided by the introduction of redundancy on the feeders to the 2 x 100kVA and 1 x 60kVA UPS units used for back-up power to the computer room and BoE upper level office floors. On-line monitoring of the transformers, standby generator and UPS units is carried out by the Building Management System. The electrical installation was designed INTERIORS to provide a flexible lighting and small LKA undertook the design of the main power system within the deep open plan public areas, namely the entrance foyer and office areas via a reticulation network within the area around the auditoria. Spatial the ceiling voids. Concepts handled the private areas and The structured data cabling network office spaces. was designed to accommodate data and As a gesture in recognition of its telephony, and/or voice over IP, throughout 19th-century, Adderley Street origins, the open plan offices. BoE were keen to promote a traditional, The introduction of “mellow light” leather-bound, yet spacious, English luminaires, utilising the two piece involute drawing-room environment. reflector, created a comfortable uniform

Facing Page: Views of the entrance foyer

Above: Main reception desk in the entrance foyer

Right: Views of staff canteen and boardroom showing keen attention to detail

54 ARCHITECT & BUILDER January/February 2002 BOE AT THE V&A WATERFRONT lighting environment throughout the open plan office areas. Public areas were illuminated using a mixture of 50W low voltage and metal halide downlighters, as well as neon lighting within narrow ceiling coves. The security system, which included CCTV monitoring and vehicle and pedestrian access control, was designed with continuous involvement from the client and operator during the design and construction stage of the project. The building also includes a full fire detection and evacuation system, which has been integrated with the air- conditioning system. All the BoE open plan office areas have been provided with sound reinforcement and provision for MATV points. Specific vertical elements along the perimeter of the building were accented with narrow beam metal halide uplighters. At ground floor level, a combination of metal halide and high-pressure sodium decorative bulkheads and floodlights provide a pleasant ambience.

CHAVONNES BATTERY RUINS As construction commenced, the designed form of the new building had to adapt to accommodate the archaeological ruins of the old Chavonnes Battery, a Cape Dutch

BOE AT THE V&A WATERFRONT January/February 2002 ARCHITECT & BUILDER 55 KEY TO PLAN 1 Auditorium 2 Entrance to Chavonnes Battery 3 Exhibition 4 Chavonnes Battery Ruins 5 Restored Area of Chavonnes Battery 6 6 Clock Tower Square 7 Parking 8 Main Entrance 2 9 Main Entrance Foyer 10 Auditorium Lobby & Bar 1 7 7 11 Double Volume over Chavonnes Battery 12 BoE Meeting / Consulting Rooms 13 Foyer to Sublet 5 14 Sublet Tenacy 3 15 Lifts 4 16 Lift to Parking 17 Offices 18 Toilets 19 Atrium 20 “Cape Experience” Viewing Platform 21 Atrium Roof 22 Services PARKING - LEVEL 1

8 DESIGN STUDY OF CENTRAL BAY

16 1 13

15 Ground Floor 10 9 14

11

12

First Floor

GROUND FLOOR

Typical Floor 18 18 17 17

19 1915 19

17 18 18 5th Floor

TYPICAL FLOOR

20

22 2122 21 21

20

View to View to Table Mountain and City SIXTH FLOOR

56 ARCHITECT & BUILDER January/February 2002 BOE AT THE V&A WATERFRONT This Page: Views of the historic Chavonnes Battery, now open to the public PETER VAN NIEKERK military installation which was beginning to brought in by Louis Karol to handle the emerge from the excavations. The new restoration work at the Chavonnes Battery. structure had to ‘step over’ the existing ruins, as it became patently clear that they THE CAPE EXPERIENCE sat directly underneath the BoE building. It was decided early on that the ruins BoE and the V&A were quick to would be opened to the public as well as appreciate the value of the ‘new’ ruins and a view-lift leading from the ruins to a public the gravitas they can bring to a commercial observation deck on the roof of the office development. Appreciating the building. The lift would be expressed on the sensitivity of the ruins, Gawie Fagan was western façade.

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