>> B LU EPRINT The distinctive pinstripe or barcode-inspired pattern on the façade of 15 Chaplin in Illovo, Johannesburg, is married with a faceted, crystalline section, representing at once the multifacteted nature of the city and its modern, progressive commercial life. The fence has been pushed back onto the face of the building, broadening the sidewalk and contributing to the quality of the public space on the busy intersection around the building.
Crystal class The combination of pin-striped and multifaceted façades makes 15 Chaplin – an office development on the corner of Oxford and Chaplin Road in Illovo, Johannesburg, by LYT Architects – reflect the multifaceted nature of business and society in Johannesburg. PHOTOGRAPHY WARREN STANLEY
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5 Chaplin went through a number of design iterations through its decade-long gestation before it finally rose on the corner of Oxford and Chaplin Roads in Illovo, Johannesburg. Architect Kim Fairbairn explains that his earliest versions drew on a narrative based on the history of the pinstripe suit. Tracing its relationship through the generations, and the prevalence
of the classic business suit both in South Africa and abroad, he eventually arrived at a façade pattered something like a barcode as a symbol of commerce. “The entire façade was covered in a barcode stripe,” says Fairbairn. When the project finally went ahead, the design was adjusted and updated. “I looked at the nature of what Joburg was portraying at the time and created a faceted façade,”
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says Fairbairn. This new approach was designed to “encapsulate the multifaceted nature of business and society in Johannesburg”, he says, “which is also a reflection of its vibrancy.” This new faceted façade was married with aspects of the pinstripe scheme, representing the city’s history, while at the same time referring to the modern, progressive nature of business in
the city now. The front door, taking the form of a slash, represents a metaphorical juncture between the old scheme and the new. “Those angles haven’t been seen since Helmut Jahn’s Diamond Building on Diagonal Street,” says Fairbairn. “I really enjoyed relating the two.” He characterises the relationship as “more like cousins” than as a direct descendant. Continued next page
