Crystal class

PHOTOGRAPHY WARREN STANLEY

15 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,” 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.

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.

While Jahn’s narrative referred specifically to diamonds, 15 Chaplin’s reprising of them reframes it to reflect the ‘multicultural cosmopolitan’ nature of the city. The dialogue between the two reflects the changing and evolving nature of the commercial and social life of the city, while drawing a connection between the old and new CBDs, without polarising them.

Although it was always going to be a four-storey building, a third basement was added to the design. Strict town-planning rules specified 50% coverage, so the massing of the building was positioned on the corner of Chaplin and Oxford Roads to address the intersection. The entrance on Chaplin Road allows for a grand forecourt over the basement parking. A large foyer draws natural light into the workspaces, which have been arranged in an easily subdivisible layout. A deck on the roof provides a covered event space.

The grand foyer reprises the faceted, crystalline form of the façade, reflected on all three elevations and on the ceiling, accentuated with lighting.

The building’s location on this increasingly prominent intersection demanded a striking visual statement, giving the intersection a clear identity as the burgeoning Rosebank CBD migrates north and merges with Illovo. In addition to its striking appearance, a cutaway facing the corner was opened to accommodate a series of balconies, which further strengthens the building’s presence on the corner. It does so, however, in a generous, receptive manner, acknowledging the corner openly rather than forcefully imposing its identity on its context, activating the façade, and improving security in the public realm surrounding the building by making its activities visible to inhabitants of the building.

The facets on the exterior of the building were repeated in the interior, with crystalline structures reflected on all three elevations of the foyer and on the ceiling, accentuated with lighting. The grand foyer creates the impression “almost as if one was going into a crystal”, as Fairbairn puts it.

A cutaway facing the corner on the intersection of Oxford and Chaplin Roads accommodates a series of balconies, imparting a sense of presence on the corner in a generous and receptive rather than an imposing manner.

As well as providing the corner with a new identity, the building also makes another gesture towards the public space surrounding the building. The intersection is a well-used drop-off and pick-up point for minibus taxis. As a result, there is significant pedestrian traffic on the intersection, and queues of commuters congregate at certain times of day.

Rather than placing a fence of the perimeter of the stand, it has been pushed back “onto the face of the building” as Fairbairn puts it, lending more space to the sidewalk. Rather than being two metres wide, it is now five meters wide without any compromise to security. “These sorts of civic gestures are critical to make cities more walkable and more friendly,” he says. “We are very proud to be able to create that.”

The landscaping on the sidewalk includes trees and greenery, which improve the quality of the urban fabric around the building. A fence-like pattern on the façade makes a “poetic statement that you can have your fence, and give people their civic dignity, too,” says Fairbairn. LED lighting along the top of the ‘fence’ adds to the safety and friendliness of the public space around the building at night.

The front door of the building, which is accessed via the forecourt, takes the form of a dramatic slash, which functions as a juncture between the pinstripe scheme and the faceted façade.

As such, while 15 Chaplin gives a high-end modern commercial identity to the corner, its commentary on the evolution of Johannesburg business and society is translated into a positive contribution to the future of the urban space around it. This is evident in the way in which it makes a strong and clear statement, but a gentle and receptive one. Also, by broadening the sidewalk and improving the public realm, it makes a transformative gesture that has the potential to catalyse further similarly inclusive development, setting in motion a domino effect that could improve the urban fabric in the area, and pave the way for a better urban domain.

PROFESSIONAL TEAM

CLIENT: Victhyme Investment (Pty) Ltd, Investec Property (Pty) Ltd, Giant Leap Interiors and Calibre PROJECT MANAGER AND PRINCIPAL AGENT: 3D Projects ARCHITECT: LYT Architecture QUANTITY SURVEYOR: Vusela Quantity Surveyors CONSULTING STRUCTURAL AND CIVIL ENGINEER: Calibre Civil & Structural Engineering CONSULTING ELECTRICAL ENGINEER: KKA Consulting Electrical Engineers (Pty) Ltd CONSULTING MECHANICAL ENGINEER: C3 Consulting Engineers (Pty) Ltd FIRE CONSULTANT: Chimera Fire Protection Consultants (Pty) Ltd CONSULTING GREEN CONSULTANT: Solid Green Consulting CONTRACTOR: Tiber Construction (Pty) Ltd