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Three sisters With the third and final phase of their development at Waverley Office Park, M-Architects has added another distinctive and recognisable building to their repertoire – designed with remarkable complexity and flexibility.
W
averley Office Park Phase 3, situated just off the intersection of the M1 and Corlett Drive offramp in Johannesburg, is the third building in the office park designed by M-Architects and developed by Barrow Properties. This development very much pioneered the transformation of Bramley on the eastern side of the M1 highway. The highly recognisable façades of the first two buildings in the complex, visible from the M1, include Building 1, which has a sloping façade that leans out over the highway, and
Building 2, which features a striking undulating glass façade. Each building, while clearly belonging to the same family, has its own distinct identity and visual signature. Building 3 picks up on some of these themes while adding a new dimension of its own. While it, too, features a sloping glass façade on the south-west part of the building, combined with a straight reflective façade on the other end, its most defining feature is a projecting angular box between them in a bold blue colour that adds visual interest. The overhang creates
the necessary shelter from the sun for the interior spaces behind, while also creating a break-out opportunity for balconies. Beyond visual impact, the double glass façades of the trio of buildings help control the west sun, while the reflective outer layer mirrors the activity on the highway as commuters pass below, introducing an interactive element to their presence. Perhaps one of the most remarkable aspects of the building’s design, a defining characteristic of M-Architects’ work, is the way in which each façade has been
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24 LEADINGARCHITECTURE & DESIGN FEBRUARY/MARCH 2020
designed individually, taking into account the varying conditions and aspects of each side of the building and responding to questions of balance, proportion, light and shade, while creating a coherent and integrated whole. Variations in materiality add to the richness – the façade treatments include not just reflective glass, but also painted plaster and Rheinzinc. Waverly 3 was designed with the potential to be a multi-tenant building. As a result, the entrance of the building and the main lobby Continued next page
