PROFESSIONS ARCHITECTURE
Sandton building uses spectacular façade cladding In the light of current trends in which property owners are opting to refurbish existing assets, a great example of such a project is 155 West Street in Sandton. This building, along with two others, used to house the Discovery Group prior to their move to Discovery Place. Paragon Group
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ccording to Keron Muller, Senior Architectural Technologist with Paragon Group, the main benefit of refurbishment is usually perceived as cost-saving, but this is not always the case. ‘Sometimes costs can be higher due to the quantity of remedial work required, often usually only identified during the actual construction phase. Generally speaking, refurbishing an asset is a great way to facelift and maintain it, if this is done correctly,’ he says. Some drawbacks could include existing site restrictions, land and usage rights, and available tenants in the rental space. The implication of the refurbishment trend for architects is that these projects usually require more work than new builds, which means that the resource allocation is higher.
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Keron Muller, Senior Architectural Technologist at the Paragon Group
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