New Office and Showroom proposal for Barloworld Equipment in Johannesburg. The profile of the “off highway” tipper trucks were chosen as a visual signature around which the architectural design has been crafted. The trucks, along with the CAT diggers and dozers, are probably the most iconic of CAT’s long list of vehicles. The truck was specifically chosen for its scale. This is a vehicle that dwarfs all others and we wanted to remind both those that visit, and those that work in, these buildings of the greater tapestry they are now a part of. We see this as an architectural identity that can be expanded and adapted to all Barloworld Equipment buildings in the future. Visitors enter the new head office below the feature roof, the impressive scale of CAT and Barloworld’s offering, history and capability very much front of mind. The reception area is double volume, with easily navigable access to front of house meeting rooms and further along to the auditorium and conference/event space.

Client solutions reside on the first floor, opening into the double volume showing the connection of Barloworld to its clients and its commitment to solving challenges in partnership with them. Executives and management share the second floor, which spans over the double volume and opens onto a large entertainment deck that is also under the feature roof, connecting it to the entrance and back to the sense of scale that is the driving concept behind the building.

The new used/rental showroom takes the same architectural cue as the head office, the large sweeping roof covering both the showroom and the external areas.