At the end of a most challenging year, Construction World held its 19th annual Best Projects Awards in the historic Thunder Walker on Gandhi Square, Johannesburg on 4 November. The awards had 38 entries with many of them competing in the prestigious Architecture category. As such we are pleased to announce that Sandton Gate Phase1 was announced the winner.
The Phase 1 building acts as an anchor to the Sandton Gate precinct and is designed over two podiums. The design makes use of the steep 12m slope, and it ensures that the upper podium, located on the corner created by the new link road and William Nicol, is visible at eye level from this arterial route. This levelling of the site emphasises the activity on the upper podium, which includes a restaurant and retail components facing the piazza and landscaping surrounding the building.
Innovations on this project include
- the use of lightweight external thermal insulation composite system (ETICS) on the facades,
- the use of a modular thermal storage system that allows enormous electricity-saving,
- a collaborative and consultative process in the connection of the Sandton Gate precinct to the Braamfontein Spruit and the community
- the development of a GBCSA 4 Star Green Star Precinct
- the inclusion from early stages of a planned rollout of art installations with sustainability-focused artist Hannelie Coetzee.
We congratulate all of the other winners and thank the sponsors, AfriSam, Den Braven and Sika along with the organisers, Construction World, for keeping up the Best Project Awards despite the disruption of the pandemic.