Aveng : nears completion of Sasol head office building project

Aveng Grinaker-LTA is on the brink of completing Sasol's new global headquarters, Sasol Place, for the clients, the Sasol Pension Fund and co-developers Alchemy. Aveng Steel also played a significant role in the project with Aveng Steeledale supplying and fixing all of the reinforcing to the concrete structure and the structural steel procured through Aveng Trident Steel's subcontractor.

Sasol Place, located on Katherine Street in Sandton, is one of the biggest office developments in South Africa and forms part of a movement to create a new business district in Sandton. It comprises 67,000m² of single tenant space and is set to accommodate approximately 2,500 Sasol employees initially. The launch of this building enables Sasol to consolidate its current office space which is spread across Johannesburg into a single location which will realise significant building operating cost savings.

The building complex boasts seven basement levels totalling over 100,000m² of parking space, and 11 floors of office space from ground to roof level, totalling over 83,000m². The 21,000m² external glass façade forms the most prominent feature of this high-rise building in the upmarket Sandton area. The internal features of the building are just as impressive, with over 9,000m² of internal glazing in the office atria and double volume areas.

The building is designed in an S-shape, which links the core of the building with two atriums and represents the linked particles of the Sasol logo. The internal structure of the building is made up of a central core with extending arms which are interconnected by a series of bridge links, designed with the intention to encourage collaboration and teamwork amongst all employees. The bridge links also provide structural support, enabling the weight and counterweight of the various components of the building to be held together without the use of straight columns.

'The cantilevering of the top floors over the lower floors, gives the building a sense of lightness and integration with its surroundings rather than it being an imposition on the environment and people,' says Vince Wiggins, Senior Contracts Manager at Aveng Grinaker-LTA.

Externally, the façade of the building consists of high-performance glass made in Germany, which reduces glare and heat, thereby ensuring the comfort of its occupants. At the same time, the glass cladding of the building reflects the sky and natural landscape, increasing the building's aesthetics and ability to blend into its surroundings.

Commenting on the design of the building, Wiggins added: 'There are very few 'regular' shapes or design features on this project. In many instances, the internal finishes eclipse the amazement of the external appearance and we are proud to unveil this building as a prominent feature in the Sandton skyline.'

The project, which began in January 2014, took 33 months to complete and recently reached a record safety milestone of two million Lost Time Injury (LTI) free hours.

'This significant achievement bears testament to the team's commitment to Aveng's safety vision of Home Without Harm, Everyone, Everyday,' added Wiggins.

Sasol Place was also awarded a 5 Star MBA rating at the end of 2015 and is targeting a 5 Star Green Star Rating from the Green Building Council of South Africa in both the design and as-built categories for its environmentally-friendly features. These include, but are not limited to, the collection of rain water, recycling of grey water, and the filtration of water that runs off from parking areas in order to remove pollution, as well as the building's ability to reduce glare and heat inside the building while letting in sufficient natural light resulting in a reduction in energy use.