Time & Location
02 Jul 2022, 10:00
Sandton, 75 Maude St, Sandown, Sandton, 2031, South Africa
About the event
The Leonardo
The tallest building in Africa, was originally briefed as 4 basements, 5 floors of retail and conferencing with offices and apartments to total anticipated height of 33 storeys. Adaptive flexibility was required to respond to the changing market demands and financial viability throughout construction. The architects adopted processes and designs that were extremely flexible, which permitted the uses to be determined by market demands and whilst the tower was under construction. This required significant flexibility and robustness in the design. Ultimately a complex 57 story building project has been completed in a manner which has far exceeded the originally anticipated commercial expectations. Collaboration with the engineers ensured sufficient capacity and integration to allow construction to proceed at lower levels and floors to be added without impacting the construction programme. The largely column free space, orientation and layout of the plans also provided flexibility.
The external appearance reflects the internal uses. Natural light and ventilation permeate the building maximizing views and minimizing energy use. A threshold between inside and outside, provides over 800 balconies and terraces, and is an appropriate response to its physical, architectural, and social climate and context. The balconies, terraces, structure, and servicing of the building determine the expressed form of the building which welcomes people at street level, takes them on a journey through carefully proportioned public spaces, and provides them with thoughtfully crafted comfortable spaces to visit, work or live.
“The Leonardo is bold in its simplicity. It is a remarkably honest building, maintaining an authentic presence amid a sea of ‘object-buildings’. The tower stands elegantly resolved, emphasizing its verticality with ascending, rhythmed massing, and unremitting glass edges; which also soften any severity of the monumental structure. The building commands respect in its contemporary landscape, yet promises to stand the test of time by adhering to timeless principles of proportion, symmetry, order, and geometry. The Leonardo is unique for its response to internal flexibility, climatic efficiency, and social factors as priorities, with the sleek resolution of the façade as a secondary factor."
GIfA 2021
Tour By:
Malika Walele
Venue: The Leonardo, 75 Maude Street Johannesburg 2196
Meeting point:
The main Entrance Concierge desk on Level 1, Ground Floor
Time: 10:00 AM
Cost:
GIfA Committee Members: Free Members: R85,00 Non–Members Members: R170,00