ARCHITECT: Architrave Design Group ENGINEERS: Promecs Consulting Engineers QUANTITY SURVEYOR: OCM Quantity Surveyors MAIN CONTRACTOR: Elevate Construction
Alliance Insurance’s new head quarters were completed about two years ago towards the end of 2015. If you’ve travelled along Ridgeway North in the Borrowdale area, near Rietfontein, you will no doubt have seen this impressive and iconic building with its unique deep maroon and cream exterior. It’s a distinctively Zimbabwean building with the bruised purple colour evoking tropical storm clouds while the ever changing creamy colours are reminiscent of African savannah grasslands.
The exterior paint colours also help to reinforce the solid rectilinear structure of columns and horizontal lintels. Despite the African references it is a supremely well designed structure in the Modernist style that functions perfectly for the clients. The east facing facade overlooks Ridgeway North but the main frontage is concealed rather modestly on Nigel’s Lane. It’s a building that exudes all the elements that the client needs – it’s very powerfully built and imposing and gives an impression of strength and solidity, yet it has a number of exciting and impressive architectural features that make it quite unique. It’s a building that perfectly displays the company’s character.
It was designed by Cosmos Kanyanta from Architrave Design Group (with lots of input from the clients, in particular Nathalie Hunt) and features many of his distinctive signature elements. (See Structure and Design issue 2 for Aripo’s Headquarters.) The large sloping aluminium and glass frontage, circular clerestory windows and the overall authority of the building are typical of his design aesthetic – and of course there’s the central circular atrium which is such a distinctive feature of the Arripo building. Although the central atrium was originally designed to be open to the elements it was later decided to add the translucent domed roof to provide protection from the rain for the open plan ground floor and balcony walkways.
It also helped to integrate the atrium into the main structure of the building while still retaining a bright and light feel. The dome was specially ordered from a South African company – Rainbow Skylight S. A. – who have a great deal of experience in this type of one-off dome construction and are also used to African weather conditions of extreme heat and heavy rain storms. The frame was lifted into place in a single piece and the tinted Perspex panels were then fitted in place one by one. It was also tricky to join the dome to the unusual butterfly shaped Chromadek roof of the main structure. It was a rather specialised task which Elevate Construction managed and oversaw. It’s not the kind of roof structure which most construction companies deal with on a frequent basis but Elevate managed the whole project with their usual skill and attention to detail!
Grapnote Steel is a medium sized, wholly Zimbabwean owned company which started operations in 2005 as Grapnote Investments. Their core business is the supply, cutting and bending as well as assembling and fixing of both structural and reinforcement steel within the Southern African region. They also supply steel related products and most hardware products so as to make their workshop a one stop shop for steel users. Among the sectors of the economy they supply are the construction, mining and farming industries.
Grapnote Steel’s business is supported by an integrated quality management system that underpins every aspect of its operations. By strategically positioning quality management at the heart of its operations, Grapnote Steel has bound together the full value chain of an infrastructure company, thus embedding the concept of a triple bottom line management culture, which is central to reinforcing sustainability and delivering a quality outcome to all their stakeholders.
TRADE REFERENCES 1] A M Machado Building Contractors 2] Mukute Construction 3] Pevimag Contractors 4] Pemhiwa Builders 5] Manah Construction
When Alliance Insurance found they were outgrowing their offices at Westgate they began looking for new premises for the company. The site of their current headquarters came on the market and it seemed like a perfect opportunity for them to design and build new offices tailor made to suit their needs. The property at 66 Ridgeway North was in an excellent location, near to other financial centres like CABS and Old Mutual, as well as being easily accessible from both the city centre and Borrowdale. However there was an old block of flats on the site which had become a bit run down and had been converted to accommodation for backpackers for short term hire. Not the ideal place for an insurance company. However, luckily they had the vision and foresight to see the potential which the site offered. Nathalie Hunt drew up a sketch of what they wanted and Architrave Design Group drew up the plans.
They managed to incorporate part of the old building, although all the interiors were completely gutted. So although the new build seems very modern it still preserves a small part of Harare’s history, even if it has been seamlessly incorporated into the new edifice. According to Murray Martin from Elevate Construction the decision to preserve sections of the existing structure was partly to help keep costs down and also because the existing building and its foundations were for the most part still structurally sound – although some minor re-enforcement was needed – columns and pillars which were fairly simple to construct. The large open plan interior spaces were created using concrete beams cast on site which didn’t seem to provoke any particularly difficult problems for Elevate Construction.
The circular central structure also presented some technical challenges in terms of creating curved formwork and shuttering to cast all the concrete beams and slab edges on site, which was done using timber and flexiform shuttering. The interior granite cladding on the circular walls was also a challenge to ensure that there was no chance of it working loose, so Elevate Construction used a specialised technique which they had first developed on the award winning Gota project (WAN Awards House of the Year 2012).
The gardens were such an important part of the overall design aesthetic that Nathalie, in conjunction with Sean Price from Nature’s Way, began to establish the gardens before the build was even complete. Nathalie’s brief was to design and construct a garden which was low maintenance – no grass to mow – waterwise, and providing interest through different leaf colours and textures. A water feature of three large clay pots gently bubbling over provides soothing and tranquil sounds and completes the landscaping. From the gardens it’s hard to believe that the building is on a busy major road with fairly heavy traffic.
But if the structure is impressive it’s the interior design and decor that really makes the project so successful. Nathalie’s motto is to be understated, elegant and practical. The reception area sets the tone for the rest of the building with a custom made desk, specially made by Lammel Manufacturing, a division of Romeo Kitchens, to Nathalie’s design. Behind the desk is a laser cut map of Africa in chrome with an inset showing Zimbabwe’s place on the continent. Two large ornate twisted chandeliers hang overhead while comfortable seating welcomes visitors. The staircase is clad in mosaic stone cladding adding texture and warmth. Over the stairway shimmering spherical lights hang down over chrome and glass balustrades. Subtly shaded wallpaper and different paint colours are carefully considered to highlight the architectural features.
The inside/outside aesthetic runs through the whole design with nearly all the spaces having a view onto the atrium or outside to the gardens, or both. One exception is the ground floor offices on the north side which face onto a solid wall. Here Nathalie Hunt has commissioned Arnold Venter from The Banner Man to provide translucent blinds designed to look like a bamboo grove – with the sun shining through and back lighting the patterns. A clever and practical solution that’s also cost effective.
In the main management offices leather sofas add an opulent feel while glass lamp bases and glass topped coffee tables add the slightest suggestion of understated bling. Most of the artwork throughout the offices relates to elephants – a reference to Nzou Holdings, the parent company – while the boardroom has a whole wall devoted to an African elephant scene – printed wallpaper again supplied by the Banner Man.
The boardroom table is extraordinary – designed by Nathalie and built by Lammel, with tapering sides and gently rounded ends. It was made in a single moulded piece and had to be craned in through the window from the neighbouring property. Nathalie studied Art and Graphic Design at the Harare Polytech and also gets a lot of inspiration and ideas from her extensive international travels as well as from interior design magazines. She has experience in designing both residential and commercial properties as well as project management. She can be contacted by email at ‘nathalie@ yoafrica.com’ for design consultations.
Elevate Construction can be contacted on 788320 or murray@elevate.co.zw.
Text by Michael Nott
Photography by Michele Fortmann