is , it finds its true expression and meaning in combination with a greater group of beads , strung together binding form , function , commodity and delight .
The strong landscape routes that draw a building user from the railway bridge , through the public piazza , across the parking court alongside the drum and water feature , through the Atrium Street , out across and around and through the Heritage Court , to the well , into the DPC , and up towards Freedom Park , is yet another string of beaded components , tied into a collection greater than the sum of its parts .
Five Fingers : Integrating , Embracing , Connecting The brief called for the recognition of the five key data collection and measurement areas in which Stats SA does their work . The main building is formed by the drum and Five Fingers which boldly represent these areas . The fingers are entwined around the central Atrium Street , where functions mesh and overlap and are shared , and stretch out into the landscape of the site and the city , knitting together the campus and its location , and the Department and its country and people . The DPC speaks the same architectural language and expresses its two functions in three-dimensional form . The functions in the Heritage Court support those in the DPC and Main Building , and strengthen the notion of the embracement of space and the integration of place .
AN ARCHITECTURAL PHILOSOPHY : BROADER DESIGN PRINCIPLES HAND IN HAND WITH THE BOLD SYMBOLISM Besides the strong symbolism contained in the campus design , other important design principles included the following aspects – both practical and philosophical - which were used in combination to create a functional place with spirit and soul .
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