Architect and Builder Magazine South Africa January/February 2015

The main atrium skylight is not only a proportionate space for the size of the building but also shows structural sincerity slightly transparent, controlling the glare but showing blue sky on a sunny day. In terms of aesthetics and materials, the Architects chose a straight line architectural language and a contemporary modern approach. Simple shapes where chosen in order to be easily identifiable from the highway and following the ‘less is more’ approach. Five entrances welcome you into the shopping mall. These entrances had to be highly visible so 11m tall feature timber lattice walls were introduced and the canopies extended to the exterior, creating generous covered drop off areas. These entrances expose their steel skeleton and raise 9m above ground, creating a double volume space, crowned by high level clerestory windows and thereby allowing plenty of natural light into the space. Parking The project provides 750 basement parking bays and 1,626 outside parking bays amounting to a total of 2,376 parking bays. Additionally, 6 taxi parking bays were provided. Architectural Elements and Finishes Certain architectural aspects of the building derived from their function. Off shutter concrete boxes with recess curtain walls not only look good from an aesthetical point of view but also protect 58 the glass from direct sun radiation. The main atrium skylight is not only a proportionate space for the size of the building but also shows structural sincerity, as it highlights all the different structural elements at work. The trusses were designed using the bow principle, where you find elements at tension, thus reducing the height of the steel beams. Some architectural aspects of the building were intended to make the space more liveable and welcoming to the public. For that reason, oak veneers where introduced along the entrance bulkheads. The colour palette chosen for the outside walls was influenced by the surrounding landscape. The North West Province has characteristic ‘Highveld’ with grassy and bushy vegetation and dry desert tonalities. Colours harmonious with the surroundings were used, along with some dark brown accents in order to articulate the length of the mall. Artificial light in the malls was dispersed by the use of floating ‘light boxes’ using printed fabrics with motifs. 1,200 x 600 floor tiles were imported from Italy and give a neutral and light appearance to the mall. Some of these tiles have an off shutter concrete finish and were used for the entrance blade walls at either end of the entrances. Others have a wood-like finish which compliments the oak veneer and timber pergolas. Matlosana Mall

Architect and Builder Magazine South Africa January/February 2015 | Page 58