New Offices for Ikamva Architects - 66 Frere Road, Vincent, East London

Architects: Ikamva Architects, East London

Project Team: Gerhard Scheepers, Chris Hepburn, Russell Clarke

Civil & Structural Engineers: Sinakho Consulting

Project Team: Dave de Wet, Dawie Herselman

Contractor: Wilcon Construction

Project Team: Ross and Glenn Williams

Ikamva Architects, East London, were in dire need for a new home in a better environment than where we were situated in the Quigney. Vincent is centrally located and has the added advantage of many of the professionals we deal with are located in the Vincent area. The directors had very specific requirements and a relatively tight budget to make the whole project feasible.

Our brief was very specific: - to have a building that does not use conventional construction methods, it should be light weight and require minimal manipulation of the ground to site the building; a building that can easily be disassembled and relocated to another site, should the site be required for a larger development in the future.

We set up our accommodation requirements for current and future growth for the offices and commenced with concept designs and explored several construction methods to comply with the brief. All at Ikamva embraced the project and took on the challenge to create comfortable home for our new offices. Much research was done in framed structures and how we could get the desired fresh look and more importantly, how we could get it manufactured and built by builders who only know conventional construction locally.

The site is the remainder of a subdivided urban plot of 541 m² with several restrictions as far as the stringent building lines and parking requirements, a sewer servitude on the southern boundary, attached to the site as part of the town planning requirements of the BCM framework plan. The site has a fall over the entire length of just over 2 200 mm coupled with saturated ground, due to a high water table, resulting in poor founding conditions.

The design and the materials used, is a reflection of the old wood and iron houses that are found in the Vincent area, but with a contemporary twist to become a layered composition of several minimalist boxes that essentially gives the overall shape of the building in all facets. The strong lines and elements of the building are carried throughout the design to tie it all together. The plan form is generated out of the site restrictions as well as the spacial requirements and how the office functions together with providing good natural light and a minimum of wasted space. The building sits lightly on stub columns elevating it to avoid excavation of the site. The gabion wall and fence that springs from it is part of the aesthetic is set back to give a plinth but also secures the site limiting access to the back area; this connects the building to the ground yet still allows the building to float visually above the site.