Matatielle Municipal Offices & Council Chambers

Location: Matatiele, Eastern Cape

Type: Municipal / Comercial Office & Council Chambers

Date: Project Completed in 2021

Project Description:

The brief called for the provision of a council chamber to accommodate 88 councilors and a public seating area for 82 members of the public. The building was to further accommodate offices for municipal officials and politicians, four boardrooms, seating between twenty to thirty people each, a canteen/ restaurant, seating 100 persons, with related catering facilities and parking.

The site, a greenfields site on the edge of town, is north facing but with a steep gradient falling to the north. The orientation and form of the building was therefore dictated by the site conditions. The building consists of two elongated wings which follow the contours of the site with a central node or knuckle which acts as the access point to the building. The central node houses the entrance foyer, council chambers and other public related functions, whilst the offices, boardrooms and restaurant are located in the two wings.

Most of the habitable rooms in the building are north facing with ancillary spaces (stores, staff kitchenettes, ablutions facilities, etc.) located on the south side. These north facing spaces offer expansive views over the local golf course and the Maluti Mountains in the distance.

The north facing fenestration on the first floor is shielded from direct light by the use of louvres while the lower level offices are protected from direct light by the overhang of the first floor over the ground floor, thus negating the need for louvres.