Irene Link

Building C will have its own strong identity and visual impact adjacent to Building A and B, which are both striking and individual in appearance.

Located on a highly visible corner site of the Irene precinct, it forms the visual and conceptual gateway into the precinct. It is designed to be bold and iconic and sets the tone for the precinct architecture and philosophy. The building is a contrast of glass on top of a landscaped basement podium. The building will appear to levitate above a landscaped podium level. The curved corners soften the edges and give the building a rounded and endless feel. Building C is highly sub-divisible and efficient due to its floor plate and service core layout. Each floor plate can be divided into four tenants with ease, allowing smaller tenanting spaces.

The building is designed to permit vast amounts of natural light. The basement maintains the ground floor relationship with the street, allowing the pedestrian and precinct to engage visually with the building.

Extensive landscaping across the site softens the buildings street scape. The new gatehouse design takes the form of a planted earth shelter. The landscaping from the Building C podium extends over the gatehouse roof creating shade and rain shelter for all visitors and tenants. A pedestrian walkway has been added, with seating and pergolas on top of the planted gatehouse roof. This creates a physical link between Building C and Building D, enabling a pedestrianised precinct.

The design is energy efficient and utilises sustainable building and services technology to achieve at least a Four-Star Green rating. It takes all façade orientations into account, utilises passive shading, employs double glazed performance glass, and through its form and orientation creates a comfortable working environment.

Precinct design principles

• Low building plinth: maintains the ground floor relationship with the street
• Recessed ground floor glazing: the building floats above the ground floor increasing shading
• Increased ground floor height: specifically for public areas
• First and second storey design features: raking atrium walls and marble signage walls
• Multiple storey atrium: creates a sense of arrival and volume as well as a view of the freeway
• Internal feature stair in the atrium: enables engagement with atrium
• Roof terraces: allow tenants to breathe and relax on top of the building, close to the sky and take in the incredible view
• Landscaping: used as screening

There is no better location for a lifestyle of true convenience within the desirable living and working space of an urban village atmosphere with Botha, Alexandra and Jean avenues plus the N1 forming the borders of Irene Link.

The Gautrain is close
Accessibility is guaranteed with the Gautrain in close proximity. Conveniently, the Gautrain bus route to and from the existing Gautrain station in Centurion runs past Irene Link in Jean avenue.

The envisaged second phase development of new routes for the Gautrain includes a new rail station that will be built next to Irene Link, with additional bus routes servicing the whole Irene village area.

All this makes Irene Link precinct one of the best-connected new mixed-use precincts in Gauteng.

Building form and efficiency

Building C is highly sub-divisible and efficient due to its floor plate and service core layout. Each floor plate can be divided into four tenants with ease, thereby allowing smaller tenanting spaces. The trend of smaller tenanted spaces is on the increase and Building C caters to this new trend in the work environment.

The building concept creates a permeable glass envelope that sits lightly on a naturally ventilated basement. This design adaptation allows for seamless views between the high-energy highway and the southern pedestrian area of the adjoining Impala precinct.

Large areas of double glazing with opening sections every 3,6m enable natural ventilation to internal spaces. This also ensures the building will have vast amounts of natural light even with sub-divisibility.

Building podium (basement roof)

Building plinth: The basement maintains the ground floor relationship with the street, allowing the pedestrian and precinct to engage visually with the building.

Landscaping

The entire basement edge is bermed with beautiful landscaping.

The upper podium will also be professionally landscaped to create multiple outdoor tenant spaces.  The podium will have a continuous organic flowing landscaped planted edge with multiple planting pockets and seating areas.

Extensive landscaping across the site softens the buildings on the streetscape.

New gatehouse: A landscaped and pedestrian bridge

The new gatehouse design takes the form of a planted earth shelter. The landscaping from Building C’s podium extends over the gatehouse roof as well as its entry and exit lanes, creating shade and rain shelter for all visitors and tenants.

A pedestrian walkway will be added, with seating and pergolas on top of the planted gatehouse roof. This creates a physical link between Building C and Building D, so that the precinct can be pedestrianised without crossing the main gatehouse entry and exit lanes. It also allows a unique and soft approach into the office precinct with people and landscaping visible on entry.

Looking down from the office blocks, a landscaped roof, as opposed to a hard roof structure, will be visible.

Energy efficiency

Building C is designed to be energy efficient and will utilise all sustainable building and services technology that is feasible. It aims to achieve at least a 4 Green Star rating.

It takes all façade orientations into account. It will utilise passive shading, double glazed performance glass and through its form and orientation, create comfortable working environments within.

Green star: 4 star

Passive energy design: correct building orientation, east and west façades less glazing, deep northern overhangs and shading

• Led lighting throughout
• Motion sensors for lighting in basements and lobbies/toilets
• TDS: telematics design system to mechanical thermal storage
• Thermal storage: off-peak water cooling to four pipe variable air volume system for energy saving
• Energy consumption display in lobby with real-time functionality
• Full generator power backup: upscale generator for full backup.
• Indigenous landscaping and drip irrigation
• Domestic backup water: two days
• Performance glazing: double glazed northern façade with low E performance glazing
• Glass balustrades to central atrium: encourages use over lifts
• All building services on the roof: optimising tenant spaces
• Pluvia roof drainage
• Opening window sections every 3.6m: natural ventilation and building air circulation
• Sanitary fittings: water-wise to minimise consumption
• Low VOC (volatile organic compounds) materials

P-Grade offices: 6 863m²
Roof terrace: 488m²
Basement parking: 194
Open parking: 70

Development timeline
Construction commenced April 2022
Completion April 2023