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The exterior is characterised by the use of coloured aluminium solar screens as infill to a thin framed orthogonal assembly. -
Curvilinear glazed meeting pods cantilever into the lively central atrium space, animating the heart of the office building. -
Sarnia Naidu sits in the entrance where the RCL Foods’ motto is displayed in corten steel typography on off-shutter concrete. -
Pause areas jutting out from connection bridges provide informal meeting opportunities and chill spaces, reinforcing RCL Foods’ emphasis on people. -
A beautiful installation of handpainted plates make up this central art wall, depicting plentiful food for all. -
Each of the 43 meeting and collab zones have been given different treatments, creating a unique collection of connecting spaces. -
Pods like this one furnished by Cecil Nurse are perfect for gatherings. All the timber tables are by Homewood. -
Three boardrooms are stacked in the centre of the atrium. A wall graphic made up of 120 000 wooden spoons spells out the RCL Foods slogan. -
Face-brick and birch ply cladding are used throughout the interior. The giant artwork is by The Hardy Boys. -
Amanda Chili and Prince Bisimwa at work in the coffee shop. Its packing-crate counter base and backdrop of roughly sawn timber has a funky, informal feel. -
The cascading staircase that links all levels is off set in the atrium to reinforce its focal role. -
A whimsical wayfinder, created by The Hardy Boys, provides visitors with an amusing start to their tour of the RCL Foods’ offices. -
The walls and floors of the ablution facilities feature different colours, with signage to match. -
The angular exterior is composed of a palette of off -shutter concrete, timber, corten steel, stucco and brightly coloured aluminium screens. -
The project team – architect George Elphick, interior designer Mike Long of Novospace and architect Pim Artz – on the cascading central staircase.
WORDS Paul Kotze PRODUCTION Sumien Brink PHOTOS Clinton Friedman and Karl Beath
The striking new RCL Foods head office in Westville, Durban, reflects the company’s people-centric approach in memorable fashion.
Elphick Proome Architects’ building for RCL Foods in Durban is all about people and connectivity in the workplace.
That’s not to say all buildings should necessarily be about people, it’s just that sometimes architects and their clients forget that this is a potential need. This happens mostly when a specific aesthetic image is decided on before the project begins. This desire then drives the design to the extent that people and the way in which they interact with the built environment becomes little more than a passing concern.
Such buildings might be aesthetically memorable, but they remain forever devoid of life. The RCL Foods head office represents the complete opposite of this outcome. The choice to fundamentally care for the physical and social wellbeing of people, before any other consideration was taken care of, becomes clear when the architects and designers explain the design history of the building.
Construction had started and the basement parking was nearly finished when tenant RCL Foods decided the building’s design should reflect its people-centred approach. This change of heart necessitated fast, focused and well-coordinated action from the entire professional team. It also created an opportunity to come up with a unique and memorable building.
The contemporary workplace today is fundamentally different from our conventional understanding of it of just a few years ago. Work is now more collaborative, performed by fluid groupings of various sizes that are not necessarily tied to one physical location. In this different configuration, visual interaction coupled with a measure of acoustic privacy is crucial.
Moreover, people want to feel at home in the workplace, seeing that they spend so much time there. The professional team achieved all of the above in spades. A full-height atrium unifies the spatial logic of the building, and two glazed facades on either end place the atrium and its users in constant contact with the direct external environment.
All vertical and horizontal movement of people is associated with this space, which is filled with daylight from above and from the two sides. The most arresting element in the atrium is a staircase linked to the two sides with walkways – the open stairs and glass balustrades create a sense of wonder at how precisely the architects managed to defy gravity with the design.
Glass-encased workspaces and meeting rooms of various sizes form the vertical surfaces of the atrium. Visitors to the building enter this space directly, which enables easy orientation for all concerned. There are test kitchens and dining facilities on the ground floor, so it is full of activity. Well-designed corporate messages on the walls illustrate what RCL Foods is all about.
One of the most exciting aspects is the rooftop entertainment area, which affords views of the Indian Ocean and seems to float in space, suspended and removed from the realities surrounding it.
Local interior design firm novospace has won three prestigious design awards for the RCL Foods headquarters. Find out more here.
