First building of South Africa’s Oxford Park Vision complete

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First building of the Oxford Park Vision complete
Construction of the first building under phase one of South Africa’s Oxford Park Vision has been completed.
Concor Buildings Contract Manager Chris Maritz, confirmed the reports and said the building will serve as the new head office for oil company BP South Africa who officially moved in on December last year.
“Excavations started in August 2017, but we mitigated the rainfall risk by fast-tracking this phase and we were able to complete the foundations almost a month ahead of schedule, before any heavy rains arrived,” said Maritz.
Oxford Park Vision
The 4-star green rated building comprises three basement levels, totaling 28 000 m2, six office floor levels with a gross leasable area of 8 100 m2 and a 960 m2 retail space on the ground floor. The main structure of the building required 17 000 m3 of concrete, coupled with 2 100 t of reinforcing. By the end of May last year, around 780 000 bricks had been laid for the building.
The wedge-shape design of the building is prominent for its stunning glass frontages, which were created using 4 500 m2 of glazing, allowing ample fresh air, natural daylight and enormous views facing east above Johannesburg.
Double ventilation
Concor has also included a double-ventilation façade on the front of the building, containing two layers of glazing that are 40 cm apart in order to deal with the sun without having to overwork the air conditioning system. The outside layer is not built up at the bottom and at the top, giving way for air to rise and exit this vertical channel as it heats, sucking in cooler air at the bottom and keeping the building cool.

In addition the building has been equipped with automated horizontal blinds system that is connected to a weather station. Directed by the period and time of day, the angle of the blinds commands the entry of direct light into the structure, which further promotes energy efficiency. The park will also include three more office blocks and a hotel in due course.