PROJECTS

ALPLAS FACTORY AND SHOWROOMMontague Gardens, Cape Town

ClientAlplas Shutters & Louvres

ArchitectsZuckerman Sachs Architects

Quantity SurveyorsKahts & Sparks

Consulting EngineersRousseau Consulting Engineers (Phase 1)Sutherland Associates (Phase II)

Main ContractorGelbuild (Phase 1)Hare & Liddell (Phase II)

PhotographyLeah Hawker

TextNeal Sachs

area near Milnerton, has become animportant business node. Koeberg Road,the main arterial route connecting innerCape Town to the outlying areas to theNorth, has seen a growth in retail and sho-wroom activity, and exposure to the largenumber of daily commuters to the city.What was once quite remote flatlandsdotted with informal settlements has todaybecome home to some of the Cape’spremier industrial estates.

ALPLAS PHASE ILocated on the corner of Koeberg andOmuramba Roads, this site was acquiredby the developer a few years before thecompany outgrew their existing premises,and the new building was commissioned.

s Cape Town grows in size, expan-sion to the North has meant thatMontague Gardens, the industrialA Foremost in the brief for the new facility,

was to make optimal use of the location interms of exposure to Koeberg Road. Thebuilding consists of a 2,500m2 factory formanufacture and assembly of blinds andshutters (7m at the eaves to allow for highracking), 300m2 of offices, and 300m2 ofshowroom. A decision was made, early onin the design process, to integrate theshowroom and factory components bycreating a roof conceived as a membranewhich folds and changes shape, but isexpressed as a single curvilinear entity. Theshowroom component occupies pride ofplace, facing the road intersection, andmaximising signage and exposure oppor-tunities. Placing the showroom here, withlarge expanses of glass facing the street,raised the problem of how best to deal withdue-west sun exposure, while providingviews from the road into the showroom.

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AlplasFactory & Showroom

A new facility incorporating factory and warehouse space, offices and a showroom wascommissioned on this high profile site

THIS SPREAD:Alplas Phase I

These fins are reminiscent of the blades ona louvre screen. The remainder of the west-facing section is glazing with a retractablemotorised roll-up blind which forms part ofthe client’s product offering.

The main entrance is delineated by acustom-made curved aluminium screen, theverticals of which are actually extruded mastsections made for yachting. The screenenfolds the entrance stairs and ramp,guiding visitors in from the parking area.

The solution lay in the nature of theclient’s business: Alplas is a manufacturerof a wide range of blinds and shutters -products used for filtering and controllinglight. The west (street facing) façade wasdesigned as a means of expressing this invarious ways: there are six 4.5m high off-shutter concrete fins positioned on a largecurving plinth, all orientated to provideglimpses into the showroom, while provi-ding shade from the harsh afternoon sun.

ALPLAS January/February 2012 ARCHITECT & BUILDER XXXX

ELEVATION

Inside the showroom, the ceiling ismade up of several curving, folding planeswhich continue the theme of the roof.These suspended planes house the lightingand A/C vents, while partly revealing theventilation ducts above.

The showroom opens onto a courtyardon the northwest corner of the site, whichis a split-level space, shared with the staffcanteen / recreation area. Staff facilities andthe quality of the working environment wereprioritised as important factors in terms ofdesign and level of finish.

The offices are positioned as a unifyingelement between the showroom andfactory components, with a walkwayoverlooking the main production area,enabling department managers to easilymonitor progress on the factory floor.

The exterior envelope is a combinationof glass and exposed concrete on the

showroom side, and red face brick andclear polycarbonate sheeting on thewarehouse side. The use of polycarbonatesheeting on the south façade diminishesthe need for artificial lighting in theproduction area.

The roof covering is Klip-Lok lightindustrial sheeting, which was put to thetest in terms of the technical specificationssupplied by the manufacturer: The sheetingis designed to allow for an un-crankedcurvature along a 40m radius, which is theprecise curve along the apex of thewarehouse and showroom roofs. Thisallowed for lengths of sheeting 40m long tobe laid without any overlaps. The reality onsite did not run entirely smoothly at first,but after adjusting the purlin spacingaround the curved section of the roof, thesheets were laid successfully without any‘oil canning’.

Inside the showroom, the ceiling ismade up of several curving, foldingplanes which continue the theme ofthe roof

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THIS SPREAD:Alplas Phase I

ALPLAS PHASE IIThis phase, completed at the start of 2011,consists of a similar mix of accommodation.The building was designed so that it couldbe used by Alplas in the event of a futureexpansion but, in the interim, it could be let(the tenant is Samson AG, a German manu-facturer of specialised valves for the food,beverage and pharmaceuticals industries).

Formally, the buildings are in a kind ofconversation, using a similar curvilinearroof-architecture manifesting in slightlydifferent forms, talking to each other acrossthe parking court.

The footprint of Alplas Phase I, com-bined with the required parking allocationfor this space, meant that about 70% of thesite had been used. As a result, theallowable footprint for Phase II (factoring inthe additional parking requirement for thisphase) was relatively small. The developer’sbrief to maximise built area led to a decisionto create an elevated portion of warehouse,with parking beneath it. As a result, thebuilding comprises a 500m2 ground floorhousing the showroom and lowerwarehouse area, and a first floor with officesand an elevated warehouse area also

THIS SPREAD:Alplas Phase IITenant: Samson AG

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measuring 500m2; in combination, phasesI and II achieve the maximum built areaallowable on the 7,000m2 site.

Phase II also takes advantage of theexposure to Koeberg Road’s high volumeof traffic, with the showroom area facingthe street. This elevation consists of acurve (floor slab morphing into a concretewall) and counter-curve (Klip-Lok roofsheeting cranked to a 4m radius)embracing the spaces within. Due to thelarge spans on the first floor and the desireto do away with downstand beams, apost-tensioned slab was used for the

office and elevated warehouse areas. Inorder to achieve energy efficiency, artificialventilation is eliminated via the use ofaluminium louvres (courtesy of Alplas’shutters division), and artificial lighting isminimised, again with extensive use ofpolycarbonate sheeting on the south-facing walls.

The result is a series of fluid, flexiblespaces, which can be reconfiguredrelatively easily according to the occupant’sneeds - an essential criterion in the highlychallenging environment that is today’sproperty market.

ALPLAS January/February 2012 ARCHITECT & BUILDER XXXX

Advertisers on this Project

Alplas Shutters & LouvresClient

Hare & Liddell ConstructionBuilding Contractor

Hunter DouglasA specialist company fabricatingaluminium cladding, sun louvres andceilings for the architectural industry

SutherlandConsulting Civil, Structural &Mechanical Engineers

Zuckerman SachsArchitects