A special project that caught the eye of the judges of the Steel Awards in the approach of the architects to a large-scale refurbishment and partial rebuild of new offices for South African media house, Primedia. The project scored as Highly Commended in the Architectural category of the Steel Awards 2024, a well-respected programme by the South African Institute of Steel Construction (SAISC). And Safal Steel’s Colorplus^® was a key part of this ambitious project.

The rebuild was designed and implemented with Green Star SA Office V1.1 rating in mind. Subsequently, it was rewarded with 4 stars by the Green Building Council of SA.

The 15 Fredman Drive project was also the official Runner-Up in the Commercial Building Architectural category of the SCAPE Awards, 2024.

According to established green building principles, the re-use of existing  buildings, while modifying and upgrading of the building  envelope and building services to fine tune it for optimal efficiency, offers embodied emissions reductions in the categories of climate  change, human health, and resource impact.  The new “Radio 702 HQ” at 15 Fredman Drive Sandton is an outstanding example of this maxim in practice, including the use of lightweight steel roofing and cladding by Safal Steel.

A special project that caught the eye of the judges of the Steel Awards in the approach of the architects to a large-scale refurbishment and partial rebuild of new offices for South African media house, Primedia. The project scored as Highly Commended in the Architectural category of the Steel Awards 2024, a well-respected programme by the South African Institute of Steel Construction (SAISC). And Safal Steel’s Colorplus^® was a key part of this ambitious project.

The rebuild was designed and implemented with Green Star SA Office V1.1 rating in mind. Subsequently, it was rewarded with 4 stars by the Green Building Council of SA.

The 15 Fredman Drive project was also the official Runner-Up in the Commercial Building Architectural category of the SCAPE Awards, 2024.

According to established green building principles, the re-use of existing  buildings, while modifying and upgrading of the building  envelope and building services to fine tune it for optimal efficiency, offers embodied emissions reductions in the categories of climate  change, human health, and resource impact.  The new “Radio 702 HQ” at 15 Fredman Drive Sandton is an outstanding example of this maxim in practice, including the use of lightweight steel roofing and cladding by Safal Steel.

The huge upgrade was required by the building owner/developer, not only because the actual premises were becoming very dated and visually unattractive, but also because the floors inside its 3 levels were too narrow with its H-shaped floor configuration providing only limited access and flow across spaces, making it unattractive to potential lessees. In the light of today’s requirement for wide open working spaces that maximise collaboration, a change had to be made. The design intent was to address this problem.

The resulting building interior became transparent and open as the key drivers of the design response in which “spaces flowing seamlessly into each other, connected to the open atriums with cellular spaces confined to cores and centralised zones away from the edges.”

What earned the project a prestigious accolade at the Steel Awards 2024 however, was the fabrication process for the project, which demanded exceptional precision and attention to detail. At the factory, the team carefully welded and polished the rectangular hollow sections that formed the sawtooth roof structure. Coordination between the factory and site was crucial, as two distinct paint systems were applied – one for exposed elements and another for hidden steelwork – to achieve the desired raw, industrial look. This meticulous approach to fabrication was essential in translating the design team’s vision into a cohesive, visually striking final product that showcased the expressive potential of steel.

What truly sets this project apart, however, is the way the steel elements were executed and finished to align with the client’s vision of a raw, industrial aesthetic according to the SAISC.

It was here that the role of steel cladding and roofing profiles, expertly formed by Safintra, came into their own in that they are one of the most lightweight ways of cladding sections of the roof and external walls.  Even the facades, which had previously been a separate sunscreen system for the legacy building, were carefully integrated into the new steel-framed structure, requiring meticulous engineering to ensure a cohesive and visually striking result.

Shaun Pearman, the specifications representative for Safintra comments: “The following material was supplied by Safintra for the project. Roofing (0.53 AZ200 Colorplus^® Seaspray) Cladding (0.53 AZ200 Colorplus^® Thunderstorm) These are popular colours that we supply on a regular basis.”

Utilising Colorplus^® AZ200 in the Saflok 700 profile for the sidewall cladding, aided the criterion to: “Design slender, lightweight steel elements and these seamlessly integrated with the existing building”, noted the project architects as interviewed by Architect & Builder magazine, October 2023.

In addition to the extensive use of Colorplus^® AZ200, zinc sheeting was profiled by the manufacturer on site and applied to certain strategic locations as façade cladding on the sawtooth roof structures.

In support of this, the SAISC Steel Awards judges noted that: “The end result is a striking, welcoming environment that exceeds the client’s vision and sets a new standard for industrial-inspired design.”

And Colorplus^® was there along the way to support the vision of the architects and achieve the design ambition of the developer, and the client/tenant, Primedia.

Zenprop Property Holdings
Main Contractor: WBHO Construction
Steelwork Contractor: Ferro Eleganza
Architect: Paragon Architects
Project Managers:  Morta Project Management
Structural Engineer: Sotiralis Consulting Engineers
Steel Detailer: CND Structural Services
Cladding/Roofing Supplier: Safintra South Africa
Cladding/Roofing Contractor: Chartwell Roofing
Zinc cladding and roofing supplier/installer: Rheinzink/Rhode Roofing
Site photography by: Sarah da Pina and the SAISC

Building: 19 Fredman Drive, Sandton
Products used: Safal Steel Colorplus^® AZ200, TCT 0.53
Colours: Seaspray and Thunderstorm
Profile: SAFLOK^® 700
Roll Former: Safintra

Footnote: Thanks are due to Jose Ferreira, PrArch at Paragon Architects who also facilitated the use of the images by Sarah da Pina.

Safal Steel warrants its Zincal^® and Colorplus^® (colour coated steel) to have a service life (prior to perforation by weathering in the natural elements) from date of installation. Warranty periods are determined by Safal Steel and may vary according to project design and location. A Provisional Warranty may be applied for at project design stage; this warranty serves as a guideline as to the final warranty Safal Steel may issue on project completion. A Final Warranty application form may be submitted to Safal Steel by the roll former on project completion, requesting Safal Steel to issue a warranty for the specific material used on a specific project.

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