ALPLAS FACTORY AND SHOWROOM AMontague …

1 PROJECTSALPLAS FACTORY AND SHOWROOMM ontague Gardens, Cape TownClientAlplas Shutters & LouvresArchitectsZuckerman Sachs ArchitectsQuantity SurveyorsKahts & SparksConsulting EngineersRousseau Consulting Engineers (Phase 1)Sutherland Associates (Phase II)Main ContractorGelbuild (Phase 1)Hare & Liddell (Phase II)PhotographyLeah HawkerTextNeal Sachsarea 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 was once quite remote flatlandsdotted with informal settlements has todaybecome home to some of the Cape spremier industrial 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 Cape Town grows in size.

2 Expan-sion to the North has meant thatMontague Gardens, the industrialAForemost 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.

3 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 ARCHITECT & BUILDER January/February 2012 ALPLASA lplasFactory & ShowroomA new facility incorporating FACTORY and warehouse space, offices and a SHOWROOM wascommissioned on this high profile siteTHIS SPREAD: ALPLAS Phase IThese 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 main entrance is delineated by acustom-made curved aluminium screen, theverticals of which are actually extruded mastsections made for yachting.

4 The screenenfolds the entrance stairs and ramp,guiding visitors in from the parking 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) fa ade wasdesigned as a means of expressing this invarious ways: there are six 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 2012 ARCHITECT & BUILDER XXXXELEVATIONI nside the SHOWROOM , the ceiling ismade up of several curving, folding planeswhich continue the theme of the suspended planes house the lightingand A/C vents, while partly revealing theventilation ducts SHOWROOM opens onto a courtyardon the northwest corner of the site, whichis a split-level space, shared with the staffcanteen / recreation area.

5 Staff facilities andthe quality of the working environment wereprioritised as important factors in terms ofdesign and level of 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 exterior envelope is a combinationof glass and exposed concrete on theshowroom side, and red face brick andclear polycarbonate sheeting on thewarehouse side. The use of polycarbonatesheeting on the south fa ade diminishesthe need for artificial lighting in theproduction 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.

6 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 roofALPLASJ anuary/February 2012 ARCHITECT & BUILDER XXXXTHIS SPREAD: ALPLAS Phase IALPLAS PHASE IIThis phase, completed at the start of 2011,consists of a similar mix of 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).

7 Formally, the buildings are in a kind ofconversation, using a similar curvilinearroof-architecture manifesting in slightlydifferent forms, talking to each other acrossthe parking 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 alsoTHIS SPREAD: ALPLAS Phase IITenant: Samson AGXXXX ARCHITECT & BUILDER January/February 2012 ALPLAS measuring 500m2; in combination, phasesI and II achieve the maximum built areaallowable on the 7,000m2 II also takes advantage of theexposure to Koeberg Road s high volumeof traffic, with the SHOWROOM area facingthe street.

8 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 theoffice 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 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 2012 ARCHITECT & BUILDER XXXXA dvertisers on this ProjectAlplas Shutters & LouvresClientHare & Liddell ConstructionBuilding ContractorHunter DouglasA specialist company fabricatingaluminium cladding, sun louvres andceilings for the architectural industrySutherlandConsulting Civil.

9 Structural &Mechanical EngineersZuckerman SachsArchitects