The client requested a high-security building that would attract foreign embassies and agencies. The design had to be both sustainable and provide flexibility for future expansion.
Top-class client interaction resulted in a contemporary South African architecture that translates modern concepts of image and identity, while enhancing a local design vernacular. In order to establish a prominent yet welcoming public interface, the architecture aims to become a ‘landmark’ that is easily recognisable to visitors and the general public. The building strives for conscientious simplicity through a white, clean, pseudo-modernist structure, which becomes a neutral backdrop for its tenants and internal functions. The neutrality of the structure extends the lifetime of the building, while allowing for tenant flexibility and potential programmatic changes. The architectural language of Ozmik House is a product of function: by integrating passive sustainable concepts with achievable technical applications, the building provides shelter from the elements and promotes a comfortable indoor environment that consciously and visually links to its surroundings.
Ozmik House was awarded with the PIA AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE in 2013
"OZMIK House serves as an example of environmental strategy and the sensitive use of material produces a sophisticated product. In the words of Reyner Banham, ‘the resultant architecture is visibly affecting people’s lives’."
- Jacques Laubscher, TUT