Google Headquarters South Africa – Description from Boogertman + Partners Architects.
The Google Jozi project boasts an accreditation of both a 5-star Green Star rating as well as a Gold Leed certification. The project was inspired by its contextual fabric of Johannesburg (or better known to locals as, Jozi), South Africa.
The conceptual design was inspired by the visual language and culture of the vibrant city with its unique flavour and mix-match personality. Many items for the design were sourced from the city, contributing to the concept’s implementation through an authentic initiative to upcycle and reuse objects and non-conventional building media alike, consistent to the personality of the city.
The project created a platform for questioning the standard approach to green design by reinterpreting the necessities of a workplace setting, aligning the requirements with the city context and attending to the needs of the specific users.
Local artists, furniture and materials were employed to develop an interior concept that functions as an extension of the Jozi city vibe. To ensure a homogeneous transition between environments and their uses, all important fields contributing to the project’s mindfulness of sustainability and responsible design were considered.
Views to the exterior, visual comfort, internal air quality, ergonomics, waste monitoring and recycling initiatives, daylight harvesting and energy-efficiency were, amongst others, developed in a way to be conducive to a comfortable work environment. Second-hand magazines, advertisement banners, crates, reclaimed timber and African beads are, amongst many others, some of the non-traditional materials sourced from the city and used within the design.
