How interior design can promote corporate values and a healthy lifestyle
 | How interior design can promote corporate values and a healthy lifestyle | 39.5 KB | Download |
 Preview | Amenities provided for employees at Discovery Place promote a healthy lifestyle. | 19.82 MB | Download |
 Preview | Discovery Place brings together 8 500 employees. | 20.59 MB | Download |
 Preview | Discovery Place has a 5-Star Office V1 Green Star design rating. | 16.97 MB | Download |
 Preview | Employee wellbeing was a key focus of the interior fitout by Paragon Interface. | 17.83 MB | Download |
 Preview | Paragon Interface paid attention to details such as acoustics in the office areas. | 15.75 MB | Download |
 Preview | Paragon Interface won a top UK design award for its work at Discovery Place. | 20.39 MB | Download |
 Preview | The interior of Discovery Place complements its corporate culture. | 24.72 MB | Download |
 Preview | Paragon Interface Director Claire D’Adorante | 697.72 KB | Download |
The new Discovery Health head office, with a Gross Lettable Area (GLA) of 107 000 m2 and a total construction area of 327 000 m2, stands out in the heart of the Sandton central business district. It brings together 8 500 employees in a workspace designed to reflect and embody a thriving, healthy internal environment.
Paragon Interface was declared Office Design Winner for 1 Discovery Place at the prestigious Society of British and International Interior Design (SBID) International Design Awards 2018, held at the Dorchester Hotel in London in the UK on 26 October last year. This represents major global recognition of South African talent and expertise, Paragon Interface Director Claire D’Adorante comments.
“We are very proud to have won this award, and what it means for the South African interior design industry. This was a once-in-a-lifetime project that was not only an immense privilege for the entire team to work on, but one that has placed South African design firmly on the map, as showcased by this international accolade.”
The building comprises three linked office volumes, each with a ground floor and eight office floors, with an activated roof level spanning the entire structure. It achieved its 5-Star Office V1 Green Star design rating from the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) in 2017, and was completed in 2018.
The interior design effectively promotes an active lifestyle through careful design and planning. This meant that the movement of people throughout the building had to be considered carefully. The end result is multiple opportunities to circulate vertically and horizontally between floors and departments using open-aspect stairs, escalators, and elevators.
It essentially consists of two atria joined by a large central concourse, with a 2 800 m2 glazed glass roof to emphasise natural light and openness. The roof area itself has been landscaped with xeriscaping, and boasts a running track, with a fully-equipped gym, a yoga deck below, and various multi-purpose areas. Apart from comprising an exercise area, the roof itself gives workers an opportunity to pause during their normal busy working schedules.
The design of the two atria is also in line with the key concepts of wellness and holistic living. The fact that the atria are of different sizes translates into two different experiences. The larger atrium is an active, energising space, while the smaller atrium is a calming, more peaceful environment. The central concourse serves to connect the two atria, representing a sense of balance between the ‘active’ and ‘calming’ elements.
Paragon Interface also paid careful attention to the interior fit-out, especially in terms of the acoustics in the office areas and across the general floor space. This involved the use of Class A ceiling tiles, furnishings, and soft edges to the atria by using foliage. A trellis wall of greenery provides an abundant backdrop to the main reception, incorporating the Discovery logo itself, and thereby providing a subtle yet tangible link between the brand and the overarching concept of wellness.
An agile working environment means the spaces never feel crowded, and allow for staff to have various work settings, depending on their task, which D’Adorante adds is a particular achievement of the careful attention paid to the interior design. There are public spaces across the ground floor, centralised meeting rooms, and numerous retail outlets and coffee shops throughout the large volumes, which still retain an intimate scale around its workspaces.
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Notes to the Editor
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About Paragon
Paragon, established in October 1997, is an internationally-active design business, based in Johannesburg. We deliver commercial architecture, masterplanning, interior design, and space planning to visionary clients in all property sectors, from retail to residential and education.
We are committed to global urban development. We are able and agile. Paragon is flexible and diverse in its approach to design. Each project is unique and not driven by style, but by lifestyle and a response to user needs. Elegant and efficient planning form the core of our designs. We understand the needs of our clients, and know how to generate ever new architectural forms in a competitive property market.
We are known for hands-on engagement with all opportunities present in the modern global building industry. The true measure of our skill is our ability to engage at all levels and with all players that make up the colourful world of construction and property development. Our buildings look forward. We embrace the future, because we will be a part of it – part of its problems and responsibilities, and part of its great freedoms and achievements.
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