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Located on a landlocked site on Windhoek’s
Independence Avenue, the Namlex Chambers office complex for the
Namibian Legal Practitioners’ Trust is very much a reflection of its
urban context conceptually: apart from responding confidently to the
role of ‘corner’ building by virtue of its height and in the manner
it acknowledges the important vehicular junction with John Meinert
Street, it also serves as sensitive architectural infill along a
street façade comprised of mainly two- and three-storey buildings.
The Namlex Chambers complex not only succeeds
in reinforcing the existing urban node as defined by the surrounding
urban landscape, but the curvilinear plan of its office tower is a
gesture that affords occupants panoramic views of the nearby
magistrates and high courts in acknowledgement of the formal
relationship existing between these institutions and the legal
fraternity.
The economics of utilising the ground floor as
commercial space – and of locating the parking floors above ground –
dictated the use of a podium floated on columns with glazed shop
fronts behind. The podium height matches that of its 2 -3 storey
neighbours. In the planning stage, the practical need for a central
building core in relation to the five-storey office tower competed
strongly with the commercial sense of utilizing the full street
frontage: a right-of-way vehicular access from the rear was
negotiated to circumvent the problem of the already restricted
street frontage.
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The office tower lay-out is organized around a
central building core, thereby keeping the area dedicated to primary
circulation to a minimum. Cellular offices are arranged along the
north, east, and south façades, with open office space provided at
the rear of the building.
Despite the site’s prominent east orientation
onto Independence Avenue, it was possible to utilise a north-south
orientation for the office tower. Recessed windows, canopies, and
the use of horizontal sun louvres along the north and east façades,
provide the necessary sun-control without sacrificing the occupants’
views. The western façade has no fenestration except for a
light-well.
Office space is air-conditioned while the parking garages are
ventilated by natural means.
The Namlex Chambers building complex was completed well below
budget. It was granted an Award of Merit (Highly Recommended) by the
Namibia Institute of Architects in 1999
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Namlex
Chambers
