Through Corporate architecture you communicate aspects of the identity of your organization, we help you tell the story. Intentional Façade design not only creates a unique landmark building but also contributes to your indoor quality that directly affects your overall energy usage, maintenance and ultimately your pocket. We specialize in bringing the dream to life, be it on a Greenfields site or by the transformation of a pre-existing building. The highest cost per m² of the floor plate lies in the common areas with high-end finishes. The answer lies firstly in an efficient design that provides more lettable space per m² of common area and secondly in choosing durable materials and finishes that lasts with low maintenance, while allowing for flexibility and change through clever signage design.
Energy efficient buildings have become paramount and with current constraints on energy and water provision, even more so. In order to deliver an efficient and on-time project, all service trades need to be planned around each other and for the specific building use. We fulfil the key role between all consultants to ensure the team delivers a project that is not only Greenstar rated (Design or As-built) but also fully functional. Proper co-ordination saves time and money. Beyond Greenstar, eToolLCD looks at Life Cycle assessment of a building ultimately aiming at Nett Zero buildings. Our experience in correct specification, building technology and transport of materials assists in aiming for this ideal state.
Economies have grown and with it the built environment. Unfortunately, the focus has too often been on the buildings themselves, and the fabric in-between has been forgotten. With a fast-paced life, it has become even harder to find time for the outdoors and nature, no wonder we find ourselves drawn to it… We find the potential where other are not even looking for space utilization.
STREET FURNITURE & URBAN FABRIC – We have a passion for upgrading the forgotten through human scale urban design. We work closely with landscape architects to create moments to meet, to eat, to train, to wait, to meditate and simply to be. This includes custom designed street furniture, bins, signage pylons, canopies and even pop-up retail.
LIGHTING DESIGN – Another major contributor to any setting created is proper lighting design. Dependent on the setting you want to create, you can make use of ambient, task, accent or decorative lighting. By the choice of lighting element implemented one can influence the mood of a patron. Applying lighting correctly can create the illusion of a canopy where there is none, or space where it is limited. Lighting further plays a major role in way finding and ease of use of a space (be it external or internal). One often finds that the light emitted becomes more important than the fitting itself, and thus it becomes paramount to have the correct lighting design in mind from the beginning as it might form part of your pergola, steps or even balustrade…
The biggest challenge of achieving a client’s brief is normally helping them define it. Through years of experience, we have created systems to help streamline this process and ultimately help you define your requirements beyond the foreseeable future. As Covid has taught us, nothing is certain, and we need to be able to adapt on a continual basis. Once the brief has been defined it gets translated into space plans to ensure the building earmarked is fit for your purpose and requirements. We are able to provide you with standalone space planning and interior design services, but we also have partners standing by to provide TurnKey solutions for those looking for a one stop shop.
From approved space plans we can either incorporate your Corporate Identity into the interior design or help you define such. The Interior Design process brings 3-dimensional life to the layout and includes the application of materials, colours and elements such as ceilings and feature walls to create a wholistic design in-line with your organizations’ culture. These materials do not only need to be aesthetically pleasing but must require low maintenance and be sustainable from cradle to grave. They further have a massive impact on the acoustic quality of a room which has a large influence on the productivity of your staff, according to the WELL-design standards.
The interior design process simultaneously informs and is completed by the choice and design of furniture used. These two processes normally run parallel with the final procurement of furniture being the later action. Furniture is personal and ergonomics play a massive role. The process is normally quite extensive to allow for iterations and options to get the right mix of furniture within the allowed budget. The process further includes custom designed furniture and joinery such as benches, reception counters, serveries and shelving. Again, our choice of materials remain practical, sustainable and affordable.
The final piece of furniture is the art on the wall. Graphic design goes beyond framed canvases on the wall and includes acoustic wall panels, custom designed printed wallpaper, custom designed vinyl for privacy on glass partitions, decals for ceilings and even light boxes for prayer rooms. Signage design also makes or breaks the overall design, and we can assist both externally and internal with timelines, company logos, feature directional signage and general wayfinding.
Retail architecture needs to not only entice the visitor, but also be practical in terms of sun angles, glare and application. Some elements need to pop, while others need to be quiet to allow for a tenant’s own identity to shine through and always leave enough space for signage walls… With retail refurbishments as focus we can help bring new life to a forgotten centre, leading to more feet and new leases with the right tenants. We comfortably navigate within a limited budget as we understand the business model. We work together with the consultant team to offer a viable and sustainable solution.
We understand the high requirement for durable materials and finishes and the impact corner or column protection has against trollies. The better the detail is designed, the longer the solution lasts. We can also assist with base build drawings of existing shops to allow for the planning of new shops and even get involved in tenant fit-outs themselves.
CAMPUS DESIGN & LECTURE HALLS – Designing buildings on a live campus often means intense planning around pedestrian routes and safety measures. End user flow plays an important role as corridors and walkways need to be able to accommodate a large number of users in a short time period. For campus and school design it even starts at pick-up, drop-off and parking planning. A campus requires a layered approach to pedestrian and vehicular flows to avoid the two meeting as far as possible. We understand that, once inside, accessibility, natural light and acoustics play a large role in lecture hall design. Here our choice of floor and wall finishes together with ceiling design (in collaboration with acoustic specialists) becomes integral to the functional capabilities of the space. If you thought retail architecture had “durable finishes” as a pre-requisite, you have not come across educational architecture where you have to design for an end-user that would step, climb and hang where no-one would expect. We have found it helps to plan these into the design, rather than be caught off-guard.
LABORATORIES – With secondary and tertiary institutions there is always a laboratory with very specific requirements. Our experience in computer, electronic, mechanical, chemical, vehicular and pharmaceutical production labs equip us to specify the correct finishes and fittings (IP-rated) for the application. We co-ordinate the services with the entire consultant team and lead the process for custom designed lab benches equipped with all services, extract and drainage that may be required for the specific laboratory’s needs.
LIBRARIES & STUDENT CENTRES – For some reason, in a digitally driven world, there is something precious about a library filled with paperback books. We strive to design libraries that not only accommodate all forms of hard copy but also allows for the end user to take in the content it’s surrounded by. Naturally acoustics, natural light and fresh air plays a major role and directly impacts the time a visitor would spend within the space. As you cannot ignore the digital world, we have been privileged to design digital libraries where students are able to work on computers pre-loaded with expensive design software to contribute to future possibilities. There is a further need for group design sessions where they require privacy, sound isolation and means to display each member’s work. In the above scenarios the electrical and electronic backbone becomes paramount, yet through clever design of the substructure and custom furniture such can be hidden to the user. All student centres require break-away spaces for a quick rest to refocus the mind, but then the acoustic treatment of noise at source becomes paramount. Due to high volumes and the requirement for natural light and ventilation, floating acoustic ceilings and absorptive furniture material provides the best solution for such.
AUDITORIA – When designing auditoria, the most important (yet invisible) element is the design for alternative user flows at different times of the day which turned out to be our biggest challenge on a live campus. Different flows need to happen simultaneously without clashing or interrupting each other. The approach to an auditorium sets the tone of the event. Here acoustic treatment plays as big a role as on the inside of the auditorium. Foyers need to naturally provide access to ticket sales, serveries, lounging areas and ablutions. Visitors need to flow freely across the durable stain-free surfaces and be guided by indirect finishing lines and clever signage. During the day natural light is critical and at night custom lighting design can change the setting created. Once inside the auditorium, ergonomics, views and acoustics dictate the design as all elements secretly contribute to the user experience of the event.
HERITAGE – There’s a high probability of working on a heritage building when working on a campus, as most have existed for over 100 years. We’ve had our share of intense heritage processes that even included workshops with some of the masters of our time. Touch lightly, respect the old and be distinguishable. In doing so, we even opted to be timeless and have designed façade elements that will in future become an external glass billboard to digitally portray the events to be hosted. Stay current but be timeless…
HEALTH CARE – The journey to recovery is an emotional one. We have done extensive research in the influence of colour and texture on the emotive. From arrival a patient needs to feel welcome, safe and hopeful of recovery. Directional guidance can be given by the introduction of transition lines in the floor and ceilings. The use of absorbent materials assists in treating noise levels that further impacts the user. Naturally resistant finishes are paramount to achieving a healthy and safe environment. Patient and process flows are key to the layout design of the premise. We can assist with the design and fit-out of Medical clinics, Doctor’s consulting rooms, dentists, beauty salons, etc.
SHOWROOMS & LABS – For any showroom or lab, the shell needs to be able to accommodate the complex lab or showroom fit-out it is going to host and the more future proof the better. This means highly resistant surfaces and easy access to service installations and refurbishments. With service co-ordination at it’s core, we specialize in unpacking the lab’s requirements to ensure all service installation comply and we even take this further to custom designed lab benches to host all services required. Safety and security play another mayor role in providing a functional lab, as we’ve learnt in our experience with chemical, mechanical, vehicle, electronic, electrical and pharmaceutical manufacturing labs.
WAREHOUSES – We either get involved in the shell of the warehouse design, or we jump in at the tenant fit-out stage to assist with space planning, interior design of offices, staff canteens, etc. Our knowledge in surface requirements to suite a warehouse environment assists greatly to ensure that a corporation’s warehouse staff do not receive second tier offices as opposed to their head office in a corporate environment. We further understand the different flows between warehouse floor staff and the office component and security measures, and wayfinding required to manage such.
WAREHOUSE SHOWROOMS – Whether you require a new warehouse or the refurbishment of an existing structure, we can assist. We believe architecture influences the perception of your company’s corporate identity. We further accept that the project needs to be feasible and can therefor assist in providing a solution that not only celebrates your business but also suits your pocket. Through understanding the different movements of delivery vehicles, picking and packing processes, racking requirements, client collection areas, warehouse staff, office staff, showroom requirements, client flows and even training facilities, we offer an integrated design solution.
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madi@dotink.co.za
(+27)72 288 8969
Dot Ink Designs (Pty) Ltd
2017/402935/07
