Alice Lane Towers reshapes Johannesburgs skyline

Commercial property has gained momentum and is changing the metropolitan landscape of Sandton, and one such gem that stands out above the rest – The Alice Lane Towers located on the western side of Sandton Central. The Alice Lane Towers are nestled in the upmarket area of Sandton, the location for some of the most prime commercial property in Africa. 

The building itself has pushed the boundaries in terms of architectural innovation and it has set the benchmark by being the first sky scraper in Sandton with a curved outer exterior made from low energy glass. The building is made out of concrete, aluminium and glass. It was completed in 2010 and the addition of this prime commercial property to the area, provides much sought after Sandton office space. It is built on top of a six-storey basement parking. The towers stand 17 storeys high, and the building is 26 000 meters squared.

Alice Lane Towers has been dubbed the Dancing Towers, due to its vibrant energy, thrilling and cruvacious façade. It was designed by Paragon Architects, for the developers ZenProp Holdings and Tiber Projects. It is the head office for law firm Norton Rose Attorneys , however The Alice Lane Towers are not the typical commercial architecture found in Sandton, which is generally of a conservative nature. The architecture and the design were driven mainly by sustainability and innovation. 

The development of the Alice Lane Towers commercial property is seen as an iconic milestone in investment in Johannesburg and the Sandton commercial node; The buildings efficiency and environmental friendliness, coupled with the high quality office space available make this a landmark building in Sandton. Not only have the standards of South African building design been challenged, but this development has also redefined and reshaped the skyline of metropolitan Johannesburg.

The highest level of attention to detail was considered in terms of the buildings construction, material selection was driven by energy efficiency and functionality. The eastern and western facades are thermally shielded with punched windows to reduce the impact of the heat on glazed areas and the northern and southern facades are double-glazed to reduce energy expenses. The interior of the building is designed to ensure that the wings of the northern and southern facades are sheltered and shaded with blinds to reduce the heat of the sun. 

The building true to its innovative design has won numerous awards such as the 2011 Fulton Award for Innovative Technologies and the 2011 SAPOA Innovative Excellence in Commercial Property Development as the overall victor as well as the best commercial development in 2011. Alice Lane Towers was voted as one of Johannesburg’s Top 10 coolest buildings by City Peaks, the people’s building awards in 2015.

For more information on The Alice Lane Towers watch this video where one of the architects from Paragon Architects explains in some more detail, the inner and outer workings of this iconic commercial property.