A gem tucked away in the City of Dar-es-Salaam,  attempts to respond to its context authentically, appropriately and aesthetically.   

Client – A Global Insurance firm, made a decision of moving to a purpose built office accommodation in a leafy suburb of a predominantly residential peninsula in Dar-es-Salaam city, Tanzania, East Africa. Guidelines dictated a compact Ground + One structure.

Brief – The project needed to express a contemporary organization with the promise of “solid commitment of purpose”. The client required to appropriately house records, meeting rooms, managerial staff and establishing a strong connection with its green surroundings. Above all, the project needed to create a “humane working environment” for a cross-cultural staff structure.

Our Response – The evolution of the design started with the inception of three giant concrete cabinets to accommodate archival storage systems and services. These concrete cabinets which sit on the green also form the principle enclosure and “structure / order” of the building.

The Roof Element – Architecture in the tropics is about negotiating the elements. Roofs play a very vital role in the primary defense against these elements. A blade thin canopy, a contemporary interpretation of the local Makuti (thatch) roof bandas on local homes, which over-sails unequally over the glazing and responds to solar incidence.

At the upper level, the concrete cabinets form a surround of sill level storage. The entire perimeter of the work place is enclosed by a single glazing, allowing the complete upper level to receive glare-free natural sunlight. The refuge of the roof also allows for keeping the windows open on many days of the year, thus saving on energy costs.

A terrace attached to the entertainment lounge at the upper level encourages the use of outdoor space and connects via a metal stair to the green lawns below.
Here, a copper cascade, allows a fall to liven a sheet of reflective water along the principal meeting rooms at ground level.

Sanjeev Panjabi & Sangeeta Merchant
Partners
SPASM Design Architects