In the short time since its unveiling, the SACOS warehouse has become an iconic local landmark with popular appeal, all units have been pre-let and there is now a waiting list for the building.
The project consists of 500 m2 of warehousing with offices on the island of Mahé for the country’s largest insurance company. The entire steel portal frame structure is constructed from hot dip galvanized steel including all the staircases and door frames.
The main façade is reminiscent of Victorian warehouses with a saw-tooth roof, a bold singularity of form and crisp corrugated metal cladding. At the lower level, a cool light grey matches the concrete apron, contrasting sharply against the deep claret of the upper level, which reflects the client’s branding. This is accentuated and complimented by a stripped down, simple and formal approach to openings and fixings. The sliding screens are a playful reference to loading bay doors and crane arms found in older warehouses, with the introduction of graphic and way-finding elements to give function and identity.
Internally, the entire footprint is given over to warehousing with a small administrative office and WC linked to each unit. The steel portal frame has been designed to allow for an extension to the upper level if a tenant needs to expand their administrative facilities. The self-finished galvanized steel used throughout the building’s support frame and ancillary steelwork accentuates the historic industrial nature of warehousing. At the same time this also blends in with the material palette that has been used to elevate what could have been prosaic.
1 | The main façade is reminiscent of Victorian warehouses with a saw-tooth roof, a bold singularity of form and crisp corrugated metal cladding
2+3 | The self-finished galvanized steel used throughout the building’s support frame and ancillary steelwork accentuates the historic industrial nature of warehousing.
Photos © Michele Panzeri
