d+a | Issue 116 • Jun/July 2020

/ COMMERCIAL / 26 Says Zeidler, “As an architect, you change, hopefully. Of course, it’s not going to be a duplication of the existing. The idea for those roofs come from the surroundings. “You have the contours of hills, slopes, different formations. So I thought it was a nice answer to have the roofs in irregular pitches, a poetic response.” ABOUT PRACTICALITY While the new extension may at first glance appear playful, it is nevertheless rooted in pragmatism. “Pitched roofs in general work better in this climate in the long term, especially with leaves and water discharge. So in our response there is always both; it’s not just pure form, it’s also about practicality,” Zeidler emphasises. She adds that the Onduline roofing and cladding material, a bituminous corrugate, possesses insulating properties on top of its rich dark brown aesthetic, able to reduce noise from rainfall when compared to standard metal deck roof systems. The approach to the extension’s structure and materiality is in congruence with the original; concrete plinths are used, ABOVE. The use of materials such as cement board, coloured cement and different finishes of concrete adds to a diaspora of surfaces. SUSANNE ZEIDLER, PARTNER, ZLG