International Convention Centre - Durban
The building is located on the site of the Durban Central Prison. The site is equidistant from Durban’s major attractions and is well served by vehicular arterial routes. It presented an opportunity for post-apartheid Durban to heal the urban fabric and develop an international convention centre that would create a forum for discussion, debate and the sharing of knowledge.
The concept of the building as both an integrator and generator of public movement was developed together with the belief that the activities and events within should be visible and arouse public curiosity and result in an ever-increasing awareness and participation for the people of Durban with the building.
Thus the public face of the ICC was wrapped entirely in glass, full height and end to end, lightly supported on nautically inspired steel structure and protected from the tropical African sunlight by the deep overhangs of the lightweight roof. The fundamental design principal is that the roof floats and sits lightly on a series of steel posts, which support the transparent walling element.
The undulating curves of the roof of the ICC, with their reference to ocean swells that form Durban’s surf have become an icon for modern, outward looking Durban. The original concept, devised by Lance Smith, who led the design process, was a wave forming cross section. However, the large volume spatial requirements of the conference and exhibition areas required a simple long span uncomplicated roof enclosure. A single flowing roof form rises to acknowledge the double storey break away venues and then dips over the single-level sections of the concourse to create a cyclical rhythm as an organic response to the design requirements.
The building is located on the site of the Durban Central Prison. The site is equidistant from Durban’s major attractions and is well served by vehicular arterial routes. It presented an opportunity for post-apartheid Durban to heal the urban fabric and develop an international convention centre that would create a forum for discussion, debate and the sharing of knowledge.
The concept of the building as both an integrator and generator of public movement was developed together with the belief that the activities and events within should be visible and arouse public curiosity and result in an ever-increasing awareness and participation for the people of Durban with the building.
Thus the public face of the ICC was wrapped entirely in glass, full height and end to end, lightly supported on nautically inspired steel structure and protected from the tropical African sunlight by the deep overhangs of the lightweight roof. The fundamental design principal is that the roof floats and sits lightly on a series of steel posts, which support the transparent walling element.
The undulating curves of the roof of the ICC, with their reference to ocean swells that form Durban’s surf have become an icon for modern, outward looking Durban. The original concept, devised by Lance Smith, who led the design process, was a wave forming cross section. However, the large volume spatial requirements of the conference and exhibition areas required a simple long span uncomplicated roof enclosure. A single flowing roof form rises to acknowledge the double storey break away venues and then dips over the single-level sections of the concourse to create a cyclical rhythm as an organic response to the design requirements.
Comment on the ICCD for SABC magazine program Architecture ZA
First Floor Plan
Drawings of curtain wall developmentfor the KwaZulu-Natal Institute for Architecture journal article on the InternationalConvention Centre – Durban. Issue 1/1999, Volume no. 24:
