Diagonal Street Diamond

The Diagonal Street Diamond, 11 Diagonal Street or simply the

Diamond is one of the most iconic buildings in the

Johannesburg cityscape. It stands out among the rest and

catches your attention as you enter the city from the

surrounding highways. The strong design and location of the

building in the Central Business District gives some insight

into what the city was like as the main place of business in

the region at the time of construction. Similarly, the present

cityscape tells the recent history and how the city has

changed. This essay’s aim is to better understand the city and

how this iconic building tells a story and shapes the area.

The building is situated on 11 Diagonal Street in the Central

Business District of Johannesburg. The building stands at

about 80m with 20 stories above ground and two below and

roughly 33450 m2. The buildings footprint is not rectangular

but in the shape of a diamond.

Unlike most buildings in the area, this building is not placed

in line with the streets but is rotated at a 45 degree angle.

As a result there are larger areas

of pedestrian space around the

building. These spaces are decorated with walkways around the

building leading to the main entrance, and gardens with trees

along two sides. These open spaces around the building allow a

better street view of the building, making it seem larger and

thus more impressive.

The design is based on a cut diamond and the shape was derived

by taking a rectangular block and removing corners. The

building has two different symmetrical axis, both running from

one corner to the opposite corner. The shape and finishes are

used to create the aesthetics and very few decorative elements

have been added onto the building, typical of modernist

design. The different angled planes reflect the surrounding

areas and make for spectacular early morning and late

afternoon views.

The exterior is constructed of reflective panels of light and

dark glass that are supported on an almost hidden aluminium

structure, essentially a glass curtain wall. The exterior wall

acts as shading for the inner wall. The air gap between the

exterior and interior insulates the building. The exterior

glass panels were secured to the aluminium frames with

structural silicone and these frames were then mounted on the

11 Diagonal Street Site Plan 1

building. The inner wall is made up of 50% glass. The

buildings core was constructed using slip form construction, a

construction method used with concrete structures. The floors

extend out from this core and were constructed using the

flying form construction method At one end of the building the

architect left openings allowing a look at the steel structure

and allow natural ventilation between the walls (ed. Binder,

2006).

The glass and clean design used create an impression of

wealthy and modern thinking, the ideal impression for a mining

company or a bank. The ground floor lobby is an open space

with the stairs and elevators in the middle. The glass curtain

allows light into the building. Because the building is used

by a bank, taking photos of the interior is prohibited.

The modernist design stands out among the buildings in the

CBD. The skyscrapers in the area are mostly concrete framed

structure, with the gravel coating seen all over South

Africa’s cities, which seem outdated and tired. The remaining

buildings are a mixture of styles, from Edwardian and

Victorian styles to more recent creations. 11 Diagonal Street,

however, looks and feels modern and new, as if symbolising the

future and potential of the city, even if it is already 30

years old. From construction to present time the building has

not been changed except for the redesign of the gardens to

create a more South African space.

Built for Anglo American by Helmut Jahn, the building’s

primary use was and still is office space. ABSA bought the

building in 2007 and are using it as their Johannesburg

headquarters. The building’s layout makes it perfect for

office use, with the single entrance and lobby on the ground

floor, and office and boardrooms located above. Primarily, the

users of the space are the ABSA employees and business banking

and corporate property finance customers. The building’s

modern appearance and strong presence has a reassuring effect

on the user’s confidence in the company inside, compared to it

being in a rundown building.

Completed in 1984, this building was built in a turbulent

time; both economically and politically. During this period

South Africa was facing mounting pressure to abolish

Apartheid; in the form of international sanctions and internal

violence. The economic landscape was more stable, with large

mining companies, like Anglo American, still making profits,

but sanctions were making international trade difficult.

The 1980s was the height of the anti-Apartheid protests.

Violent clashes with police, strikes in the mining sector,

attacks on national key points and bombing of government

buildings were at their highest levels yet. The wealth gap was

widening, poverty and crime in the homelands caused an influx

of people to Johannesburg. Trade regulations made trading in

the city near impossible for non-whites and pass book laws

made movement in the city difficult. The government was trying

to keep a failing system going.

Despite this, Johannesburg was still thriving. The CBD was the

main place of business; the JSE, ABSA, Anglo American and De

Beers were all there. Placing the Diagonal Diamond there was a

logical choice; in the middle of the action, with easy access

from the high ways around Johannesburg. Diagonal Street was a

place of trade for all people in all trades and one of very

few multi-racial trading areas. The Diamond was a symbol of

the wealth of The City of Gold and the bright future ahead and

for a few years this held true.

However, the political landscape changed in the 1990s. The

abolishment of pass book laws and racial area segregation laws

caused a flood of poverty stricken people into the city. In

the late 1990s urban decay took hold of Johannesburg. Poor

management of the city allowed crime levels to skyrocket,

building owners stopped doing routine maintenance letting many

fall into various states of disrepair, homeless people took

hold of vacated building and most of the large companies

including the JSE moved out of the CBD towards Sandton. Many

building were boarded up or left empty including the Ernst &

Young building. The CBD was dying and became a crime and

poverty ridden area were informal industry took over from the

large companies that had vacated the area. The fall of the CBD

was inevitable when taking into consideration the political

and economic landscape of the time. The Diamond was a symbol

of wealth, wealth that belonged to a small group. An industry

run by a minority group built on the backs of the vast

majority while simultaneously keeping the majority in poverty

is an unstable system. Anglo American, through their property

company ApexHi, still held onto the Diamond. The building’s

design and prime location still made it a good investment and

Anglo did not vacate the building. During this time the

Diamond was symbolic of the failed system, a monument to

wealth sitting in a poverty riddled city.

Since the fall of Apartheid the wealth gap has decreased and

because the city is open to all, opportunities for improvement

have increased. The thriving informal trade sector has lifted

many people out of extreme poverty. Recently these changes

have inspired people to re-examine the CBD, leading to a drive

to make Johannesburg a world class African city. With reform

policies and revival projects running in the city, it is

coming back to life.

Many of the large South African companies are coming back into

the CBD, ABSA buying 11 Diagonal Street is proof of this.

Management of certain areas have been privatised including the

area around the Diamond, forced eviction of illegally occupied

building has cleaned up some high risk areas, proper

management of trading areas has improved the use of the city,

an increase of security forces, both government and private,

are keeping the streets safe, formal and informal trading run

parallel and improved transport systems are making the city

more accessible,. Even with a wide wealth gap among the

general population, Johannesburg is becoming a city of

opportunity for all.

Over the last 30 years the Diagonal Street Diamond as a

building has not changed but the political and economic

environments have changed dramatically. The building has

remained a symbol of wealth but the audience has increased and

changed, from a minority group to all the people of

Johannesburg. The building still looks like one of the most

modern buildings in the city. Aesthetics and design play an

important part in how people interact with and use a space and

this is important if Johannesburg is to become what its people

would like it to be. Rundown or tired looking building will

keep the city back by keeping the people trapped in slow

environments. Modern looking buildings like the Diamond

inspire people to improve and have a positive outlook, driving

them to better themselves and their environments. Many

building in Johannesburg are undergoing facelifts to create a

more modern, driven environment and by observing the people

and industry in these revived places it appears to be working.

In conclusion, 11 Diagonal Street has been one of the most

iconic buildings in Johannesburg since its construction and

the building’s superb design has kept it current for 30 years

and will probably do so for time coming. The design represents

a diamond and although the city has changed and the users of

the space has changed the building still invokes the idea of

wealth. The modern design makes the space around the building

seem important and inspire a positive outlook from the users

of the space. In isolation and in the bigger picture the

Diagonal Diamond is a truly a jewel in the heart of

Johannesburg.

Refrences

Binder, G 2006, Tall Buildings of Europe, Middle East & Africa, The Images

Publishing Group, Australia.

Thomas, W Taylor, P.E. Slipformed Core Construction, Datum Engineers,

Avalible

from:<http://www.datumengineers.com/assets/files/Slipform

%20Core%281%29.pdf>[15 October 2014]

The Concrete Center, Slip Form, Avalible from:

<http://www.concretecentre.com/technical_information/building_

solutions/formwork/slip_form.aspx> [15 October 2014]

Fraser, N 2008, Diagonal Street, Avalible from:

<http://joburg.org.za/index.php?

option=com_content&task=view&id=2855&Itemid=58>[14 October

2014]

Fraser, N 2008, Diagonal Street, Part2, Avalible from:

<http://joburg.org.za/index.php?

option=com_content&view=article&id=2881:diagonal-street-

again&catid=168:citichat-2008&Itemid=291> [14 October 2014]

Fraser, N 2008, The Changing city, Part2, Avalible from:

<http://joburg.org.za/index.php?

option=com_content&task=view&id=1041&Itemid=58> [14 October

2014]

The History of Newtown, Avalible from:

<http://www.newtown.co.za/heritage/history>[15 October 2014]

Diagonal Street, Avalible from:

<http://www.gauteng.net/attractions/entry/diagonal_street/

>[17 October 2014]

O'Malley, P n.d., 1984, Avalible from: <

http://www.nelsonmandela.org/omalley/index.php/site/q/03lv0153

8/04lv01539/05lv01573/06lv01578.htm> [17 October 2014]

Couver Image: Avalible from: www.gauteng.net,

11_Diagonal_Street-620x414 [20 October 2014]

11 Diagonal Street Plan1:

Binder, G 2006, Tall Buildings of Europe, Middle East & Africa

11 Diagonal Street

Angelique Kieser

816700