Jobsite description

The Leonardo began construction on 17 November 2015.
It is a 55 floor mixed-use property development in Sandton, Johannesburg, South Africa that stands at a height of 234 metres.
The building includes stores, a hotel and apartments. On April 2019, it became the tallest building in Africa.
A creative production team, The Trinity Session, has been commissioned to install a contempory creation in the foyer of The Leonardo.

CHRYSO expertise

VerticArt, a specialised CHRYSO product, was the material of choice when The Trinity Session, a creative production team, embarked on the curation of a sculpted representation of a cross-section through earth, showing the strata formed by tectonic plates shifting and colliding, to form the intricate patterns of geological formations.

VerticArt is a cementitious mortar specifically designed for application to vertical surfaces, to create reliefs and textures which can be sculpted and carved, allowing architects and designers to explore the decorative potential of concrete.

PRODUCTS USED

  • CHRYSO®VerticArt

Project technical challenges

The chemical makeup of VerticArt allows for a vertically applied maximum thickness of 150 mm, making it ideal for relief three-dimensional (3-D) artwork.
A zero to 48 hour carving window ensured that the artists had sufficient time to perfect the application and sculpting processes necessary to create the required 3-D effect.
5 tons of CHRYSO® VerticArt was used, covering 140 m2 and scaling a height of 15 metres (three storeys).
CHRYSO® VerticArt was applied in various thicknesses and then carved and textured using palette knives, trowels, chisels, straight edges and wire brushes.


Project participants

Client: The Leonardo
Art Production Team: The Trinity Session
Artists: Damien Grivas, Angelique Koekemoer, Ciara Struwig, MarleciaMarais, Patrick Rapai, Paul Setate and Zanre Van Der Walt

Other references

luminescent concrete by night
City infrastructure

Cammino della Corba

Nestled amidst the picturesque landscapes of Massa Fiscaglia, Ferrara, the “Cammino della Corba” serves as a vital link between the sanctuary of the Madonna della Corba and the urban center of Massa Fiscaglia.

Massa Fiscaglia, Ferrara, Italy
View reference
Cammino della Corba
City infrastructure

Tour Mohammed VI

The Mohammed VI Tower is the tallest building in Africa, rising to an impressive height of 250 metres. Located in the Moroccan city of Rabat, it was designed to be visible from a distance of 50 kilometres.

Rabat, Morocco
View reference
Tour Mohammed VI