View source for Standard Bank Centre

{{Short description|Headquarters for Standard Bank in Johannesburg, South Africa}}
{{About|office building in the Johannesburg Central Business District|the building in Marshalltown, Johannesburg|Standard Bank Building}}
{{Infobox building
| name             = Standard Bank Centre
| native_name      = 78 Fox Street
| native_name_lang = 
| image            = JHFMARS Standard Bank Centre, cnr Fox, Hollard, Main and Simmonds str Johannesburg St no 1116010 - Copy.jpg
| caption          = The Standard Bank Centre, Fox Str
| alternate_names  = Hanging Building;<br/> 78 Fox Street<ref name="Heritage"/>
| architectural_style = [[Futurist architecture|Futurism]];<br/> [[Modern architecture|Modern]]
| location         = [[Johannesburg]], [[South Africa]]
| address          = 78 Fox Street, [[Central Business District (Johannesburg)|Central Business District]]
| coordinates      = {{coord|26.206594|S|28.039383|E|type:landmark_region:ZA-GT|display=inline,title}}
| status           = Complete
| start_date       = 1966
| completion_date  = 1968
| opened_date      = 1968
| building_type    = Business-use;<br/> Office
| architectural    = {{convert|139|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
| tip              = {{convert|139|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
| roof             = {{convert|139|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
| material         = Concrete
| floor_count      = 34
| floor_area       = {{convert|30,000|m2|ft2|0|abbr=on}}
| architect        = Hentrich Petschnigg & Partners
| structural_engineer = [[Ove Arup & Partners]]
| main_contractor  = Concor Limited
| references       = <ref name="CTBUH">{{cite web |url=https://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/standard-bank-centre/4368 |title=Standard Bank Centre |website=The Skyscraper Center |publisher=[[Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat]] |access-date=September 14, 2019}}</ref><ref name="Emporis"/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=5286 |title=Standard Bank Centre |website=skyscraperpage.com |publisher=[[SkyscraperPage]] |access-date=September 14, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://structurae.net/en/structures/standard-bank-centre-johannesburg |title=Standard Bank Centre Johannesburg |website=structurae.net |publisher=[[Structurae]] |access-date=September 15, 2019}}</ref><ref name="The Heritage Register">{{cite web |url=http://www.heritageregister.org.za/listing/standard-bank-towers-marshalls-town |title=Standard Bank Towers Marshalls Town |website=heritageregister.org.za |publisher=The Heritage Register |access-date=September 30, 2019}}</ref><ref name="Artefacts">{{cite web |url=https://www.artefacts.co.za/main/Buildings/bldgframes.php?bldgid=10199 |title=Standard Bank Centre |website=artefacts.co.za |publisher=Artefacts |access-date=September 14, 2019}}</ref>{{sfn|Binder|2006|p=105}}
| highest_region   = Africa
| highest_start    = 1968
| highest_end      = 1970
| highest_next     = [[Trust Bank Building]]
}}

The '''Standard Bank Centre''' (also known as the '''Hanging Building''' or the '''78 Fox Street''')<ref name="Heritage">{{cite web |url=http://www.theheritageportal.co.za/article/famous-hanging-building-78-fox-street |title=The Famous Hanging Building at 78 Fox Street |website=theheritageportal.co.za |publisher=The Heritage Portal |first=Letitia |last=Myburgh |date=January 22, 2016 |access-date=September 14, 2019}}</ref> is a [[skyscraper]] in [[Johannesburg]], [[South Africa]]. It is located at the corner of 27 Simmonds Street and 78 Fox Street in the [[Central Business District (Johannesburg)|Central Business District]] of the city. Construction of the building started in 1966 and was completed in 1968. It is {{convert|139|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} tall.<ref name="CTBUH"/> It was also home to [[Standard Bank]], until the company moved to a new site in 1990.<ref name="Heritage"/>

The building was built from the top-down, meaning that after the central core was built, the floors were suspended from [[cantilever]]ed arms with the top floors added first, followed by each lower floor.<ref name="Emporis">{{cite web |url=http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=standardbankcentre-johannesburg-southafrica |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070210190159/http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=standardbankcentre-johannesburg-southafrica |url-status=usurped |archive-date=February 10, 2007 |title=Standard Bank Centre |website=[[Emporis]] |access-date=April 1, 2008}}</ref><ref name="Artefacts"/>

== Design ==
The challenge for the designers - the German architect [[Helmut Hentrich]] (1905–2001) and the Austrian architect [[Hubert Petschnigg]] (1913–1997), who planned the skyscraper in collaboration with the British-Danish-Norwegian engineer [[Ove Arup]] (1895–1988) - was to find a spacious square in the crowded [[Johannesburg CBD]] to anchor an office building. To keep space used to a minimum, they adopted the "hanging" design.{{sfn|Binder|2006|p=104}}

Apart from the [[concrete]] core tower, the Standard Bank Centre was built by [[Concor]] of precast [[reinforced concrete]] slabs, [[glass]], and [[steel]]. The plastic molds in which the concrete slabs were cast gave them a distinctive shape. The steel [[girder]]s used for the balustrades are 1.5 m high and 24.6 m long. A special [[slewing]] [[crane (machine)|crane]] was designed for the project to lift and mount a quarter of each floor level. Concrete was delivered by night to the construction site to minimize traffic obstruction.{{sfn|Binder|2006|p=104}}

The office building stretches to 39 stories, of which five are underground. The lower two stories house the computer center, including the evaluation center with a staff of 300. The bank room offers access to the [[safe]] tower stretching through all the lower floors, with delivery access through the lower parking lot. The windows use tinted glass with laminated double [[glazing (window)|glazing]] for sunlight protection. No special arrangements need to be made for [[window cleaner|window cleaning]], since the 60-cm balustrades make cleaning the outer pane easy. Air vents are located in the corners of the facade. The office is 9.7 m wide. The hanging design eliminates the need for pillars.{{sfn|Binder|2006|p=104}}

== References ==
=== Citations ===
{{reflist}}

=== Books ===
* {{cite book |last1=Binder |first1=Georges |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jM7Si40vJ1YC&q=Standard+Bank+Centre |title=Tall Buildings of Europe, the Middle East and Africa |date=2006 |publisher=The Images Publishing Group |location=Mulgrave, Victoria, Australia |isbn=1876907819 |oclc=966227928 |access-date=September 14, 2019}}

== Further reading ==
* {{cite book |first=Helmut |last=Hentrich |title=Standard Bank Centre Johannesburg |date=1970 |publisher=Standard Bank Investment Corporation Limited |isbn=9781876907815 |place=Johannesburg |oclc=42286308}}

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{{S-ach|rec}}
{{S-bef|before=[[Schlesinger Building]]|rows=4}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[List of tallest buildings in Africa|Tallest building in Africa]]<br /><small>139 m (456 ft)</small>|years=1968&nbsp;– 1970}}
{{S-aft|after=[[Johannesburg Sun Hotel|Tollman Towers]] and<br />[[Trust Bank Building]]|rows=3}}
{{s-break}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[List of tallest buildings in South Africa|Tallest building in South Africa]]<br /><small>139 m (456 ft)</small>|years=1968&nbsp;– 1970}}
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{{S-ttl|title=[[List of tallest buildings in Johannesburg|Tallest building in Johannesburg]]<br /><small>139 m (456 ft)</small>|years=1968&nbsp;– 1970}}
{{s-break}}
{{S-ttl|title=Building in Africa with the most floors<br /><small>34</small>|years=1968&nbsp;– 1970}}
{{S-aft|after=[[Johannesburg Sun Hotel|Tollman Towers]]}}
{{S-end}}

{{JoburgSkyscrapers}}
{{Greater Johannesburg|city}}

[[Category:Skyscraper office buildings in Johannesburg]]
[[Category:Office buildings completed in 1968]]
[[Category:Heritage Buildings in Johannesburg]]
[[Category:20th-century architecture in South Africa]]