When Investec Asset Management rebranded as Ninety One, it also moved into new premises at Menlyn Maine in Pretoria. Paragon Interface, the interior architecture company of the Paragon Group, was tasked with the company’s new corporate identity.
Developed by Barrow Properties, Menlyn Maine is situated in the heart of Pretoria’s eastern suburbs. It is ideally located to take full advantage of the newly-upgraded Garsfontein and Atterbury highway intersections.
Associate Kirsty Schoombie comments that Paragon Interface was an ideal fit for this project as it has accumulated considerable experience in hi-tech financial services fit-outs. Its most recent projects in this regard were for Bidvest Financial Services and Peregrine Capital and Citadel Wealth Management, both at 1 Park Lane in Sandton, Johannesburg.
Apart from the usual hi-tech services required by a financial services company, such as a trading area and audio-visual equipment, Ninety One also has a large function area where key clients can be hosted. In addition, the office is an official Disaster Recovery Area, and therefore has to be able to accommodate 40 people during an emergency.
“We had to ensure that the furniture we specified was sufficiently versatile and functional for presentation, training and entertainment purposes,” explains Schoombie. The colour palette of Ninety One’s new corporate identity (CI) is based on a combination of teal, ochre and pink, which translates into a fresh new look for the company.
“It is a functional, hi-tech space that also has to appear warm and inviting to clients, while conveying the brand’s image as being young and dynamic,” adds Schoombie. Internal planting was also incorporated as a design feature.
“This is definitely a flagship project for us. Apart from continuing our successful track record in the financial services sector, we also have a real opportunity to forge a long-standing client relationship with Ninety One going forward as it continues its new CI in other offices,” concludes Schoombie.
