Tia Kanakakis, the partner at MDS Architecture
who led the project, says that the architecture and
materials are inspired by the geological beauty
of Africa and that the development is a tribute
to local talent. “We wanted the Mall of Africa
to set a new benchmark in retail design. The
combination of excellent architecture and leasing
expertise within a new urban framework intended
Mall of Africa
to provide the catalyst for a new CBD. It was
designed and developed by Africans and can stand
proudly amongst the best retail developments
internationally,” she says.
In the initial design brief, the retail leasable
area was 110,000m² but, during construction, the
client decided to increase the area to 130,000m²
of Gross Leasable Area due to demand.
27