Architect and Builder August/September 2019 | Page 24

MONTPELIER SQUARE, MORNINGSIDE, DURBAN
Montpelier Square is situated in the
heart of Durban’s sought-after suburb of
Morningside. Renowned for its superb
location, Morningside is about 2 km inland
from the Indian Ocean, close to Durban’s
city centre, Golden Mile beachfronts, sports
stadiums, good schools and shopping
centres. The development is bound by
Sandile Thusi (Argyle) Road, Montpelier
Road and Cowey Road, creating a unique
silhouette within the City’s skyline.
The 14-storey mixed-use development
comprises 113 luxury apartments positioned
above 3,000m² of ground floor retail
shopping. The retail offering will include a
national anchor tenant as well as restau-
rants, convenience stores and general food
and clothing retailers. There will also be
24
640m 2 of prime office space, all formed
around an existing underground Victorian
reservoir. The reservoir was built in the
1800’s and abandoned due to the ever-
growing city’s demands, but will now form
the heart of the development.
The vaulted brickwork structure is the
centrepiece to the public square and retail
component of the building. The iconic form
rises around the protected heritage structure
towards the uninterrupted views over
Durban. The form is articulated in relation
to the pedestrian movement, Florida Road
and the adjacent public space. Composed of
three elements, the spiral ramp suspended
over the vaulted reservoir accentuates the
heart of the development whilst providing
drive-up access to the residential apartments.
Construction will start in the first half of
2020 and will be completed in the first half
of 2022.
Architects: FWJK Architecture
Development: FWJK Developments
Quantity Surveyors:
FWJK Quantity Surveyors
Project Managers: HPM Solutions
Structural and Civil Engineers:
NJV Consulting Engineers
Electrical Engineers:
RWP Consulting Engineers
Fire Engineers:
Umlilo Consulting Engineers
Traffic Engineer: Jinyela
Heritage Consultant:
Emmet Architects
Project Watch