PROJECTWATCH
PROPOSED, CURRENT AND FUTURE PROJECTS FROM SOUTH AFRICA AND ABROAD
PROJECTVIEW
OLD MINT PARK
Leading South African property developer and investor Atterbury has begun construction on Old Mint Park, a prime industrial development neighbouring the landmark South African Mint and fronting the N1 highway, centrally located between Midrand and Centurion. The development is a joint venture between Atterbury and Old Mutual Properties that will see a new state of the art 65,000m 2 industrial park. The first building under construction is a business unit development offering premises ranging from 500m 2 to 2,500m 2 in a single 10,000m 2 building. Concurrently constructed with this is a second building of 4,500m 2 of warehouse and office space. One of the development’ s biggest draw cards is its location. It is positioned centrally between Johannesburg and Pretoria, where Midrand meets Centurion. It enjoys excellent frontage on the busiest stretch of highway in Southern Africa and is conveniently situated between the N1- Brakfontein interchange, Old Johannesburg and Pretoria Main roads, and the Samrand on- and off-ramps.
MENLYN LINK
National property developer FWJK has secured land in Menlyn to develop a new 85,000m ² sectional title mixed-use building consisting of ground and first floor retail, a 450 learner crèche, multi-tenant sectional title office suites, residential apartments and luxury penthouse suites, according to Rhys Rocke, regional director of FWJK.
This R1.9bn development dubbed‘ Menlyn Link’ will be situated between Menlyn Park Shopping Centre and the Menlyn Maine Central Square Precinct on Lois Avenue. Menlyn Link will assume the mantle of the tallest building in the greater Menlyn area at 26 storeys, changing the Menlyn skyline and offering 360 º views.
Rocke elaborated by saying that,“ Menlyn Link offers a range of one, two, three and four bedroom apartments as well as five bedroom penthouses. With the convenient ground floor shops and restaurants providing a vibrant retail experience together with the rooftop club house, tennis court and swimming pool, residents will have various desirable amenities at hand to name a few. Those working in the P-Grade office suites will truly experience a first of its kind in Menlyn with a‘ work-play-live’ lifestyle.”
The development will be undertaken on the basis of the FWJK Co-Development at Cost Methodology giving investors the opportunity to partake in owning equity in the project at the brick and mortar cost which is roughly 30 % below market prices.
Menlyn is fast becoming a dynamic live, work, play node in Pretoria which presents architectural challenges that create iconic design solutions due to the scale of construction and the lifestyle that Menlyn offers.
It was important to enhance pedestrian activity on the ground, and to achieve this special attention was paid to human scale elements. There is a colonnade running along the Lois Avenue interface, with modern glass boxes cantilevering out over the drop off zone and plaza, as well as trees, shrubs, hard landscaping features and ever changing sculptures to scale the building down at street level.
Above ground level there are vertical columns pushing upwards at regular intervals to draw the eye to the office levels on the 5th and 6th floors – a trick used to disguise the three levels of parking between the retail and office levels. The office levels punch out in a bold wrapping box-like form which creates a‘ cap’ at the top of the podium before the residential levels begin.
The residential accommodation comprises two towers rising out of the podium. Between these two towers is park-like courtyard with planting boxes, timber decking and lawn interspersed with paving creating a safe, relaxed atmosphere. Also on the podium level is the crèche which is intended to serve the building as well as the public. Children will have ample area
12 Project Watch