THE RIVERSHED BRINGS EXCITING RETAIL OPTIONS TO PARYS
Parys is a small town on the Vaal river characterised predominantly by small shops on the high street ( Bree street ) catering for tourists from JHB , Pretoria , Bloemfontein and Potchefstroom .
The retail offering was very haphazard , with a lack of convenience parking and deteriorating infrastructure .
The brief for The Rivershed development was therefore to offer the town a convenient shopping environment on the high street with excellent access to parking and infrastructure . In doing this it was crucial that the centre act as an extension to the town and that it complemented the architecture of Parys .
The site is a consolidation of 8 residential sites facing away from the high street and 2 commercial sites on Bree Street . The site is located on the west end of the town and forms the entry from Bloemfontein . It is surrounded by single storey residential homes and scattered commercial single storey buildings . The scale of the centre was critical in its integration and response to its surroundings .
The Brief The planning addresses the brief by allowing for a ‘ U ’ shaped shopping centre layout . The 2 corners of the ‘ U ’ accommodate the anchor tenants ( Checkers & Westpack ) with ± 400 parking bays positioned centrally to all retailers and accessed directly from Bree Street . The entire centre except for centre management is planned as a single storey with on grade parking .
Architectural Language The architectural language is informed by the existing ‘ sheds ’ in the area and the colourful artisinal nature of Bree Street and its ‘ stoep ’ houses . It is characterised by large copper coloured sheds and a delicate ‘ stoep ’ style walkway with complementary green coloured ceiling
The main shed of the centre which houses the new Checkers Outdoor concept ( with its double volume display areas and outdoor coffee shop deck ), overlooks the road .
A second shed is located at the centre of the parking area accommodating fashion and service retailers as well as a coffee shop . This shed is in turn flanked by the green ceiling stoep walkways . The portion of the ‘ U ’ closest to the existing petrol station is characterised with a simple concrete canopy / walkway , which accentuates the corner of the building without competing with the scale and prominence of the petrol station forecourt canopy .
Developer : Triple Zero Investments Architect : Anarchi Architecture Quantity Surveyor : VD Heever QS Structural & Civil Engineer : Pure Consulting Electrical Engineer : Claassen Auret Mechanical Engineer : Q-Mech Consulting Fire Consultant : SFT Health & Safety Consultant : Sheq Prac Health and Safety Main Contractor : JC Van der Linde & Venter Projects
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