GRABOUW SHOPPING CENTRE
Grabouw is getting a new shopping centre . It is a 3,000m 2 community shopping centre situated on Oudeburg Road , Grabouw , the commercial centre for the Elgin Valley .
Anchored by a 1,650 m 2 Pick ‘ n Pay ( including liquor store ), the convenience retail development is being built on prime land across from the Grabouw Police Station . Developed by Chisel Developments , this project is the first new development in Grabouw for a significant period of time , enabling the creation of well-needed job opportunities for the local community of Grabouw .
Designed by SVA International , the project consists of an essential retail offering with two distinct entrances , the main entrance and the street facing retail , as well as parking for tenants and visitors .
Bruce Wilson of SVA International says , “ It is a simple shed with a twist : a striking entrance is visible from the approach to town , and opens onto the parking area . In addition , the main retail building floats above the series of shops at street level , placed to serve the bustling foot traffic along Oudebrug Road . Architectural detail has been added to the façade along the main road , in a contemporary nod to the sheds found in this region . Signage locations have been carefully considered , and the truck deliveries neatly tucked around the back of the centre . The building will become a substantial new addition to the town centre urban fabric .”
The project is currently under construction and completion is scheduled for November 2021 .
SOMERSET CROSSING , SOMERSET WEST
Somerset Crossing will occupy a prominent corner site along the N2 in Somerset West , Cape Town . It will share a 4-way intersection with a national brand service station , a global branded fast-food drive thru and a leading school in the Western Cape . Together , these facilities form an important commercial node along the National Road .
The open-air , single level building comprises both individual brand line shops and major national retail chains , Boxer and Checkers . It is configured around a large , landscaped court of easily accessible parking spaces with direct surface level connection to the shopping precinct .
Customers will be shaded from the sun and wind by lightweight colonnaded canopies extending the full length of the line shops leading to the anchor positions of the major brands throughout the complex .
Though vehicles are well provided for , the position of Somerset Crossing will offer residents of the nearby residential township with a much needed , affordable shopping destination within walking
distance from their homes and while en-route to and from their places of work .
In establishing the identity of the building , the architects have considered the need for cost-effective , low maintenance and robust materials to ensure the longevity of the building . Exposed brickwork , fair-face or bagged and painted panels with bands of porcelain tiles are composed in a rhythm that frames and highlights the individual shops giving each its discreet position in the general arrangement . All shops , with dedicated individual suspended signage and lighting , will be highly visible from anywhere in the courtyard .
Somerset Crossing is created to pilot the developers ’ intention to build similar offerings in identity , scale and retail mix in strategic , well-placed locations following its successful completion .
Developer : Africost Architect & Principle Agent : Peerutin Architects Project Manager : AJ Property Holdings
Project Watch 13