PROJECTVIEW
TENONQ, SEA POINT
Situated in Sea Point between Kloof and Regent Roads, the eight-storey building will house 53 apartments – the most within any of the buildings in developer, Blok’ s, urban apartment portfolio. These pet-friendly residences will include: nine one-bedroom apartments with internal dimensions of ± 37m ² or 40m ²; 10 lofts sized roughly at between 41m ² and 44m ²; two two-bedroomed apartments measuring in the region of 70m ² and two twobedroomed garden units with internal proportions of around 92m ² or 108m ². There will also be 28 two-bedroom duplex units measuring at approximately between 72m ² and 87m ² as well as two, three-bedroomed duplex penthouses with estimated proportions of between 111m ² and 117m ². In keeping with Blok’ s ethos of shared spaces, the building will have a strong emphasis on thoughtfully designed communal facilities such as a roof top garden, swimming pool, braai area, guest lobby with a concierge as well as indoor and outdoor gyms. What’ s more, to ensure security for all tenants, the building is equipped with access control, CCTV and security guards. TENONQ will also have ample parking with one or two parking bays per apartment, plus visitors, motorbike and bicycle bays. Ground-breaking for the new development is scheduled to take place in March 2017 with occupation to follow during summer 2018 / 2019.
ALEX MALL – BRIGHT, CONVENIENT SHOPPING FOR THE PEOPLE OF ALEXANDRA
MDS Architecture has designed a new shopping centre which will be located on a prominent site adjacent to the N3 in Alexandra. Located just 6 km from the Sandton CBD, Alex Mall is being developed by McCormick Property Development in association with Valumax.
Louis Pretorius is the partner at MDS Architecture heading the project.“ The site is just off the London Road turnoff on the N3. Once completed, Alex Mall will offer almost 30,000m 2 GLA. A large percentage of construction labour is local, so there is job creation during construction,” he says.
The multi-level modern design includes three attractive, colourful entrances on the upper level, another two on the lower level and a long, cascading building.
The top floor of Alex Mall features two soccer pitches in an Action Soccer facility, which is expected to be a significant attraction. A food court is located around the main entrance, including a covered outdoor section. A large taxi rank is situated on the lower level under the slab, helping to ensure that the development meets the growing needs of the surrounding community. The building features high ceilings with an abundance of natural light and interior landscaping, which give Alex Mall a spacious feeling.“ The site has a 20m fall which had to be accommodated in the building. Escalators were used to step down and a lift was included to link the two levels,” says Pretorius.
The external finish is plastered and includes wall tiles right around the building. The porcelain tiled flooring is laid in traditional geometric patterns in a neutral colour palette. To engender a sense of pride in the township, the demising columns between the shops will feature prints telling the story of the history of Alexandra. Glass shopfronts are high and frameless with promotion and activity courts within the mall close to each entrance. Pretorius says that the best possible use of natural light was a key part of the design of the mall.“ Natural light has been maximised throughout the mall and in all the courts through clerestory windows, reducing the need for artificial lighting and additional heating,” he says.
In a drive to reduce water demand, rainwater harvesting has been included in the mall’ s design. Through this initiative, water is harvested from the roofs and filtered for re-use, thus reducing the demand on municipal water. There is an attenuation pond for storm water as well as a series of tanks that take water back into the storage facility, where it is filtered and pumped to the main pressure tank situated over 30m above the lower levels of the mall, allowing for gravity-fed pressurization of the system. Waterless urinals are also specified. Alex Mall will feature two supermarket anchor tenants, Pick n Pay and Shoprite. Over 85 % of the mall has been let to a mix of other national retailers.
Client: McCormick Property Development & Valumax Architect: MDS Architecture Quantity Surveyors: Quanticost Electrical Engineer: ING Plan Mechanical Engineer: Air Cool Structural Engineer: Hannes Hattingh Consulting Engineers Civil Engineer: KLS Fire Consultants: Ronnie Koekemoer Contractor: Mike Buyskes Construction
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