tried to use as much of the existing infrastructure as possible and to reposition the scheme in the market . This scheme was a minimum 45,000m 2 . What has finally been built in its current form is closer to 80,000m 2 as a full mixed use scheme .
None of the existing buildings of the old Village Walk development were retained . What was retained was the existing Balalaika Hotel and Crown Court Hotel with the 2 basement parking levels below the Crown Court . The new retail levels have been designed to ensure that the original connectivity between the retail and the hotel was maintained and improved .
Jewel-like Towers Most visibly , The MARC consists of two towers : a dazzling 12-floor ovoid commercial tower with a gold-and-black faceted façade , which extrudes elegantly over the intersection and , set further back from the corner , a 17-floor tower occupied by a legal firm . Together they have become known as ‘ The Jewel ’ and ‘ The Jewellery Box ’ respectively and have created an entirely new identity for the intersection . At the same time , they have also transformed the character of the surrounding neighbourhood on street level by activating a vibrant pedestrian-friendly public domain .
The Site One of the first questions the architects , Boogertman + Partners led by director Bob van Bebber , faced was how to create the visual impact and engagement demanded by the prominence of the site without competing to be the tallest new building on the Sandton skyline . “ We went through a
668 The Marc