community, collaboration and collective making in multiple languages. It is a quietly powerful gesture in a space that is often overlooked.
Storytelling through Art Perhaps most distinctive, however, is the programme of cultural storytelling woven into the public realm.“ Twin City director Eunice van Wyk was convinced that it would be a unique feature and give Lowveld Mall a place within the local community. It came together beautifully, showcasing how great outcomes were achieved through close collaboration between client and architect,” says McGillivray. Gable end walls throughout the mall feature hand painted murals depicting African fables. On each gable end wall, a different story is told, and the community and visitors are invited to scan QR codes positioned on the mall floor below each mural to read the narratives, rendered in both siSwati and English. Hand painted abstract images of the bushveld have been added to other gable end wall to provide a cohesive look and feel.“ To our knowledge, this is the first time this approach has been used in a South African retail environment,” says McGillivray.“ We wanted the mall to be a place of engagement. A place where people linger, where children learn, where the community sees itself reflected.”
Life-size wildlife sculptures are positioned in the turning circles of the external approach, referencing the proximity of Kruger National Park and the ecological richness of the region. At night, coloured and hanging pendant lighting in the new food court and entertainment area transform the exterior. Other entrances have also been upgraded, giving the building a dramatically different character after dark and extending its presence in the town’ s landscape.
Conclusion This is MDS Architecture’ s first independent project with Twin City, a relationship that has clearly begun on strong collaborative footing. What has been achieved with the reimagined Lowveld Mall is remarkable: a 65,000m ² regional mall rooted unmistakably in the Lowveld, repositioned with intelligence, warmth and genuine cultural specificity in an abstract and contemporary way in the shadow of the Kruger National Park.
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