breaking up the vast expanse of roof and marking the orientation of the entrances . The entrances , in turn , are identified through the use of scale of the wrap-around walkway which cumulates in a large feature that echoes in scale and shape the court skylights .
For the design of the mall , it was important to soften the transition between the parking area and the buildings . The Regional Centre ’ s entrance and walkway were designed to integrate with the parking area through the use of landscaping , materials and design elements . The scale of the walkway canopy mediates between the pedestrian and main body of the building , thus integrating building and walkway with sweeping roofscapes . A combination of landscaping and building elements unifies the building with its site . Trees were planted along pedestrian walkways in the parking area and , where they reach the walkway , they terminate in large planters . These planters mimic the building in material and provide an edge to the parking side of the walkway .
The task of edging the building with the walkway and cumulating at the entrance in order to achieved a clear marking of the entrance through the use of solid elements at low level and palm trees that reach up to the sweeping roof at focal points . is further enhanced by the entrances being positioned on the main vehicular entrance , which is a tree lined axis . Landscaping on the entrance axis leads the shopper into the mall .
The principle of entrance and design markers is repeated in the covered parking basements which cover the floor plate from one end to the other . Access from the ring road into both the open and covered parking areas allows for easy access and , in respect of the covered parking , access from both ends of the site .
Traffic In keeping , the design of the road network and parking is an example of unfettered functionality built for shoppers , providing them with minimal fuss as well as an enjoyable shopping experience . The resolution of the access to the centre required innovative thinking on the part of the traffic engineers to cope with the increase in traffic volumes and the resultant problem congestion . Five access and exits from the surrounding road network onto the new ring road , which not only allows easy access to the Cape Gate Centre , but access to the entire prescient , virtually creating a new CBD .
Materials Materials and colours used in the building are understated , free from clutter and the shop designs are encouraged to optimise their displays .
At night , the centre is transformed by carefully designed lighting . Parking area lighting complements the landscaping signage , is unobstructed by the roofline and consists of the latest technology to ensure brightness and even luminescence . Building elements are highlighted with accent lighting to bring out architectural features .
INTERIOR DESIGNER ’ S REPORT The initial brief from the client was to create a shopping centre that took the retail experience into the new decade and to create a shopping centre that was a step ahead of the other South African shopping centres .
We took the architectural features and planning , which were already a step ahead with the large volumes used in the malls , as well as the strong use of natural light in the courts . The interior design idioms derived from the architectural design , were the intermingling of the oval ( the main feature over the food court ) and the circular shapes of the courts . We combined both shapes and used them in the floor details , signage posts , balustrades and mall seating .
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