Right : Art Deco balustrade in the Fashion node
Far Right : Highly articulated friezes and columns . Brass , glass and stainless steel balustrading in the classical mall
Below : Various mall details
• Ratanga Snake balustrade
• Puzzle Pad
• Decorative entrance to the Afri Bizarre link able to attract pedestrian trade . Magnet stores naturally demand key positions , sight lines and access to parking areas , which demand was met by the architects . Due to the size of the project it was decided to opt for two themes for the malls , namely , The Victorian Mall and The Classical Mall . The decision to opt for these two styles once again assists in breaking down the size of the complex .
The Classical Mall contains coffer ceilings , brass and stainless steel handrails , marble floors with mosaics and water jet cut patterns and murals in raised and fielded panels . The theme of the murals is ‘ Art of the World ’ and incorporates art scenes of the Renaissance , picturesque and local works by artist Keith Alexander .
The Victorian theme results in a much more colourful mall , utilising turn of the century railway structural steelwork , porcelain tiles with borders and cast steel benches . Several African artists ’ works have been used in the panels in the bulkheads and banners above the malls . The directory boards are made of cast steel with rivets and distinctive roof shapes .
To ensure equal strength for the two main malls , there are link malls , which have their own themes . At the east end of the mall is the children ’ s mall , called the Puzzle Pad , which uses the Ratanga Junction characters , such as the snake , to continue the theme started there . Lego , lollipops and bright colours form the focal point of the link between the two malls . At the western end , ‘ a high fashion ’ link employing an art deco theme , utilises stainless steel , dark timber and an abstract design employing artists such as Tamara Delempicke .
At various node points the customer can walk through large shops , with shopping on either side . This occurs on the other levels of
the mall as well . The links on the lower level are heavily themed . One link is the African themed ‘ Afri Bizarre ’, where Ndebele paintings , wire art , rock and sandstone sculptures and artefacts are available . This section was developed to encourage smaller tenants , who could start with a kiosk and grow into something larger .
The eastern end has the Skywalk Mall , where the Star Wars concept has been given free rein , and high tech elements combine with Moroccan ‘ souk ’ architecture . Floors in concrete combine star astrological patterns , space maps and fossils with the Moroccan theme .
20 Canal Walk