HIGHVELD MALL
HIGHVELD MALL Emalahleni , Witbank
PRINCIPAL AGENTS & ARCHITECTS MDS Architecture
ARCHITECTS Bentel Associates International ( Pick n Pay ) R & L Architects ( Woolworths )
PROPERTY DEVELOPER Flanagan & Gerard
TENANT CO-ORDINATOR & TIME MANAGEMENT Orion Project Managers
QUANTITY SURVEYOR NWS Quantity Surveyors
ELECTRICAL ENGINEERS RWP Consulting Engineers Quad Africa ( Woolworths )
STRUCTURAL & CIVIL ENGINEER L & S Consulting
MECHANICAL ENGINEERS VMG Consultants Ubunye Engineering Services ( Woolworths )
FIRE CONSULTANT Specialised Fire Technology
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS Cornelia King Landscape Architects Bertha Wium Landscape Development
MAIN CONTRACTOR WBHO Construction
PHOTOGRAPHY Courtesy of MDS Architecture
Highveld Mall , which opened recently , is a contemporary , light filled shopping centre linked with a fantasy casino in Witbank , The Ridge Casino . The connection between the mall and the casino reflects both the old and the new through a splash of glass , taking advantage of the stunning views through the valley on top of which it is perched .
Witbank has a number of coal-burning plants and will soon boast one of the largest coal-burning power stations in the world . Highveld Mall is located strategically as the first node of activity on the road towards Nelspruit between Johannesburg and Pretoria . Off Mandela Street , Highveld Mall is next to The Ridge Casino and Hotel , which was designed by MDS Architecture .
The area is a corridor of activity between the Witbank Dam and the city centre . Highveld Mall serves as a gateway to the city , being located close to the off-ramp from the highway . An office node across from the Mall is currently under construction and a residential estate is also located in the vicinity .
The Site “ The site for the shopping centre is the perfect site from a development point of view ,” says Pierre Lahaye , the MDS Architecture partner managing the project , “ It has a 1-in-30 slope and slopes towards the view , which meant that very little excavation needed to be done .”
The only challenge encountered was that most of the bulk services had to be excavated in rock . This resulted in the need for blasting for the platform . Given that this was occurring next to an existing building , it had to be sensitively handled .
Highveld Mall was planned as a regional shopping centre linked to The Ridge Casino . As such , it needed to complement the casino nodes .
210 Highveld Mall