HOLIDAY INN ARCHITECT ’ S REPORT On the eve of the World Cup opening ceremony , Louis Karol handed over its first full-service Holiday Inn ‘ Green Label ’ at phase II of Old Mutual ’ s The Zone retail development at the corner of Oxford Road and Tyrwhitt Mall in Rosebank , Johannesburg .
Directly opposite the new Gautrain station , Old Mutual has expanded The Zone across Tyrwhitt Mall and adjacent to the Hyatt . Designed by concept design architects , DDG , who are based in Baltimore , USA the new Zone constitutes two big floors of retail - largely introverted from Oxford Road . Many new developments now reserve Oxford Road for service access .
Holiday Inn franchisee , ISO Leisure , acquired the right to develop ( with Old Mutual ) above the new development ( already under construction ) and appointed Louis Karol from the 2nd floor up . It was resolved early to address Oxford Road , from which most developments had turned their backs . The hotel would take the gap to capitalise on Gautrain .
Front-of-house facilities ( such as portecochère , conferencing reception & business centre ) were located on the ground floor , recognising the need for a positive and defensible environment around the hotel ’ s valuable Oxford Road address . The glass entrance canopy cantilevers 6m over Oxford
326 The Zone @ Rosebank