at night from within the centre and viewed externally from Rivonia Road . “ The interior refurbishment included introducing more natural light and internal landscaping with ‘ green ’ touches and the brightening of the parking areas ( close to 1,000 additional parking bays were built ),” says Kanakakis .
The Protea Court received a specialist lighting design . Innovative lighting elements were designed to light the court from every part except the ETFE roof - no lighting was permitted to be suspended from the inflated cushions . Creative up-lighting and decorative light walls were used to enhance the space . The ETFE roof to the Protea Court was designed to incorporate an intelligent lighting system containing three trillion colours - this enhances the dynamic space at night .
Finishes One of the most impressive features is the towering elevator shaft which forms the primary structural support for the main roof . The shaft is finished with white glass and stainless steel strip mosaic tiles that shimmer and reflect the changing lighting conditions within the court . Strip LED lighting has also been introduced to enhance the light changing effect at night .
Externally , the Protea Court and south-east extension is the very first part of Sandton City to have the look and feel that will one day characterise the entire precinct . Two different types of lowmaintenance external cladding were selected for the extension . The first of these is sandstone cladding on the south-east extension , which was handpicked from Maraisburg quarries . Coil-coated , modular aluminium panels were cut , bent and mounted as artistic cladding on most of the exterior façades of the parkade .
Top quality finishes have been used in the piazza outside the main entrance , including granite and sandstone tiling with recessed LED lighting to create an appealing external space .
Refurbishment At the same time as the new extension was being built , the existing mall underwent a major refurbishment . The palette of materials was selected for its understated warmth and natural appearance and great care has been taken to come up with an overall design that will remain fresh and relevant for many years to come .
According to Pat Henry , another MDS Architecture partner involved with the project , the mall ’ s design concept drew inspiration from the geographic characteristics and unique natural beauty of South Africa . “ The malls are extensive , so although all the standard mall lengths have
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