The exterior of the mall was developed in a contemporary design with a combination of structural glazing , modulated walls and an abundance of roof lights . The roof was treated as the fifth façade as it would , in future , be visible from many of the high level commercial office buildings surrounding the shopping centre . The roof initially had two green roofs ( one on either side of the eastern and western portion of the roof ) but , due to cost constraints , this was ultimately omitted and replaced with soft roofs .
At the centre of the mall , the interior opens up onto an external restaurant area and the ‘ green lung ’ of the Waterfall City development – a large park that extends towards the bottom of the mixed-use development . “ The Town Square , as it is known , ensures that the Mall of Africa is not an introverted design along its entire external perimeter extent ,” explains Kanakakis . This outdoor park is a highlight , with a children ’ s play area and an interactive musical water fountain .
There are 6,500 parking bays for customers with their own transport . Mall of Africa also offers two taxi lay-bye areas , valet parking , special dropoff facilities for buses and dedicated Uber pick-up and drop-off points – a first in the South African retail environment . It is also minutes away from the Gautrain Midrand Station .
Natural Light and a Unique Identity The mall ’ s top level is accentuated by extensive double glazed rooflights , which are hung from an overhead structure steel support to allow the seamless extent of glazing to be visible from within the mall . These glazed rooflights are framed on either side of the mall by curved , flush-plastered ceiling bulkheads that enhance daylight entry .
The mall ’ s central spine boasts an undulating ETFE of approximately 4,500m 2 which is supported by a suspended concrete ring beam and only four columns . The roof comprises inflated pillows on an undulating diagrid . “ It is an engineer ’ s nightmare but an architect ’ s dream ,” quips Kanakakis .
The ETFE roof ’ s undulating shape is reminiscent of many of the design inspiration lines in the Mall . The ETFE roof is an environmentally friendly product made of recycled tin and metal . The design development of the ETFE roof took close to a year to complete .
Extensive LED lighting design has been combined with this roof , providing lighting and animation to the key centralised area with three trillion colours . “ This roof was selected for its flexible design capability as well as being an environmentally friendly material . It is an amazing roofing feature and has become a talking point in the Mall ,” says Kanakakis .
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