changed considerably. Businesses want to be located
in a pleasing environment with secure parking for
their staff and clients. Features they look for include,
for example, ‘green’ areas included in the workplace
and generally maximum natural light – particularly
for creative spaces, a spacious kitchen or recreational
area where staff can relax and ‘recharge’, and perhaps
even a gym for exercise.
“Having the workplace located in appealing
surrounds enables staff to enjoy the convenience of
safely walking to coffee shops, retail outlets and the
like. An advantage of new office buildings is that
they can easily incorporate ‘green’, energy-saving
features, which further add to the appeal,” he says.
“Considering that these days, many people spend a
great deal of time at work, often outside what were
previously considered conventional working hours,
these added comforts become even more important in
retaining quality staff,” he adds.
Commenting on the market in general, Sharon says
it’s positive to see that the demand for P Grade offices
has been recognised by developers, who are moving
forward with projects such as Portside, 22 Bree Street
and the Media Quarter – the latter, which is almost
complete. At the Media Quarter, Sharon has secured
a 10-year lease for a decor company. “There has been a
pent-up demand for prime office space, particularly when
one considers the fact that other than a few buildings
such as The Hudson and the Cape Quarter, very few
new buildings have been completed in recent years.
New additions to The Hudson building are nearing
completion with about 800sqm of space available and
very suitable for creative users. Now we are seeing major
tenants taking up space – FNB has taken half the office
space at Portside - which is to become Cape Town’s
tallest building (on the corner of Buitengracht Street and
Hans Strijdom), a large firm of attorneys is to occupy 22
Bree Street, while there is the new Allan Gray building
taking shape in the V&A Waterfront. In addition to
this, The Atlantic building is being redeveloped in the
www.reimag.co.za
Foreshore area. Importantly, these new developments or
redevelopments further enhance the aesthetic appeal of
Cape Town’s central area,” he says.
“ We are a lso experiencing a demand from
international companies and diplomatic off ices
seeking standalone commercially zoned houses
with grounds for parking. With hotels, the Cape
Town Stadium, Green Point Urban Park and V&A
Waterfront close at hand, coupled with a buzzing,
metropolitan atmosphere, this area is high on their
priority list. At the V&A Waterfront’s Clock Tower
development, which is now almost fully occupied,
we recently concluded a lease for office space for an
international oil drilling company,” he says.
Adds Sharon: “While there is a high demand for
retail accommodation, very little suitable space is
available. There are, however, good opportunities to
rent office space in the CBD from R85 per square
metre for B+ Grade accommodation.”
TOP TIPS FOR AESTHETIC APPEAL
1
Lighting: Architectural success is impacted
by choices in lighting, both for the interior
and exteriors of spaces and buildings.
Lighting affects how we perceive the
building itself, as well as the people and
objects within it. Lighting can be used to
define zones within a space.
2
Windows:By replacing old windows with
something new, it can completely change
the look of a room. The fact that more
sunlight will be able to enter the room will
give it a warmer as well as brighter look.
3
Appealing Surrounds: It all comes back
to location, the right environment is very
important to the aesthetic appeal the
offiice will have, having the right amenities
nearby will dramatically increase the
aesthetics of your office space.
RESOURCES
JHI
Commercial Handbook 2013
41