Estate Living Magazine Precinct Living - Issue 33 | Página 17

Running through the estate is the
waterfront canal, which connects the
harbour with the city, ending at the Cape
Town International Convention Centre."
between the estate and the open ocean is through a lock. These
are common on the inland canals of Europe and Britain, but this
is the only one in southern Africa.
Making it work
public thoroughfare,
so it’s regularly used by
paddlers, SUP boarders, and
even swimmers who like to train
without having to do too many tumble turns. In midwinter, it’s
the venue for a ritual cold-water swim. But it’s only the tough
who do that; most of the residents prefer to swim in one of the
five communal pools, one of which is heated, and one of which
is situated strategically for awesome views of the mountain and
the sea. There are also a number of private pools. The estate
management team have included both the public and private
pools in their water management programme so that none have
any effect on Cape Town’s water situation, as they are filled from
the canal.
All the marina apartments overlook the canal and Marina Bay, the
ground-floor units have direct access to the canal, and residents
can moor a boat right at their door if they like – or next door on
the trots outside the Cape Grace. The development and canal
are designed to be higher than sea level. All boat transport
All estates require a phenomenal amount of
maintenance and management, but the Marina
has the added challenges of being on a seawater
canal, and connected to a working harbour
– though these have their advantages,
too. The Marina Residential Estate was
one of the pioneers in using seawater
for air conditioners, by pumping cold
water from the harbour through a heat
exchanger, and then releasing it back
into the sea a few degrees warmer.
And they have recently made the whole
system much more energy efficient by
replacing the old pumps with newer, more
efficient pumps – at a cost of R2 million. But for
a massive saving of about R1 million a year. Bit of
a no-brainer that.
Managing an estate of this size is a complex endeavour, and
new estate manager, John Bold, who was appointed in October
2017, has hit the ground running. John has been managing
golf clubs and resi dential estates for more than 15 years, so he
brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the task, and
he is one of only 18 people in South Africa who hold a Certified
Club Manager qualification from the Club Management
Association of America, via the Club Management Association
of South Africa. The certification acknowledges and recognises
exceptional service delivery in the industry of estate and club
management.
The estates, landscaping, security, facilities, water-security
measures and common areas are run by the Marina Residential
Home Owners Association (MRHOA), which includes the
estate manager, maintenance manager and staff. The MRHOA
Executive Committee is made up of a representative of each of
the body corporates of the 17 separate buildings.
www.estate-living.co.za
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