October 2020 | Page 28

JEWEL CITY

JEWEL CITY Johannesburg
CLIENT Divercity Atterbury Property Developments Ithemba
ARCHITECT GASS Architecture Studios
QUANTITY SURVEYOR Matla QS
STRUCTURAL ENGINEER EDS Engineering Design Services
ELECTRICAL ENGINEER Eksteen & Le Roux
MECHANICAL ENGINEER Graeme Page Consulting Engineers
WET SERVICES IZAZI Consulting Engineers
FIRE ENGINEER Fenco
HEALTH & SAFETY CONSULTANT Cairnmead Industrial Consultants
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT Daniel Rebel Landscape Architects
MAIN CONTRACTOR Motheo Construction Group and WBHO Construction JV ( Blocks 2 , 4 , 5 & 6 ) Nomad Construction ( Block 1 ) Pentacon Civils ( Fox Street )
PHOTOGRAPHY Louis van Zyl Monograph

This massive urban redevelopment project on the outskirts of the Maboneng Precinct in Johannesburg ’ s eastern CBD breathes new life into the previously walled-off former centre of the diamond and precious metals trade industry . The complex consists of six city blocks of industrial buildings , some dating back to the 1930s . The entire area was closed off to the public in the mid 1990 ’ s and has remained an isolated and forgotten node for decades .

Jewel City includes the reinvention of this pre-existing industrial complex as an open , vibrant mixed-use precinct that introduces a more sustainable dimension ( socially and economically ) and new diversity to early inner-city rejuvenation projects such as the Maboneng Precinct .
Undoing Spacial Divides Divercity , the developer , sees Jewel City as a catalytic project that will enhance the eastern CBD ’ s urban potential , introducing crucial facilities that include new , affordable residential space , a school , healthcare and retail facilities such as a pharmacy and a supermarket and other recreational facilities that help to sustain an inclusive , prosperous and wholesome social , economic and cultural life in the inner city . Jewel City has been envisioned as an opportunity to undo apartheid-era spatial divides and transform the inner city in a way that also addresses much needed access to resources and economic opportunities in the face of a dire need for housing .
Divercity and GASS Architecture Studios has re-envisioned this all-but-defunct industrial complex into a series of thoughtful interventions that breathe new life into Johannesburg ’ s CBD
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