INSIGHT
consumption and an embodied energy almost 100%
less than average.
Retail not heading for disaster
Much has been made of the consumers’ change
in buying patterns and the potentially disastrous
consequences for retail developments. Certainly,
shopping habits have changed, and online retail is
growing rapidly.
Yet the fundamental reality is that people still want to
be together and to commune with others. They still want
to be seen to be purchasing and to be able to touch, feel
and try out products – before perhaps buying online. So,
bricks-and-mortar retail isn’t dying. It will just be different
and unlock new development opportunities for our cities.
Several new developments
The cry that ‘there are no good new developments
in South Africa’ is contradicted by top-quality
developments such as the Leonardo, a 55-floor mixed-
use property development currently under construction
in Sandton and which will ultimately be Africa’s tallest
building. Midrand’s Waterfall City, an 800 000m² mixed-
use space, is of similar quality.
Both projects are being driven by people who are
positive about the country, optimistic about where it can
go, and believe in its capacity to lead Africa.
Addressing the skills shortage
Slow economic growth, fewer new projects, cost-
cutting and BEE requirements have all contributed to
many experienced people – whether trades people or
professionals – being lost to the industry via emigration
or other factors. As an example, when we started
working on The Leonardo, there were 12 engineers
in the country with high-rise experience. This has
been subsequently reduced significantly as a result of
retirement and suitably trained young engineers moving
overseas.
We addressed this challenge with a new all-South
African team. We worked with one of the last remaining
structural engineers with the necessary experience and
expertise and trained new people. In our own office, we
now have 12 architects, mostly under 35, who know
what it takes to do a high-rise building. This pool of
talent opens new doors for us as a business and there’s
surely no reason why other architectural firms cannot do
the same.
The above are just some of the solutions to our
industry’s challenges. But if you add into the equation
the fact that South Africans are a hard-working and
resilient bunch, then we can challenge the negative
thinking that pervades the building industry right now.
Be bold, be positive, think in new ways, look beyond
the traditional structures of how we do business … and
we can move forward!
Patrick McInerney is the director of Co-Arc
International Architects.
40
OCTOBER 2019
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