Image by © RACA Journal www. refrigerationandaircon. co. za RACA Journal I July 2025 33
Project
DHLAMINI JUNCTION MALL OPENS IN SOWETO
By Eamonn Ryan with technical input from Zuber Suleman, S Projects Consulting Engineers director, and Johan Swanepoel, owner of St Air
The 17 000m 2 Dhlamini Junction mall has been successfully completed, marking a significant milestone in Soweto’ s commercial and infrastructure development.
The successful execution of the mall’ s HVAC & R system was made possible through collaboration between leading consultants, suppliers and contractors. The mall boasts several innovative design elements aimed at enhancing energy efficiency and operational performance. These include optimised building envelope components, Variable Refrigerant Flow( VRF) systems, EC plug fans and advanced smoke extraction systems. The project also incorporated fresh air dampers with enhanced economy cycles and other smart HVAC solutions, ensuring a comfortable indoor environment while optimising energy use.
Like any large-scale development, the Dhlamini Junction project faced its fair share of challenges. Coordinating with multiple contractors, managing last-minute design modifications and adhering to strict energy efficiency standards required careful planning and execution. Despite hurdles such as regular tenant changes and associated specification alterations the project was completed within 4 % of the targeted budget.
This development was a complete greenfield project. The construction phase took approximately one year, but planning had been in the pipeline for a considerable time before that including a final planning phase of about a year, alongside feasibility studies required to secure funding. These studies adhered to industry standards to ensure financial viability.
A leasing specialist was engaged to negotiate agreements with key retail tenants, including major brands like anchor tenants Easy Build and Shoprite, alongside butchery OBC, Mr Price, Ackermans, Clicks, Nando’ s and KFC. The project involved rigorous planning, with architectural designs undergoing multiple revisions— by the time finalisation occurred, the plans had gone through 54 iterations as leasing progressed.
The project ' s core design brief revolved around achieving compliance at a specific cost benchmark per square metre. As the overall project manager was a quantity surveyor, financial
Custom-designed Shoprite packaged rooftop unit manufactured in Malaysia pictured with LG VRF condenser serving liquor store ducted hide away.
considerations were a key focus throughout. Additionally, energy usage was an essential aspect of the HVAC design, with priority placed on ensuring that each retail tenant was metered separately rather than using a shared system.
HVAC SYSTEM SELECTION AND IMPLEMENTATION The team initially considered a centralised air conditioning system with metering solutions from various OEMs. However, the high metering costs, complexity and central dependency led to a decentralised system for easier maintenance and cost allocation. After evaluating multiple OEMs, LG was chosen for its cost, quality and compatibility with its own Building Management System( BMS). Instead of a mall-wide fresh air system with extensive ducting and fire dampers, the team adopted a typical decentralised approach for each store, simplifying coordination between HVAC and fire services while reducing costs and ensuring regulatory compliance.
A key challenge in retail developments is the high rate of change driven by tenants ' evolving requirements. At the start, only about 50 % of the mall’ s units had secured leases.
Image by © RACA Journal www. refrigerationandaircon. co. za RACA Journal I July 2025 33