Projects
Mixed-use living and working aims for excellence across the board .
This addition to the booming KwaZulu-Natal city includes a full spectrum of work and living opportunities through luxury apartments , AAA-grade office spaces , the South African flagship Hilton Garden Inn , bespoke retail , and a place to have drinks with friends at Back Yard rooftop bar .
Construction of this iconic development commenced in mid-2018 , with completion of the first phase , an SMG Car Dealership , by mid-2019 . The total gross leasable area ( GLA ) consists of approximately 45 000m ² with nearly 14 000m ² of ducting .
The HVAC solutions ranged from direct expansion ( DX ) splits and variable refrigerant flow ( VRF ) systems to a water-cooled chiller plant catering to the specific requirements of each ‘ subdevelopment ’. These sub-developments can be separated into five main areas :
• The SMG Car Dealership is just over 3 000m ² and is positioned just below the iconic Arch – the centrepiece of the architectural design . The dealership includes a vehicle workshop , mezzanine office level and a double-volume glass box . The dealership is conditioned via multiple DX constant volume air-handling units for comfort control in the various zones . The workshop required industrial extraction for exhaust of fumes ; and the system also doubles up as a smoke extract system .
• The European-styled high-street offers approximately 15 upmarket stores , which include a bookstore , café , restaurants , and several clothing stores . One of the main attractions to the Podium is probably the Legacy Yard Food Hall with a rooftop bar . The retail shops are conditioned via unitary DX hideaways with a central DX fresh air plantroom . The Legacy yard is naturally ventilated , with mechanical extraction for specialised cooking apparatus .
• The Arch further boasts the first Hilton Garden Inn Hotel in South Africa ; with a conference centre and restaurant in the podium and 207 luxury suites . The central chilled water HVAC system contributes to the niceties added to hotel ; ensuring that guests are left experiencing maximum comfort . Each room is fitted with a dedicated ducted chilled water fan coil unit and conditioned fresh air from a central plant to ensure humidity levels are maintained .
• The high-rise building , together with the loft studio apartments in the podium ; contains approximately 200 luxury residential spaces . The high-rise is topped out with a pencil club on the upper levels for the ultimate entertainment experience . The HVAC solution for this multi-tenanted building is a VRF System with the condenser-kits hidden out of site . Each apartment has a dedicated ducted unit .
• The AAA- office block is a five-storey ‘ Arch-shaped ’ glass building . The 6 000m ² footprint office is multi-tenanted . The HVAC solution for this building is a VRF System , with internal and perimeter zones on separate condenser circuits for each wing of each level . Conditioned fresh air is ducted to the various levels from the central plant . www . hvacronline . co . za RACA Journal I May 2021 27