Real Estate Investor Magazine South Africa Real Estate Investor Magazine March 2018 | Page 13

SOL KERZNER
A
name synonymous with luxury, opulence, and hos-
pitality, Sol Kerzner is hardly a new face in the de-
velopment arena. Best known for his brainchild, Sun
City, Kerzner recently launched his first residential develop-
ment: Kerzner Estate at Leeukoppie. Nestled between Hout
Bay and Llandudno, the development is part of Kerzner’s
150ha family estate.
The marketing materials sum it up well, with Kerzner
proudly proclaiming: “I call this place home. Now you can
too.” In true Kerzner style, this won’t be just another housing
development. Ross Levin, the developments director at Seeff,
explains that Kerzner “wanted to share the spectacular prop-
erty with others. Sol and the family are looking for neigh-
bours to share their place with, their family home for over
35 years," he said. "There's a huge interest; everyone wants
to live like this.”
As one would expect, extraordinary measures have been
taken to make this a truly unique estate. Six South African
architects have been tasked with designing the homes, en-
suring no two look the same. Each home will be tailored to
the site it is built on, taking advantage of views and sunlight.
A total of 48 homes will be built on the 10ha portion of
the Kerzner property set aside for development. Each stand
comes in at around 1 500sqm, while homes will range from
374sqm to 738sqm.
studioMAS, the architecture firm selected to design two
of the initial eight homes, elaborates on their inspiration for
one of the homes: “We want you to look at the house and feel
like it grew from the site, embedded in the landscape.” This
theme is evident in each design, with the estate’s eco-con-
scious status being at the centre of things. Efforts are made
to include natural building materials like wood and stone,
and each home will make use of rain and grey water harvest-
ing systems. Given its setting, special attention is also being
given to restoring and protecting the surrounds. Indigenous
vegetation will be restored, while fynbos will replace all alien
pine trees in the estate.
The inspiration
Kerzner purchased the land back in 1983 for R2.25m. He ex-
plains that, throughout his world travels, this has always been
the place he called home. He describes it as paradise at the
southern tip of Africa, and it’s not that difficult to see why.
In an interview with Real Estate Investor Magazine, Ker-
zner explains that residential development was never some-
thing he thought of doing but that, since retiring from the
hotel industry and having some time on his hands, he figured
that it would be an enjoyable thing for him and his eldest
daughter, Andrea, to do together. “Andy’s always been inter-
ested in real estate development, she’s taking the lead on this
project,” he explains.
Andrea Kerzner is the founder and CEO of Lalela, a
youth program that offers support and education to learn-
ers from the Imizamo Yethu, Hangberg and Masiphumelele
communities in and around Hout Bay. Providing support to
the estate’s impoverished neighbours lies close to Andrea’s
heart. “In the development of the estate, we have asked that
unemployed people from the area are employed by develop-
ers, that they train them and offer them future employment
skills,” Andrea explains.
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