LANDMARK PROJECTS
URBAN LANDSCAPES Page 29
Iyer’ s holistic approach to planning and development extends even further, to connecting communities previously separated by past policies.
The firm has been appointed to create an urban design and town plan on a greenfield site where approximately 25 000 units of housing are to be built.
Their plan for this mixed-use development, called Cornubia, completely restructures the northern parts of Durban by creating an almost brand-new town in a space which was previously a buffer between two communities.
“ This project is revolutionary. We designed a sustainable urban development based on our understanding of the specific role of public transport in the lives of its users. Cornubia has become one of the country’ s best examples of a connected, sustainable city of the future.”
Iyer’ s holistic urban design model also incorporates novel ways of thinking about environmental planning. The 1000-hectare Sibaya Coastal Precinct on KwaZulu-Natal’ s North Coast is a mixed-use development which Iyer designed to create a reciprocal relationship with the natural landscape, where the surrounding ocean and coastal dune forest give character and value to the precinct. create larger corridors of open space.” Tongaat Hulett Developments, who appointed Iyer to the Sibaya coastal project, has now tasked the firm with creating a self-sustaining attraction in the coastal dune forest, with plans to build a visitor centre and boardwalk.
In his profession and role as an urban planner, Nathan recognises one of the biggest challenges as motivating parties outside his own boardroom to be as dedicated as he is to finding the Holy Grail – getting their project to meet all the socioeconomic needs of users.
“ Not everyone always sees the bigger picture. The development approval process is also lengthy and can be frustrating at times. That said, we’ ve done extremely well to overcome these obstacles and I’ m very proud of our achievements so far.” Another exciting project in the pipeline is the planning of an aerotropolis in Durban, where the layout, infrastructure and economics are planned around the King Shaka International Airport.
“ Our goal here is to build a future city. There are many challenges which come with this type of project, not least of which is to predict what a workplace of the future might look like.”
Placing the natural environment at the centre of Sibaya’ s urban planning was a vision shared by all stakeholders from the earliest concept development stage. This integration allows the natural and built environments to complement each other in terms of aesthetics, sustainability and livability.
“ There is an emphasis on public space and, around these areas, on building density. By compacting development, we reduced our footprint. Instead of carpeting the land with an even spread of developments, we clustered them together to
Moses Mabhida Stadium- KwaZulu-Natal
CONTACT: www. iyer. co. za