When international home improvement retail giants Leroy Merlin planned their sixth South African megastore at the Newmarket Lifestyle Centre in Johannesburg, the brief was clear: maintain the core corporate identity of the group’s standard GLA (general lease area) – a warm, recognizable and relevant wooden façade – adapted to the site’s specific location and layout.
Modern malls and shopping centres are mushrooming in nearly every neighbourhood with competition for consumers’ spending at an all-time high. No longer just a place to purchase groceries, pay bills and fill prescriptions, contemporary centres must provide a balanced mix of chic convenience coupled with stylish lifestyle solutions or risk losing patronage to nearby competitors. They must appeal to both residents and retailers.
Rising building material and labour costs, and time and space constraints, place increased pressure on urban planners and developers to meet the demand for urbanization, housing and infrastructure. Long, expensive and often delayed construction periods and inadequate facilities have a massive social and economic impact on the quality of life of citizens, and the businesses that service them. Architects and town planners must engineer a viable, sustainable society with attractive, adaptable and functional buildings that balance expansion, budget and time restrictions, as well as climate considerations.
The newly built Thatchfield Retail Centre in Centurion is dressed for everlasting success with a striking ‘tri-colour’ patterned façade to give it a distinct and dramatic identity. The obvious need was to differentiate the 5,211 m2 convenience centre with high footfall anchor tenants Checkers, Woolworths and Dischem from its neighbouring competitors with an eye-catching, yet functional design that would stand the test of time.
An established business with over 100 retail outlets across South Africa, Plumblink took the plunge allowing visionary architect Ivan Andonov of Empowered Spaces to design a contemporary building that transformed the typical geometry of a standard warehouse into a show stopping facility. Utilising traditional industrial materials such as corrugated sheeting, cladding and tinted window glazing, Andonov effectively delineated the traditional warehouse “block” by inserting massive decorative “window-boxes” with overhangs and balconies above ground level to achieve an eye-catching sculptural effect. Not only does this beautifully profile the building materials traditionally tied to Plumblink’s trade, but it also provides a functional facility for the staff and executives to enjoy and be proud of. The interior features raw exposed surfaces and materials such as polished concrete floors, portable partitions, and exposed roof, highlighting the steel rafters overhead for a chic, clean concept that serves both the warehouse, showroom, and office requirements.
Fast food megabrand Burger King gave its Jean Crossing franchise outlet in Centurion a whopping new look with an update from its former, corrugated exterior. In the fast-paced, ever-competitive fast-food category, the site urgently needed a flaming hot new ‘’dressing’’ that would tantalize tastebuds and entice customers to come into the restaurant and not only drive-through for the standard fast-food fare. In addition, the remodel needed to conform to the international chain’s trendy new organic identity within a budget.
At the Gosforth Park warehouse installation, a total of 325 square metres of VistaClad was used on the exterior of the building. A further 58 square metres of VistaClad was used for ceiling and soffit cladding to complete the small balcony area and the exterior of the reception and office area. The construction of the new warehouse was carried out by Abbeydale Building and Civils, and the cladding was installed by Eva-Last Projects. The project was completed in December 2022, and the warehouse has been operational since January 2023.
The Capital Hotels and Apartments group has described its new Mbombela feature hotel as a significant social hub for business meetings, domestic leisure tourism, the local community and international visitors. Designed with high-end socialising in mind, the hotel features an ultra-modern design aesthetic which stands out, yet compliments, in its bushveld locale.
Chartwell Corner is located in a prime location between the entrance gates of two of Johannesburg’s most well-known upmarket residential estates – Dainfern Estate and Steyn City – in Johannesburg. Despite its convenient location at a major intersection in an affluent and densifying area with great retail potential, a lack of visibility led to the previous shopping complex on the same location failing.
A 300m long clearwater lagoon forms the centrepiece of the next phase of development for South Africa’s premier lifestyle estate, Steyn City. Providing a beach lifestyle away from the coast, Steyn City’s residential lagoon area features swimming areas, a water park for children, volleyball courts and a refreshment kiosk.
