Construction World December 2018

PROJECT INFORMATION

• Company entering: WBHO Construction • Client: Abland • Start date: 16 May 2016 • End date: 23 March 2018 • Main Contractor: WBHO Construction • Client/Developer: Abland • Architect: Studio 3 • Structural Engineer: Aurecon • Wet Services Engineer: CKR • Electrical Engineer: Pienaar & Erwee

LOFTUS PARK In the centre of the embassy district of Pretoria with a clear view of the Union Buildings to the north west, the University of Pretoria to the east and the iconic Loftus Versveld stadium on the south, lies Abland’s newly developed Loftus Park.

T he Loftus Park precinct sits based on top of two 25 000 m 2 basement parking levels. The first of the four structures, on the south west of the new precinct, is the new, four floor, Protea Marriott hotel with 13 retail spaces below it on the ground floor. On the north west of the centre there is a new age Virgin Active Health Club, with a 25 m swimming pool. On the south east corner there is a six storey office tower. Below this block is a fresh, new Checkers store, roughly making up 3 100 m 2 , as well as four other retail spaces. Finally, in the north east, there is five floor office building with three retail spaces on ground floor. All of these towers surround an open air piazza that hosts a Vovo Telo, the old tennis clubhouse, a heritage building that has been reinstated on the property, a big screen media set up for advertising and entertainment, a number of artworks and a decorative water feature and fountain. The Loftus Park precinct, like Lynnwood Bridge 6,6 km to the east, is designed on a multi-use hub concept. What sets this district apart is the vicinity of the Loftus Versveld Stadium next door. The entire development was designed to complement the stadium and the general sports scene of the area as well as the general historic community that makes up the suburbs around the stadium. The centre was fused onto the stadium property to incorporate the economic opportunities and a need for services to the area, both to the public and tenants alike. There are attributes of the development that appeal to sports fans, the artists, the scholars from the neighbouring schools, namely Pretoria High School for Girls, Pretoria High School for Boys, Afrikaanse Hoër Seun Skool and Afrikaanse Hoër Meisies Skool, the students from the close-by University of Pretoria and

all the businesses that call the surrounding suburbs home. The entire Loftus Park development was initiated on the notion that this perfectly centred area of Pretoria had need of a large scale, multi-use core to bring all these societies together. The Loftus Park Piazza is not a formal ‘square’, due to the relationship between the size of the open area and height of the towers that surround it, but it is a focal point for the public’s overall experience of the development. The philosophy of the piazza is to act a ‘spill-out’ from the basement parking garage. This ensures that the first impressions of the district are of open air features, entertainment and attractive surroundings. The centre of the piazza is marked by a water feature, a fountain and a number of gardens all flanking the historical clubhouse, now home to Vovo Telo, a well enjoyed restaurant and bakery. There is also a live event stage with an HD big screen overlooking a manicured lawn. The Green Star SA Office v1 Design Rating tool has been used to assess the environmental attributes the new commercial office buildings C and E in Loftus Park. The sustainability of the design and post construction phase of each building will ultimately be assigned a Green Star Rating. This rating will give Abland recognition for using the tool to minimise the environmental impact of this project as well as highlighting any sustainable design initiatives incorporated. The Green Star Rating addresses many of the pressing issues facing local authorities in South Africa today, namely electricity supply, water shortages, lack of solid waste disposal and transportation issues. Greening these buildings provides large-scale environmental impact benefits in these specific focus areas as well as a working environment with increased productivity and lower operating costs. 

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