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CONSTRUCTION WORLD
APRIL
2016
The new building will include retail, office, a 4 000 m² garden
terrace with a gym, spa,
crèche and restaurant
above, with luxury apartments
and penthouses and is within
walking distance of the JSE, the
Sandton Convention Centre,
Nelson Mandela Square and the
Gautrain station to be developed
on a phased basis.
Construction activities
for the duration of the base-
ment development include
pouring and placement of
17 500 m³ of reinforced
Source Interior Brand Architecture is responsible for the design of the
hotel interiors, and by mid-November 2015 were busy with the construc-
tion documentation phase for the passages and guest rooms, and with
design development of the public areas.
Director Evon Smuts-Rogers says key references will be the original
1990s building (which was inspired by the Art Deco heritage of the city)
and its inner-city location. Influences include the array of city cultures,
its stone pavements, waterways, status as an ocean liner destination,
geometry of the nearby Company’s Garden, and more.
“We are designing the hotel to honour that inspiration in a contem-
porary manner,” she says. “We are approaching the design as one would
a finely tailored suit, with attention to detail and respect for being seen
in the city.
“Finishes and coloration will be elegant and understated. Many
finishes will be borrowed from the original building – such as fine stone,
hardwood paneling and stainless steel. Because location is everything,
our attention is drawn to the subtle hues the sea mist brings to the
atmosphere of our city.”
The building retains many fine finishes such as hardwood paneling,
white marble and black granite. Source IBA will build on the black-
white theme in various ways. Graphics for carpets and screens will be
based on patterns found in the existing building, as well as other Art
Deco sources, translated into contemporary motifs.
The emphasis is also on local sourcing, achieved to date in the
carpets, joinery and metalwork. A number of local artists will create
works for the public areas, passages and guest rooms.
“We work constantly with fantastic furniture makers, joiners and
artists in Cape Town – our contact base is extensive and Cape Town is
bursting with talent,” says Smuts-Rogers.
“The development is an incredible opportunity to revitalize the
inner city by giving an obsolete building a new lease of life,” concludes
Henstra. “It’s an example of true urban regeneration, and the respon-
sible thing to do as a developer. It supports the notion of maintaining a
vibrant and ‘alive’ city, not allowing the city to deteriorate as we’ve seen
in many other parts of South Africa. From the travellers’ point of view
it’s going to give people the opportunity of experiencing this exciting
city and all it has to offer. A true urban experience. Like visiting a great
New York hotel, only in a more beautiful city.”
Dave Heron of Murray & Roberts, Shaun Rai of Stonehill Property Fund, Juan
Hugo of JW Hugo Construction and David Cohen, MD Signatura.
LEONARDO BUILDING CONTRACT IN SANDTON
The Legacy Group has awarded Aveng Grinaker-
LTA with the Leonardo Building contract which
comprises the construction of a four-level
basement and a 150 m high-rise building at
75 Maude Street, Sandton.
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concrete, 1 380 tonnes of reinforcing, 40 000 m² of formwork, the laying
of 350 000 stock bricks, 8 000 m² of plaster and 2 000 m² of screed.
“Aveng-Grinaker-LTA is building a strong presence in Sandton with a
number of prime construction projects underway in the area,” says Marc
Meire, managing director of Aveng Grinaker-LTA’s building division.
Aveng Grinaker-LTA offers multidisciplinary services across the construc-
tion and engineering value chain to its clients in South Africa, Mozambique,
Mauritius and other selected markets in the rest of Africa. It offers a range
of standalone or integrated services which range from building, civil engi-
neering and earthworks, to mechanical and electrical engineering.