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Irene Link Precinct in Doringkloof is appropriately named, as a mixed-use development and is designed to create connection. Here, Bryan Charters of Nsika Architecture and Design, together with Abland Property Developers as well as Giflo and SOM Property Developers visualised a pace-setting group of structures in their harmonious urban fusion of commercial, retail, and hotel, medical and educational spaces near the peaceful village of Irene.

Groundwork on Irene Link Building B began in late 2019, and, despite the interruption of the hard lockdown of 2020, top structures was completed in July 2020. Building B contains 6 959m² of premium grade office space.

The design and build team reached out to Italtile Commercial Menlyn’s Catherine Brown to select quality floor tiles to cover a total of 2 400m², that best spoke to the building’s modern urban personality of concrete, steel, aluminium and glass.

In line with the theme of connection, the architects chose to create a conversation between the interior and exterior spaces with one range of porcelain tiles. They settled on the Spazio Gris by local sustainable tile manufacturers Gryphon, which is part of the Ceramic Industries Group. The Spazio range is a large format, high quality remastering of the on-trend matt cement look, and is a new breed of tile, sustainably manufactured to be thinner yet stronger.

www.italtile.co.za/about-italtile-commercial

Green School South Africa, is an eight-hectare sustainable schooling campus located in the low-lying Paarl Valley, spatially defined by the Paarl Berg to the north, Drakenstein Mountains to the east and south, and Simons Berg towards the south-west. The spatial arrangement at a macro level is what inspired the space making, but also the individual buildings and spaces between them.

Reoccurrence of multiples at incremental scales is an idea that defines the behaviour of most natural systems. The architecture of the individual buildings is defined by organic tectonic shapes originating from the mountains that contain the valley but also more directly from the Paarl Berg Boulders. These solid shapes are arranged to accommodate the programmatic need of each of the individual buildings.

The first phase of the campus was completed in February 2021 and comprises various clusters of buildings nestled in amidst orchards, vegetable gardens, walkways, landscaped terraces and spill-out spaces. These buildings include 16 classroom facilities for children ranging from kindergarten to Grade 8, the Sangkep (Balinese term for a multipurpose space), an administrative building and the heart of the school.

The individual clusters of buildings are weaved together by landscaping and a series of organic shaped ‘werf’ walls to create a coherent whole, and a world of passageways and spaces for students to discover.

Harmonious spaces where humankind and nature can reconnect

Upon arriving at the school, a landscaped gabion wall leads the visitor to the administrative building that sits on the main axial circulation spine of the campus, linking the more public buildings together. These buildings include the Sangkep, tree-lined market area, deli, co-working space and heart of the school. The heart of the school is the centre of the precinct were all the paths converge. The building is defined by three boulder‐like shapes defining the path leading from the arrival plaza. The one side of the building contains the dining hall, life lab and kitchen, and the other a library, art and music studio and ablution facilities.

The main circulation spine branches off into carefully considered meandering routes, to create moments of excitement, wonderment and discovery. These secondary routes lead to the primary school and kindergarten where both spill out in landscaped courtyards. The kindergarten cluster is sheltered and hidden by landscaped berms, and the walkway covered with a hand-woven sapling growing tunnel, which depending on the time of the year is covered with colourful foliage.

The positions of the different zones and buildings have been carefully considered, taking into account passive design principals, feng shui and the seven petals provided by the Living Building Challenge (place, water, energy, health & happiness, materials, equity and beauty). The result being harmonious spaces where humankind and nature can reconnect.

To further enhance this idea, the building walls are kept to a minimum to allow for big expansive openings ensuring visual connection between inside and outside spaces. The manner in which the classrooms and buildings spill out into nature also fosters project-based learning.

Constructed from naturally and locally sourced materials

The visual connectedness of the buildings is not the only aspect that link the architecture with nature. All buildings are constructed from naturally and locally sourced materials, such as dek-riet ceilings, clay and soil harvested from site to create rammed earth walls and lime plaster, the pebbles retrieved from the site used to construct gabion walls, and reclaimed Tique doors from the larger Drakenstein region. This all to better integrate the architecture within its surroundings and celebrate the materials and workmanship from the local area.

These organic shaped stereotomic buildings with large oversailing leaf-like roof structures for rainwater collection, punched openings to frame vistas and views, bay windows, thick rammed earth or clay brick walls, clerestory windows for filtered natural light and ventilation, textured screening elements, all create enticing and playful spaces.

This multi-layered development where architecture and landscape coincide, creates for enticing and playful spaces where children can engage, explore and learn. GASS Architecture Studios created a layered architectural environment that is rich of information and speaks to the key principles in biophilic design.

The Green School SA development broke ground in February 2020 and the school doors opened in February 2021.

• Photos by Wieland Gleich, ARCHIGRAPHY.com
• ARCHITECTS: GASS Architecture Studios
• Design Architect & Principal Agent: Wessel van Dyk, Chris Bakker
• Project Architect: Theuna Stoltz

The new Barloworld showroom is an architectural innovation – curves that were conceptually derived from the shape and form of the earthmoving equipment.

The undulating curving shell over the length of the showroom is supported by a finely detailed steel structure which focuses on volume, shifting from a 7.5m high bulge to the central apex of approximately 14.5m, and back to the intermediate 12m western bulge. 

North of the structure is the highway facing the full-height, flush glazed unitized façade that has eight 4m x 5.5m flush glazed vertical sliding doors, which take the shape of the enclosed showroom. Behind this is the office component that has cantilever office pods and meeting rooms overlooking the iconic equipment.

On the ground floor, visitors are met by natural materials that open up to the main entrance ramps and stairs, onto the circulation spine.  The eastern side of the spine incorporates external seating and an eating area nestled under a canopy of trees. Here there is also soft landscaping, meandering between external equipment, and accommodating circulation towards the grand entrance doors at reception and client greeting areas – all fully populated by marketing material and client facing components.

The ground floor internal showroom has a landscaped spine that acts as the threshold between showroom and office.  The office occupants above circulate via an exposed staircase that wraps a single lift core onto the mezzanine floor, which hosts additional office components and ablution facilities.

A balance of iconic design with functional aesthetics

Barloworld Equipment, dealer for iconic Caterpillar earthmoving equipment, was leaving Sandton and wanted a state-of-the-art development which had to include a flagship Caterpillar showroom for their equipment – excavators, loaders, dozers and graders, which are usually too large to accommodate indoors, except in a barnlike warehouse. The brief was to balance iconic design with functional aesthetics while maintaining a cost-effective solution.

Barloworld required its new showroom for used equipment to have maximum exposure to the R24 highway for brand presence and awareness.  The new showroom also had to house the Cat Rental and Used Equipment offices.

The finished design houses and showcases all Caterpillar used and rental via means of internal and external areas.  The new Barloworld showroom maximizes this to increase the brand reach.

The building assists in creating a productive but agile working environment and takes into account energy efficiency.

The tourism and hospitality sectors have been hardest hit by the Covid-19 outbreak but construction and property development industries have also been brought to their knees, plagued by project delays and contract cancellations resulting in widespread job losses and retrenchments. 

“The construction industry has taken a pounding in recent years, with the collapse of Group Five and other big industry players, but its decline has been significantly exacerbated by the nationwide lockdown imposed last year,” says Nicholas Stopforth, Amdec Property Developments Managing Director. 

While many developers have responded to the sector downturn by taking a cautious approach and adopting a wait-and-see attitude, one company bucking this trend is the privately owned and operated Amdec Group, developers behind the Harbour Arch mixed-use precinct on Cape Town’s foreshore.  

Harbour Arch a flagship investment in Cape Town

At a recent site inspection attended by Western Cape Premier Alan Winde, Wesgro CEO Tim Harris and Investment Manager Rehana Boolay, Amdec Group’s CEO James Wilson, said that he wasn’t aware of any other privately-funded developments of the scale of Harbour Arch in Cape Town – and possibly even nationally – under construction and progressing at such an aggressive pace.

“Our decision to forge ahead with the development under current conditions is a real statement that demonstrates our confidence in this country and that we believe in the long-term future and economic viability of South Africa,” Wilson said.  ”Current levels of poverty and unemployment are excessive and unacceptable, so it is vital that the public and private sectors work together much more closely and create employment opportunities to alleviate this.” 

Premier Alan Winde commended the Amdec Group for being bold in the development space, saying that Harbour Arch would contribute significantly to the region’s post-Covid economic recovery plan.

 “Harbour Arch is a flagship investment in the City of Cape Town, and will contribute in an important way to job creation at a time when our province desperately needs it,” he said.

“These are really exciting times for a developing city and I think that job-creating investments such as this one are definitely going to influence further future development in the region.”

Redevelopment of the 5.8-hectare Culemborg site

Harbour Arch will see the redevelopment of the 5.8-hectare Culemborg site on the northeastern edge of the Cape Town CBD, into a large-scale mixed-use development comprising six individual towers. 

With close to 200 000m2 of usable space, the precinct will accommodate residential apartments, commercial office space, hotels, shops, restaurants, motor dealerships, an urban park, and more.  

Wilson said that Harbour Arch hopes to provide in the region of 20 000 construction jobs over the next 10 years, varying from labour opportunities through to highly skilled artisans and project managers. 

“The Amdec Group believes strongly in transformation and empowerment and will have a firm focus on partnering with small black-owned businesses who operate within the construction and real estate sectors. We hope to bring them on board as subcontractors to our main contractor, WBHO, and provide opportunities for growth, learning and upskilling”, Wilson shared.  

 “A project of this magnitude does not only show that the City of Cape Town is open for business and that people are still confident about investing here, but it’s also critical for job creation and attracting trade and investment into the province. I fully support the Amdec Group’s vision, and hope that this is not the last development we will see from them in our city and province,” concluded Wesgro CEO, Tim Harris. 

Construction of Harbour Arch Tower One is proceeding at pace and is on schedule for completion in May 2023.