Construction World December 2021

PROJECT INFORMATION

• Company entering: MDS Architecture • Project start date: June 2019 • Project end date: November 202 • Client: McCormick Property Development and KJA Group Holdings • Architect: MDS Architecture • Contractor: Mike Buyskes Construction • Structural Engineer: SCIP Engineering Group • Civil Engineer: SCIP Engineering Group • Quantity Surveyor: Quanticost Quantity Surveyors • Electrical Engineer: KKA Consulting Electrical Engineers • Mechanical Engineer: Pretocon Consulting Engineers • Wet Services Engineer: CKR Consulting Engineers • Fire Consultant: Fire Safety Designs Fire Consultants

i s internal ly orientated and l i tt le attent ion i s given to the bui lding’s fa ç ades . The external walkways connect the various entrances wi th some of the shops also having exposure and entrances along the bui lding’s façade. The largest leaf-shaped roof covers the external food court area and main entrance, of fers al f resco dining opt ions and opens out to the external chi ldren’s play area. The anchor restaurant , Imbi zo, i s located on the most prominent north east corner of the bui lding, and can be entered internal ly f rom the mal l as wel l as f rom the external parking area. The restaurant takes ful l advantage of the magni ficent views of the township beyond wi th numerous large windows and internal and external seat ing areas located in the ci rcular aluminium-clad, triple volume form which also forms a focal point of the bui lding f rom the main road. Given the ant icipated foot fal l numbers at the Mal l , the brief was to maximi se natural l ight and a feel ing of space wi thin the Mal l of Thembi sa. The provi s ion and large extent of the clerestor y windows created structural chal lenges , as wel l as a chal lenge of providing smoke extract ion for the mal l areas . The des ign solut ion was the ut i l i zat ion of actuated windows in l ieu of more tradi t ional ly used louvered openings . Window actuators were instal led on a number of clerestor y windows , al lowing these to open in case of fi re. Thi s ensured that the number of louvres requi red was reduce, and the number of windows and provi s ion of natural l ight thereby maximi sed. The actuated windows can be further ut i l i sed to provide natural vent i lat ion to the internal space as requi red. The numerous pop-up roofs flooding the interiors wi th natural l ight ing through clerestor y windows are a prominent archi tectural feature. There are also extens ive openings in the upper ground floor slab, wi th glass balustrades creat ing double volume spaces which further bathe the bui lding wi th natural l ight ing al l the way down to the ground level . Further innovat ive technology which was pioneered on the project was instal lat ion of l ight sensors which adjust the levels of internal art i ficial l ight ing according to external l ight ing condi t ions and the amount of natural l ight coming thorough the clerestor y windows . 

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20 th Best Project Awards 2021