Lighting in Design February-March 2017

Regent’s lighting at the Mall of Africa The Mall of Africa in Midrand, at close to 130 000m 2 GLA, is the largest single-phase shopping centre to be built in South Africa to date. Led by MDS Architecture, the design process aimed to fulfill client’s desire to provide the mall in Africa.

The design inspiration for the mall and courts was drawn from the geological beauty of the continent. This formed the direction of the design and the inspiration for the mall interior, the aesthetics and the finishes, which were developed along this concept in a non-stylised manner. The brief for the interior lighting was to use Maxi Linear fittings in the mall but to do something different from what had been done previously. The initial thought was to run the units in parallel but when this proved too expensive, Regent suggested stagger- ing the fittings to ensure the plan fell within budget. The proposal was accepted. LED lighting was used extensively and in- cluded Linear Maxi and Perox downlighters, which were combined to provide lighting and animation to the key centralised areas. The design means that natural light is maximised in the Mall in such a way that the comfort of shoppers is optimised. Aptly named ‘Forest Walk’, the central spine of the Mall of Africa is reminiscent of the rain forests in central Africa. Featuring tropical elements, the Forest Walk follows the curve of the dramatic and expansive roof feature. At night, specialist animated light- ing and pendants in the specially designed ‘pods’ add an even more subtle animation. The external lighting of the mall consisted essentially of three elements: • Highlighting the facades – Istria facade lighting was used here. • Roadway lighting – Regent Lighting matched what had been used before. • Landscape – the landscape design of the Waterfall Precinct integrates the surrounding urban street fabric with the Mall of Africa and the newly constructed central park. The design provides pleasant, inviting, valuable and sustainable spaces for human use and enjoyment as an added experience when visiting the Mall of Africa.

Regent Lighting Solutions: +27 (0)11 474 0171

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LiD FEB/MAR 2017