Lighting in Design Q4 2018

Thavhani Mall, an iconic night time beacon The Thavhani Mall, a 50 000 m 2 regional shopping centre, is located in the centre of Thohoyandou in Northern Limpopo and has been carefully planned to offer substantial and meaningful benefits for the local economy.

T he shopping centre was designed by MDS Architecture for clients Flanagan & Gerard, Thavhani Property Investments and Vukile Property Fund. Donald McGillivray, the MDS Architecture part- ner who headed up the project, says that Thavhani Mall is the focal point of the large mixed-use urban precinct mega development,Thavhani City, which is being developed on a 27 ha site inThohoyandou.The precinct includes an office park, a value shopping

centre, motor showrooms, medical clinic and a hotel with conference centre. “TheThavhani City Precinct is likely to create a new city centre forThohoyandou. The shopping centre design incorporates an option for a further 20 000 m 2 extension as part of Phase 2 of the existing shopping centre,” he says. Entrances and exterior treatment Thavhani Mall has five entrances – two on the upper level and three on the lower level.The entrances to the mall feature high volume canopies held up by abstract structures which evoke the language of the Baobab tree. The entrance design is mindful of the concept of pause and gathering. “The entrances resemble shaded, sculptural baobab trees under which visitors may pause before they enter,” says McGillivray.

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LiD Q4 - 2018