SPECIAL REPORT: GREEN PARK

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There’s nothing quite like the plush look and feel of exclusive packaging to elevate a brand to be a cut above the rest. The aura of luxury imparted by leathers, suedes, specially treated papers, heavy flocks and woven textiles can make an emphatic difference to the positioning of a brand in the marketplace.

AN AIR OF DISTINCTION By Bev Hermanson

GREEN PARK: ‘WORK, LIVE & PLAY’With a public square, offices, a 5-star boutique

hotel, a pavement retail centre, cafes, an up-

market night club, a conference centre, a Virgin

Active health centre, a spa and apartments,

residents, employees and guests at Green

Park don’t have to step a foot outside its doors.

All their basic needs are satisfied by the facilities

available at the development, which provide

means of food, exercise, leisure, work and rest.

At this urban lifestyle development it’s all

about the ‘Work, Live, and Play’.

Green Park is situated in West Road South,

Morningside, within walking distance from

Sandton Central and the new Gautrain Station.

Although phase two and three of the devel-

opment are only set for completion in 2013

and 2015 respectively, phase one is due for

completion at the end of 2010.

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By Stacey Rowan.

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ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN

The architectural design of Green Park is

environmentally responsive. The develop-

ment has to be carefully orientated north-

wards to allow for natural sunlight and sum-

mer shading.

“The site it located within a public environ-

ment and has been designed to accommo-

date the people. The design is deliberately

pedestrian and inclusive of the surrounding

areas. The intention was, and continues to

be, to create a comfortable human environ-

ment similar to the kind of smaller scale ur-

ban areas which existed before car-driven

planning destroyed most of this city. Also,

the client understands how complex and

integrated environments function which has

made it possible for the design to develop

in a very different manner to conventional

projects in Sandton,” explains says Vaughn

Horsman, head architect on the project.

Apart from the architectural design, the

overall aesthetics of the development are

modern and contemporary. The interior

called for a clean and neutral look. “This was

created through the use of neutral material

choices like concrete in the frame structures,

glass for the facades and grey and white

plaster. Other choices included robust exter-

nal materials, brickwork skin with gamma

zenith or cladding and timber for the bal-

conies.

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CHALLENGES FACED

With the development offering apartments,

hotel rooms and office spaces, among

others, this required a substantially large

amount of parking that needed to be built.

“There is a huge amount of parking accom-

modated over four basements.” Not only

did these facilities create a need for mass

parking, but the mixed-use of the devel-

opment also created challenges. “The com-

plexities of mixed-use are naturally chal-

lenging. The residential apartments on

top of retail had to be carefully planned, as

well as the office space themselves. The

use of deep green garden decks and ar-

cades that separate these various zones

provided a solution for this,” says Horsman.

SOARING INTO THE SKIES

Green Park certainly soars into the skies

with its 20 story commercial office, which

forms the tallest building in the develop-

ment. “The design brief, from our client

Lushaka Investments, called for a mixed-

use, high rise and high density precinct in

Morningside, which would focus around an

urban square. The land cost has demanded

that the design maximises height and

bulk at all costs,” says Horsman.

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There’s nothing quite like the plush look and feel of exclusive packaging to elevate a brand to be a cut above the rest. The aura of luxury imparted by leathers, suedes, specially treated papers, heavy flocks and woven textiles can make an emphatic difference to the positioning of a brand in the marketplace.

AN AIR OF DISTINCTION By Bev Hermanson

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LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE

Bertha Wium Landscape Development, in

association with Red Landscape Archi-

tects, was responsible for the execution of

the landscape architecture of the Landscape

Development Plan, as commissioned by

A3 Architects.

“Working in close relation with the client

and the architects, the vision was formu-

lated – developing a landscape that will

emphasise the name of the development

‘Green Park’. The design allowed for ample

green, vertical walls, raised planters and

lawn areas, pot gardens and large trees

planted in sunken gardens,” says Bertha

Wium, MD, Bertha Wium Landscape Devel-

opment (Pty) Ltd and Francois van Rooyen,

MD, Red Landscape Architects (Pty)Ltd.

The landscape architecture needed to over-

come the adverse climatic conditions as-

sociated with the built up environments

in Sandton. This was achieved by strate-

gically designing the location of the land-

scape within and around the building,

ensuring that the ultimate landscape was

chosen in the available spaces.

“The design of Green Park will be a yard

stick for new buildings in and around Sand-

ton,” says Wium.

A3 ARCHITECTS

A3 Architects worked closely with the

Lushaka Group to create the ultra-modern

architectural design of Green Park Sandton.

Differentiating them from other architec-

tural firms is there unique relationships with

clients and suppliers and there ongoing

personal service. “Our practice is not only

about delivering the end product, but it’s

also about creating relationships with our

clients ensuring that their requirements

are met. The practice itself is a hard work-

ing but relaxed environment with a good

vibe between colleagues. It is also a learn-

ing environment where everyone is able to

participate in all levels of a certain project,

ask questions and a number of students

are employed and trained. <