Way to go, Nedbank
Misty Mountain wins award
ACOURTYARD concept, which doubles entrance space to the new Nedbank building in Beacon Bay, East London, helped Misty Mountain win the title of 2016 Developer of the Year.
The award made by an independent panel of judges, which included venerated East London architect Al Stratford, was made by the Buffalo City chapter at their fourth SA Property Owners Association (Sapoa) awards dinner at the Osner Hotel on Friday night.
Among the 100 guests were leading local property developers, owners, architects, designers, quantity surveyors, and banks officials.
After a performance of political satire, SA arts treasure Evita Bezuidenhout, aka Pieter-Dirk Uys, handed over the Developer of the Year Award to Misty Mountain’s Terry Cook. The project team was Joeke Monteiro Architects, Sonnekus & Toerien, (consulting engineers), Jim Weaver Structural Engineers, TM Electrical, JBC2 (quantity surveyors) and contractors Lewcon Construction.
The National Department of Works won the overall award for heritage for the refurbishment and upgrade of the Buffalo Volunteer Rifles headquarters in Fleet Street. There were three more awards: ● Best retail development went to Blue Thistle for the Pick n Pay Centre in Southernwood;
● Best commercial office development was won by Misty Mountain for the Nedbank building, which went on to take the developer of the year award; and
● Best small office refurbishments went to the Atkinson Family Trust for the renovation of 7 Frere Road in Vincent.
Stratford’s panel praised the Nedbank building for complementing Cedar Square office park off Bonza Bay Road.
They enjoyed the use of a courtyard saying: “This restrained, yet delightful development centres on an open court which mediates between the public double volume entrance space and the more intimate boardrooms and offices surrounding the peaceful courtyard.”
In a time of water shortage, they were impressed with the number of water tanks in the basement but also liked the “careful use of cantilevered overhangs to large glazed areas”, which they felt “all goes towards a sustainable environment that offers the tenant a cloistered, inspiring space enhancing corporate productivity and efficiency”.
Blue Thistle’s retail centre in Southernwood was hailed for hauling on the brakes of “the relentless drive towards urban sprawl”.
The centre in the CBD had been “revitalised and repurposed. By careful intervention, this project demonstrates how through sensitive and cost-effective design, a precinct may be upgraded to better accommodate the aspirations of those who have invested and populate the inner city.”
The judges quoted directly from the Atkinson Family Trust’s entry in their citation: “The project demonstrates that existing buildings don’t have to be completely demolished or have a huge budget to be interesting. It demonstrates that tired old buildings can be renovated feasibly on a tight budget in an interesting and attractive way.”
Leading Sapoa Buffalo City member and attorney Mick Webb told the dinner-goers Sapoa they were honouring “property innovators, developers, owners and built environment professionals who, through the quality of their products and commitment to the region, have contributed significantly to the enhancement of the industry”.