Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Newconferencecentre comingonstreamby2016
THE new Century City Conference Centre (CCCC), which will be able to accommodate a total of 1 900 delegates i n 20 venues, has been designed to complement the existing facilities in Cape Town and Century City.
Greg Deans, a director of Rabie Property Group, said the development of the CCCC and a 125-room business hotel, was in response to soaring demand for conferencing and hotels in the burgeoning precinct.
“Not only will it fill a gap in the market, but we believe it will help cement Cape Town’s established attractiveness as a conference destination.” ity, are unable to keep up with demand and have had to turn away business, particularly for larger conferences.”
Deans said that since the post World Cup 2010 hospitality hangover, all Century City hotels had shown strong annual growth in occupancies and were currently running at about 7% ahead of the previous year.
“Century City’s popularity as a hospitality node had grown phenomenally in recent years, in tandem with the growth of the precinct, which is now home to more than 500 businesses and with more than 260 000m2 of offices is currently the third-largest commercial precinct in Cape Town.
“The Cape Town CBD, which has an office component of around 900 000m2, is serviced by 5 720 four- and five-star hotel rooms – a ratio of one room to every 157m2 of offices – and this does not take into account the large number of three-star hotel rooms in the city. At Century City, on the other hand, the total number of hotel rooms from three- to five-star, represents a ratio of just one to 560m2 of offices, which indicates just how under serviced in terms of hotels we are for the corporate sector, in particular. The node is still growing and as additional offices come on stream, demand will further increase.”
Deans said CCCC, in partnership with Century City Connect, Century City’s open-access fibre optic network, will offer delegates and guests world-class fibre optic and wireless connectivity.
Anchoring the development will be a bustling, multi-functional square on to which restaurants and the other hospitality elements will flow.
“Every city should have at least one public square that offers a dynamic, vibrant and safe environment for the public to enjoy.
“CCCC is one of three buildings that will form the focal point of The Square, a beautifully proportioned space that will offer users the opportunity to socialise, relax, dine and be entertained. The CCCC has been designed as the hub and pivotal node of this precinct that will influence and generate future planning of i ts surrounds. The strong architectural form and aesthetic of the conference centre has been taken through to the Century City Hotel to form an L-shaped footprint that is then offset by the more sculptural and whimsical sheer glass façades of the seven-storey freestanding office building that forms the balance of The Square. This environment is further enhanced by the introduction of the extended canal system of Century City and bold landscaping themes.”
Murray & Roberts has been appointed contractor and has moved on site with all components of the development scheduled for completion by end of next year and the first conferences expected to be hosted in early 2016. The architect for the project is Vivid Architects while Source has been appointed interior decorator for the CCCC and Origin for the hotel.
For further details, call Glyn Taylor on 072 394 7014 or email him at glyn@ccconference centre.com or see www.centurycityconference centre.co.za.