Rawson group upgrades head office

Council and heritage approve R12m extension

T HE R AWSON P r o p e r t y Group’s head office in Main Road, Rondebosch, will be expanding into the parking lot on Klipper Road from early next year when the group takes occupation of a new extension to its existing building.

Approval for the extension has been given by the Cape Town City Council. The new building will link in with the existing building, and will have two floors of offices and basement parking for 40 cars.

Tony O’Brien, Rawsons’ property portfolio manager, says the building design was discussed at length with Heritage Western Cape, Rawsons’ architect for the project Derek Wiid, group chairman Bill Rawson, and O’Brien.

“Heritage Western Cape has given the final design its complete approval. Considerable sensitivity was needed in conceiving the design because the existing building with which it has to tie in is more than 100 years old and therefore not easily assimilated into a new design. Also, the entire area is subject to heritage controls, with Klipper Road in particular having many charming old houses,” says O’Brien.

“The heritage authorities specifically requested that the new building should be modern and not in any way try to replicate the old existing complex, although they encouraged the designers to incorporate certain design nuances from the old building into the new one.”

The new building will have floor to ceiling glazing with balconies across its entire northfacing façade, which faces onto Klipper Road, and many sections will have magnificent views of Devil’s Peak. The ground floor will be flanked by entrances and exits to the two separate parking levels.

“A striking feature of the clean and modern design is that the façades will be supported by structural steel that frames the complex and gives it a light look”

T h e R aws o n P r o p e r t y Group’s finance and bond origination division, run by Mike van Alphen, and the new rental management division, run by Mike Fresen – both of which work out of the Cardiff Castle building in Newlands – will move to the new complex once it is finished. The project is expected to cost R12 million and to accommodate 40 staff.

The construction work will be undertaken by members of the Rawson Construction team who recently completed The Beaumont residential sectional title development in Claremont. The construction team is also working on The Premier, which is close to the Rawson Property Group’s head office.

EXPANSION: An artist’s impression of the new Rawson Property Group head office after its renovations are complete.