Retail & Hospitality Property News South Africa

Bryanston's growing commercial node

Johannesburg's affluent suburb of Bryanston is experiencing an upsurge in the number of businesses moving to the area, resulting in an increase in office developments currently under construction.

Barrow Properties, in a joint venture with the Enigma Group, is behind the recently completed office development, Corner Main, opposite the Dimension Data Campus.

"Corner Main attracted healthy interest from the market and was sold to a single buyer prior to completion, indicating a strong demand for larger office space in the area," says Enigma's development manager, Lawrence Azar. The building is presently occupied by Metmar.

Barrow Properties is also involved in the office development across the road - Culross on Main, which has brought an additional 7 000m2 of rentable office space to the local market. "At Culross on Main, we have recently concluded leases with Thebe Exhibitions, Software AG and Sekoko Resources. One remaining building comprising 1 300m2 of rentable space is still available for lease in this sought-after office park", comments Paul Barrow, director of Barrow Properties.

All the buildings in Culross on Main offer two levels of office space and one basement level. Provision has been made for a ratio of five bays per 100m2 of office space. One of the key features is the rooftop terrace, which has been incorporated to take advantage of the great views to the north. In order to address anticipated traffic congestion, the intersection at Culross Road has been upgraded.

The architects have included numerous energy-saving features in both the Corner Main and Culross on Main buildings, such as strategically located grey-tinted windows, which prevent excessive heat gain in summer while reducing heat loss in winter, LED lighting, abundant natural light through large, glazed glass frontages, naturally ventilated basements and an eco-friendly heat pump for water heating. "These features amount to significant cost savings for occupiers in the long run," Barrow points out.

Bryanston's popularity for office developments can be attributed to its close proximity to the N1, several main roads and the Sandton CBD. The suburb also offers a self-contained lifestyle with a wide range of amenities such as malls, schools, entertainment and restaurants within short distances of one another, with the Nicolway shopping centre being the most recent addition to the landscape. The number of Bryanston residents continues to grow and this has resulted in an increase of residential developments under construction, in addition to new commercial buildings.

Let's do Biz