Originally a two-storey financial services building, it was 11,500m2 in size with two basements. The building’s total bulk now is 70,000m2 with seven levels of basement housing 3,200 cars. The project, which took six years to complete, is a premium grade property featuring three new office towers which were awarded with a four-star rating by the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) for the design and is linked by a central landscaped piazza - a pedestrian friendly, public open environment. This is the second building that Abland has developed for Bowmans.
“The location to amenities such as financial and legal services as well as the convenience of food outlets plays a significant role in achieving the Green Star SA rating, as this makes transport and access to the building more efficient,” says Janet Glendinning, development manager at Abland.
“The piazza is a real differentiator for this project; Abland wanted it to be easily accessible to the public of Sandton. Originally, access to the piazza was planned through the office cores from the basement which were security controlled. As we rolled out each building it came to our attention that we had to provide lifts and escalators to get the public onto the piazza without the hassle of going through security – incorporating convenience and service retail.”
With every big construction project comes challenges during the development stage that need to be dealt with, with caution. For this project it was keeping the original bank intact and occupied, while contractors commenced with work. Insufficient parking during phase one for two years into the project and the excavation of bulk earthworks were other challenges Abland had to work around.
