New food court for The Zone @ Rosebank

The new food court, dubbed Food @ The Zone, enables movie-goers, families and entertainment lovers to relax in an open-plan self-serve dining space, with access to some of South Africa's favourite fast-food vendors and sit-down restaurants, including: Panarotti's, Spur, Simply Asia, Wakaberry, Sweets From Heaven, Jimmy's Killer Prawns, and Haagen Dazs.

"The new food court will revitalise the movie area of The Zone @ Rosebank with its abundance of natural light, natural and earthy colours, slick seating and granite tables, and soft backlit wallpaper and mosaic tiling," said Nqaba Mangcu, project architect of Louis Karol Architects, which was responsible for the refit. "Shoppers will also have access to a smart-connect area with Wi-Fi, TV, and desk plugs."

"Our intention with the new area, Food @ The Zone, is to enhance the family appeal of The Zone @ Rosebank, and add more leisure facilities to the existing cinema complex, so that families and movie-goers can really enjoy a full outing," said Desmond Heunis, Regional GM of Old Mutual Property. "The Zone @ Rosebank is now able to cater for a broad entertainment-loving market."

New tenants

Owned by Old Mutual Properties and located between Cradock Avenue and Oxford Road in Rosebank, the mixed-use mall development recently announced the addition of four new tenants to its growing fashion, food and entertainment offering: Kauai's first concept store, a new branch of French-style bakery The Patisserie, fashion designer Thula Sindi's flagship boutique, and the first outlet of international Danish jewellery manufacturer Pandora. A UK-headquartered chain of gyms as well as SuperSpar's new Rosebank outlet will also soon be opening.

"By refurbishing the ground and first floors of The Zone @ Rosebank, and placing the new food court on the first floor, we were able to achieve 16 new stores in the existing space - basically, we created a fresh, newly purposed space within an existing shopping centre," explained Mangcu.

Project construction began towards the end of last year, with the development team being careful not to disrupt the trading environment by fast-tracking the roll-out period and ensuring existing services operated as normal. Louis Karol's CEO, Eitan Karol, said: "It's never easy to build within an existing building that's not only still trading but is in a part of a mall that links all the shopping and offices in Rosebank, but with our 63 years of experience in large-scale commercial redevelopment, we've been able to handle this fairly seamlessly."

One of the largest and most eminent architectural firms in the country, Louis Karol has been responsible for the design and construction of some of South Africa's most-admired buildings and developments, including the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town and the Sandton International Convention Centre in Joburg.

Marking a milestone in the progression of phase one of the redevelopment, shoppers will soon be able to enjoy a new mixed-use retail/office space in the former Standard Bank building on Tyrwhitt Avenue. The ground floor will host a variety of restaurants, and will also serve as a green space where outside seating and the piazza-style ambiance will be extended in the already vibrant Rosebank precinct. The first and second floors will be re-modelled into office space of approximately 2200m², with a spectacular atrium letting natural light in to both floors.