“Mall of the North will act as an icon for Polokwane in terms of its superb visibility, physical size, capital investment and its function from a commercial and social perspective,” says Johann Kriek, Executive Director of Resilient.
Kriek notes that Mall of the North will be built to the most modern international standards and will compare favourably with major regional malls as experienced around the world.
Mall of the North is a bi-level shopping centre anchored by a tenancy including Pick ‘n Pay, Shoprite, Woolworths Game, the Edcon Group, the Truworths Group, Ster Kinekor cinemas including a lively mix of majors tenants and line shops, giving the mall a total of over 250 tenants.
Design
Award-winning design firm MDS Architecture’s main focus of the centre’s design was to contextualize the building in its environment and to give it a sense of place.
“The most important aspect for us was to integrate the building into the landscape,” says Pierre Lahaye of MDS Architecture. “Limpopo is characterised and known for its wildlife and bush atmosphere. This was emphasized rather than overshadowed by the centre. We drew inspiration from the surrounding forest and mountains and have placed a strong emphasis on texture and colour. We have also stressed the importance of being environmentally respectful and have re-used as much as possible from the site.
Assisting the development achieve its architectural ambitions are the selection of materials being applied to this mall. The main focus is on the use of texture, light and shadows. Accent lighting and concealed lighting, rather than floodlighting will create a warm and hospitable atmosphere.
Limpopo’s iconic 75,000m2 regional shopping centre’s construction is progressing well ahead of its completion next year.
Contemporary use of glass and irregular patterns throughout the centre add interesting focal points to the interior of the mall. Use of skylights ensure natural light reaches through the centre to the lower levels and strategic placement of sliding glazed doors create permeable space within the centre.
The external façades will exude packed natural stone, which will make a seamless flow into the centre via use of light and earthy toned tiles used throughout the centre.
Investing in Natural Resources
A strong conservation ethos is being applied throughout the development of this regional shopping centre, integrating natural vegetation and elements into its actual design.
“Polokwane is characterised by its wildlife, bush environment and natural vegetation with strong elements of natural beauty,” says Patrick Flanagan of Flanagan & Gerard. “It was essential for us to be respectful of the environment which hosts the development and we actively pursued numerous opportunities to conserve the natural elements on the site.”
One of the main conservation focuses of the development is the natural vegetation (including over 200 aloes) occurring on the site by removing it during construction and replacing and rehabilitating it at the conclusion of the construction phases.
Additionally, whenever possible the earth, stone and vegetation from the site has been reincorporated into the development. Natural crushed stone from the site has been used to create the gabions (wire-covered blocks filled with stone) that will be found in and round the centre. The rock has also been incorporated in the road upgrades taking place around the development.
The benefits of this initiative go beyond ensuring that Mall of the North is truly a symbol of its location. By retaining and re-using as much natural resources on site, it lowers fuel cost of transporting the earth and stone to landfills and reduces ever-growing landfills.
Socio-Economic Spinoffs
“The economic and social benefits that Mall of the North will bring to the local Limpopo and Polokwane communities will be substantial,” notes Jannie Moolman of Moolman Group.
In addition to BEE representation at the ownership level, a great number of jobs will be created both during construction phase and after opening as retailers will seek to employ sales and other staff, many of whom should be drawn from the local community.
Spreading the Web of Influence
Patrick Flangan of Flanagan & Gerard explains that through Mall of the North many national retailers are gaining first-time access to the valuable Limpopo market. This will create a broader-based retail, restaurant and entertainment offering in Polokwane and result in a significant retention of important gross retail spend in Limpopo, which is currently being spent elsewhere, notably in Gauteng shopping centres.
It will also attract additional consumer spend to the area by unlocking new retail prospects. “Mall of the North will serve Polokwane as well as the entire northern region of the country, with cross-border shopping as an additional factor,” says Flanagan.
It is for this reason that the highly accessible, central site of Mall of the North was selected as Bendor, a rapidly developing component of Polokwane, in the heart of its growth corridor, ideally sited at the intersection of a national and provincial road.
Providing parking for approximately 4,500 cars, this regional shopping mall will be located on the 27ha site at the intersection of the N1 bypass and Modjadjiskloof Road (formerly Magoebaskloof Road). Substantial road upgrades are planned in the immediate area and the development of Mall of the North should also serve to further improve values of surrounding properties, including residential homes, in the vicinity.