This is by far the biggest and most complex project I have undertaken, along with a team that grew to about ten people. It all started one afternoon when someone visiting our offices saw me looking through photographs for our book Made of Africa. He asked me if we could design a couple of hundred luxury apartments in KZN using this African style.
A week later, the two of us were on our way to see the site, driving through sugar cane fields in a recently launched development, Zimbithi. We arrived at an area with steep hills and an amphitheatre shape in the centre. I knew this was going to be tough.
I worked alone initially, with assistance from my partner Gareth, to develop the designs for Phase One and the feasibility. The concept designs were very detailed because of the nature of the site — steep slopes and basement parking. The development architects insisted that “the building must sit lightly on the ground”. Two hundred and twenty units against these hills were not going to sit lightly, but from the outset the design was developed around staggered block shapes and vertical elements to “blur” what could become immense and imposing structures.
The project was built in phases, with 10 blocks, some of which were finished while others hadn’t started. Our core team was myself, Gareth Williams Wynn, architect Mark Oates, and Gordon Alexander on site. We had five other professionals at our office in Joburg and two on site. We had some of the best in the business involved in the design and construction of the project. WBHO was the main contractor, Sivest were the engineers, along with many other professionals and specialists.
The immensity of this project is hard to describe, but here are a few indicators:
- 220 luxury 3- and 4-bedroom apartments. No two units were the same — one because of the design, and two because owners could choose their own style, either African or international
- At the height of construction there were over 1,000 people on site every day
- 5 tower cranes and 4 piling rigs on site
- 54,000 m² of internal and external decorative and finished floor surfaces. That’s 5.4 hectares, or 13 acres, or about 7 rugby fields
- Basement parking for 400 cars and 400 golf carts across 8 blocks, 60 covered parking bays for cars and golf carts, and 250 covered and open visitor bays
- The biggest project in KZN at the time, second only to Sibaya Casino and Entertainment Kingdom. The new King Shaka Airport trumped all a short time thereafter
- The biggest LG split-unit air-conditioning installation in South Africa
- 600 toilets supplied by Twyfords in the U.K.
- Over 2,000 drawing sheets, details and revisions were issued, filed in a dedicated office on site
To say it wasn’t stressful would be lying, but the result is spectacular.
