THE VELD WALL - ROSEBANK , JOHANNESBURG
Pavement cafés on the Art Mile
CIRCA Gallery
Project team :
Developer : TomorrowCo ( Anton Taljaard and Estelle van Kerkhoven )
Landscape architects : Fieldworks Design Group ( Charldon Wilken and team )
Landscape contractors : Life Landscapes ( Oscar Lockwood , Greg Martin and team )
Consultant and plant supplier : Wildflower Nursery ( Johan and Annette Wentzel )
Steel sub-contractors : AshNAdd and Africa United
Suppliers of Gro-Wall : Pula Water Systems
Supplier of potting mix : Turfnet of nature as an art form . The soft and hard landscaping elements contribute to the spatial qualities of the project . Within the overarching vision for the precinct , the team has been exploring the idea of creating a story line using the grassland vegetation of Gauteng ’ s mining belt and showcasing vulnerable plants in each veld type , including the following : the poorly conserved Egoli Granite Grassland depicted on the Veld Wall ; Soweto Highveld Grassland ; Carletonville Dolomitic Grassland ; and possibly other relevant veld types from the region .
A favourable micro-climate needs to be created , so that more planting can be introduced along the Mile ; and the double row of trees in the first phase will be mirrored in future phases , while the street edge is likely to be treated in a similar fashion . Another aspect of the use of this Highveld grassland palette is that it will exhibit what can be achieved with locally indigenous plants in landscaping and might help to change the still common perspective of clients who favour sterile , exotic plantings .
Oscar Lockwood of Life Landscapes , the contractor that installed the Veld Wall , has observed that people are responding well to
32 AFRICAN DESIGN MAGAZINE © | MAY 2018