T
ia Kanakakis, the partner at MDS Architecture who led the project, says
that the architecture and materials are inspired by the geological beauty of
Africa and that the development is a tribute to local talent. “We wanted the
new Mall of Africa to set a new benchmark in retail design. The combination
of excellent architecture and leasing expertise within a new urban
framework intended to provide the catalyst for a new CBD. It was designed
and developed by Africans and can stand proud amongst the best retail
developments internationally,” she says.
In the initial design brief, the retail leasable area was 110 000m² but during
construction, the client decided to increase the area to 130 000m² of Gross Leasable Area
due to demand. The centre has two major food anchor tenants, many fashion retailers
and a nine-auditorium cinema complex. The gross building area of the entire centre is
485,000m².
The site
Waterfall City is highly accessible, located adjacent to the Allandale Road exit of the
N1 Highway, the first free-flow intersection of its size in Africa. The Mall holds prime
position in the tailor-made 330Ha new city that embraces integrated living, with shops,