WINNER : MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENTS Century City Square , Bridgeways , Century City
All great cities have an urban square that offers a dynamic , vibrant and safe environment for the public to enjoy . Century City Square is a unique mixed-use development focused in and around an exciting public square in the heart of the Bridgeways precinct at Cape Town ’ s Century City .
The square was conceptualised as the heart and soul of this precinct as well as instigator , influencer and generator for future development of this undeveloped area of Century City . Developed by the Rabie Property Group at a cost of R1 Billion , it comprises the Century City Conference Centre , a 125 room hotel , offices , apartments and restaurants all situated around an open public square with 1,330 under cover parking bays being provided in a super basement and structured parking garage .
The architects were tasked with the urban design framework of this precinct . The current layout and design has recognised and reinforced the needs of the pedestrian user over vehicles , an appropriate human scale and massing of the square , the importance of existing gateways , focal points and view corridors and a full understanding of the optimum orientation and wind protection . The architecture has employed the maximum use of glass at the ground floor plane to ensure transparency and the seamless interface between inside and out , whilst the brief has ensured that restaurants , coffee shops and the hotel`s public areas spill out onto the square to ensure that there is a constant life and energy .
The overall precinct plan has been thoroughly interrogated to ensure strong pedestrian connectivity between this new urban environment and the existing broader Century City . Special care has been taken to encourage pedestrian movement patterns and to ensure that the pedestrian experience is predominant over that of the vehicle .
The defining architectural language and materials palette selected has allowed enough variation in the building aesthetic yet ensures that there is an architectural cohesion to the scheme . The design
72 SAPOA Awards