Architect and Builder Magazine South Africa March/April 2015 | Page 18

ProjectWatch proposed, current and future projects from Southern Africa and abroad PROJECTVIEW FIFTY8onV Blok recently launched their latest development in Vredehoek; FIFTY8onV. This is the first of their projects to launch in the City Bowl. The development has eleven apartments and the modern design and fresh interiors offer multi-functional space solutions. “We are excited about the launch of this exquisite apartment building, not least because it takes Blok into a new part of the city, one that has an entirely different feel to the Atlantic Seaboard where we have focused until now. FIFTY8onV brings the Blok living standard to the green, lush surrounds of Vredehoek, and for city lovers like ourselves, it is the solution to luxury urban apartment living but with the feeling of being slightly removed from the hustle and bustle of city living, something that is occasionally good for one’s soul,“ says Jacques van Embden, Managing Director and Co-founder of Blok. Blok, while passionate about creating luxury urban apartments, are equally passionate about benefitting the communities in which they develop, and in line with this are already working with the local CID in Vredehoek, contributing to the local LPR (license plate recognition) programme. Thornhill Park, an adjacent community park to SEVENonT in Green Point, is another neighbourhood investment project that Blok is working closely with the city to revive and launch later in the year. 18 OLD MUTUAL EMERGING MARKETS ANNOUNCES JOHANNESBURG HEADQUARTERS DEVELOPMENT Old Mutual Emerging Markets (OMEM) will be moving its Johannesburg Head Office from its existing property, Mutual Square on Grayston Drive, to a planned new building in the heart of Sandton. The new development was marked by an official sod-turning on the site this week and follows strides made to drive greater collaboration in the group and execute the company’s African growth strategy. Ralph Mupita, CEO of Old Mutual Emerging Markets, says the new Head Office, when completed by end-2017, will provide a convenient central hub from which the business will drive its collaboration initiatives and further expansion plans in Africa. About 500 employees from Mutual & Federal will also be moving to Stella Road. Says Mupita, “Our aim is to further strengthen the strategic collaboration already underway between Old Mutual’s life, asset management and short-term insurance Project Watch