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Stauch Vorster ArchitectsARCHITECTSTel: 021 421 4276 Fax: 021 425 1119Email: [email protected]: www.svarchitects.com
Prima GroupPROPERTY DEVELOPERSTel: 022 486 5550 Fax: 022 486 4502Email: [email protected]: www.primagroup.co.za
SolutionStation Consulting EngineersCONSULTING ELECTRICAL, MECHANICAL AND FIRE ENGINEERSTel: 021 531 0051 Fax: 021 531 9386Email: [email protected]: www.solutionstation.co.za
MLC Quantity Surveyors SAQUANTITY SURVEYORSTel: 021 673 5800 Email: [email protected]: 021 671 2622 Web: www.mlcqs.com
Kenako MallPort Elizabeth
42 kenako Mall
S ituated at the entrance corridor of the New Brighton Township, which was established in 1903 and was the first officially black residential area in Port Elizabeth, Kenako Mall, valued at R195 million, made use of the industrial land that became available
to establish itself as a very important retail node that would serve the larger previously segregated community.
BackgroundResearch done for the development indicated a catchment area of 340,000 customers and an estimated retail potential of R1.22 billion at the time it was done. It will serve the surrounding areas of New Brighton Bethelsdorp, Algoa Park, Kwazekele, Soweto-on-Sea, Zwide, Kwadwesi, Kwamagxaki, Masibulele, Kwaford and Struandale. It is also close to major facilities, including the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University Missionvale Campus, the Eastern Cape Training Centre and the Dora Nginza Hospital.
Initial ChallengesChallenged initially with the dominant and utility structures of the existing warehouse that constituted the old paint factory site, the emphasis was for the design to enhance the experience of the pedestrian and patrons that would occupy the walkways and entrances between the existing buildings into pleasant retail malls. Faced, however, with derelict buildings and a high demand for retail space, the onset was to sustainably demolish the existing structures by using the crushed materials by shaping the land into the required platforms the retail centre required.
Kenako MallThe name Kenako – meaning “it is time” – is more than appropriate as the shopping centre is seen as long overdue in the area
TEXT AND PHOTOGRAPHY: ROB DUKER & STAUCH VORSTER ARCHITECTS
KENAKO MALLPort elizabeth
DEVELOPERSshoprite CheckersPrima retail Properties
ARCHITECTSstauch Vorster architects
PROJECT MANAGERSMdsa
QUANTITY SURVEYORSMlC
CONSULTING ENGINEERS:STRUCTURAL & CIVILekcon
ELECTRICAL, MECHANICAL, FIREsolutionstation Consulting engineers
MAIN CONTRACTORwBho
ASSET MANAGERSPointbreak investment Management
PROJECT
kenako Mall 43
Retail PrinciplesIn doing so, it gave rise to the opportunity to express the building to a very active Uitenhage Road, resulting in good retail principles being applied, some of which are: that the entrances and parking must be visible from the main roads, the parking has a natural flow and service areas are hidden behind the building with separate access.
The overall dynamic of the building is further scaled in relation to the existing surrounding industrial context with specific emphasis on the main entrances to the mall through large entrance porticos that, on one hand, mitigate the scale of the existing surrounding industrial buildings and, on the other, enhance the retail offering it provides.
The distributions of different tenants, with an emphasis on food tenants at strategic positions such as the main entrance, further enhance the experience of a pedestrianised retail node.
TenantsKenako Mall is anchored by Shoprite and other tenants include Hungry Lion, Shoprite Liquor, Pep, Mr Price, Truworths, Clicks, Jet, Identity, Legit, Edgars Active, Standard Bank, Fashion IQ, FNB, Cashbuild, Tekkie Town, OK Furniture’s, Morkels, Bears, Debonairs, Chesenyama, Cassies, Ellerines, the Post Office, McDonalds and many other smaller chains totalling a gross leasable area (GLA) of 20,000m2, a dedicated taxi area and 995 parking bays to satisfy the need for convenience shopping.
DesignThe massing on site with its future phase 2 will eventually achieve a mix of the required retail visibility and road edge definition. During the design stages, the shed-like building typology, with its very long walkway, created a loss of scale wherein it would have been difficult to identify with ones relevant location and one would only have known where one was if one
Research done for the development indicated a catchment area of 340,000 customers and an estimated retail potential of R1.22 billion at the time it was done
44 kenako Mall
read the signs, so to speak. By breaking up the façade and by celebrating the entrances into legible components on strategic positions of the building that binds it all together, makes Kenako Mall a more meaningful, friendly and recognisable place to shop.
With the main entrance visible from Uitenhage Road and the secondary entrance visible from Spondo Road, the structures constructed out of concrete framework technology and infill face brick panels, in turn had a sensible and practical function through clearly defining which tenants were positioned at each entrance, by lending the signage opportunities for them and also housing the plant slabs for the line shops and food tenants
requirements so they were not visible from the parking on main roads. The two welcoming entrance roofs had to be carefully engineered to stand up to the gale force speeds that are experienced in the so-called windy city and yet maintain a sense of elegance when viewed or experienced as one enters the centre.
The mall is also naturally ventilated and the roof overhangs were addressed by increasing them in length so to maximise the smoke extraction requirements prescribed by building regulations but to avoid any water ingress from driving rains the greater Port Elizabeth is faced with, subsequently becoming a roof that appears to loosely float over one’s head.
The mall floors are white polished surface beds and the materials used are all maintenance-friendly with an industrial feel
kenako Mall 45
Material UsageAll materials were used very efficiently; this does not only make for a building that came in under budget but lessens its impact on the environment. The mall floors are white polished surface beds and the materials used are all maintenance-friendly with an industrial feel. The architects chose to use a dark colour roof for its lessened visual impact on the predominantly denser industrial developments around it and natural light was carefully considered to highlight the structural rhythm of the mall internally and create a sense of play on the brick patterns that were created. The natural light makes it possible to further lessen the environmental impact on
the lighting requirements for a typical mall and the roof insulation was upgraded to achieve more than the required SANS specification. In the mall, the face brick detailing with its subtle patterns and overall quality achieved by the contractor shows that there is still a skill to be admired.
ConclusionAs a result of all of this, a pleasant shopping experience has been achieved. Kenako Mall has been extremely well received by the surrounding community and social pages alike, clearly showing that “its time” was undoubtedly not one minute overdue.
ADVERTISERS ON THIS PROJECT:
MLC Quantity Surveyors SAQuantity surveyors
Prima GroupProperty developers
SolutionStation Consulting EngineersConsulting electrical, Mechanical and fire engineers
Stauch Vorster Architectsarchitects
The two welcoming entrance roofs had to be carefully engineered to stand up to the gale force speeds that are experienced in the so-called windy city
wind direCtion distriButionPort eliZaBeth airPort - deCeMBer
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