DESIGN>SPECIAL REPORT Eastgate Shopping Centre

SPECIAL REPORT EASTGATE SHOPPING CENTRE

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EASTGATE SHOPPING CENTRE: 30 YEAR OLD BUILDING RECEIVES A NEW IDENTITY For the first time in its 30 year history, Eastgate Shopping Centre has undergone a face lift and now boasts a new identity. With its new outdoor lifestyle extension, including an open-air piazza surrounded by restaurants with outdoor seating on the existing roof, as well as a new dedicated food court and additional retail space and parking, the centre now offers patrons an opportunity to experience Johannesburg’s wonderful climate and a revived shopping experience.

By Stacey Rowan

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At night, shoppers can dine under the night sky and luminous lighting

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Designed by MDS Architecture and built by GrinakerLTA, the new lifestyle component has increased the landmark centre’s gross lettable area by 12 000 m2.

Liberty Property group, the owners of Eastgate Shopping Centre, wanted a fresh design to create a new outdoor attraction for the popular centre. “The client requested an outdoor extension to compete with its surrounding competitors,” says Sean Pearce, the partner leading the project at MDS Architecture. He continues: “Eastgate Shopping centre was upgraded as there was a need to relocate the existing food court and restaurants, which were scattered throughout the mall, to a new dedicated location as well as offer the centre something new to compete with in the current market.”

The piazza is outside, providing natural light and evoking openness and transparency.

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OPEN AIR PIAZZA With completion of the upgrade, Eastgate custom-

and natural materials were introduced. A large

ers now have a fine dining area that spills onto the

glass curtain wall feature connecting the new and

rooftop piazza and a striking triple-storey glass

old helps to open up the building to its surround-

atrium in stark contrast to the out-dated struc-

ings and makes the centre visually attractive. What

ture. “The piazza is open and boasts earthy finish-

also makes the building interesting is the strong

es such as stone and timber, neutral palettes and

unique contrast between the new and the old

glass, which provides not only natural light but

which was intentionally used to enhance the ap-

evokes openness and transparency,” says Pearce.

pearance of the new extensions.”

“The colour palette of the development, as a whole, consists of natural earthy tones, to give the development a fresh, contemporary African and modern look. Influences for the design of the development came from nature, whereby organic shapes

Patrons have a selection of shops to choose from a wide range of restaurants to dine at.

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The piazza also features fever trees planted up in

The outdoor piazza, a feature which makes the

berms and a mosaic river that meanders through

centre different to other developments of this na-

the piazza, which was designed by local artist Clive

ture, links to the cinemas and a new high-end fash-

van der Berg. “The mosaic river is called reflections

ion retail section through Entrance 9, with escala-

and tells the story of a flowing river, with reflec-

tors and glass lifts providing views into the new

tions of the night sky and of animals drinking from

food court. It also provides direct access via the

the river.�

roof to additional free rooftop parking.

Eastgate’s new lifestyle extension includes stacking and folding doors to ensure that shoppers can celebrate the outdoor space. The abundance of glass is complimented by references to contemporary, understated African design. Timber louvers are included in the design and slatted pergolas cover the seating area.

The piazza features fever trees planted in berms and a mosaic river which runs throughout the piazza.

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THE GLASS EYEBALL A new triple-volume ‘glass eyeball’ visually connects the existing upper mall and new food court, as well as projecting out of the old existing façade, creating a strong and dynamic contrast. “Whereas shopping centres have tended to be internalised spaces, the glass structure turns the centre inside out, as it were, providing a view of the new food court inside and restaurants beyond to the piazza,” says Pearce.

With the addition of the new extension, the 30 year old building now has a new identity.

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From the inside, the food court is washed with

emulate reeds. The wooden slats from the piazza

natural light from the glass curtain wall, high ceil-

are continued into the food court, where they are

ings and clerestory windows. Rubbed down off-

painted fresh white to tie in with the clean lines of

shutter concrete pillars and brightly coloured

the food court.

chairs give the space a contemporary look, whilst a floating ceiling draws shopper’s eye upwards to

A suspension bridge adjoining Entrance 9 and the

the roof.

food court allows shoppers to experience the triple volume space first-hand, whilst a glass revolv-

Natural elements are brought indoors through the

ing door on the lower level allows in even more

use of timber tile flooring, organic tiling patterns

natural light.

in neutral shades and tubular lighting designed to

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L: A suspension bridge adjoining Entrance 9 and the food court allows shoppers to experience the triple volume space first hand.

R: The new triple-volume ‘glass eyeball’ is in stark contrast to the old outdated building.

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CHALLENGES OVERCOME As the addition is on a section of the old rooftop

“Obviously it was a challenge to knock out existing

parking, the design team needed to reinforce the

plant rooms, service-related items and essentially

existing roof structure whilst complying with con-

create a hole in the existing roof structure,” com-

struction weight restrictions and ensuring that

ments Pearce. He continues: “We created a new

materials were lightweight. Concrete and brick-

raised floor level over the existing roof, which re-

work was restricted and lightweight walling and

quired us to go into all the stores directly below to

roofs utilised, as well as steel frameworks with in-

fit steel plates to the existing beams.”

fill panels. Everite’s new-technology external boarding was selected as the product that would

Some of the additional challenges that were faced

meet the weight constraints. It was then finished

was working above a ‘live’ shopping centre; the

in a new textured Plascon waterproof plaster, Ter-

structural restrictions that were placed upon us

raco, presenting the least amount of visible joints.

and waterproofing challenges. As the centre is 30 years old, there was a lot of outdated information that needed to be updated,” adds Pearce.

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Eastgate’s lifestyle extension is set to give further longevity to the shopping centre, which is some-

L: Patrons can now enjoy dining at the new dedicated food court.

what of a landmark in the area. The development is also well suited to its purpose by having direct access to national highways, within close proximity to OR Tambo international airport and is surrounded by small to medium business developments as well as a taxi rank. Pearce concludes: “It has been exciting to see the project unfold and to see what was previously an internalised shopping centre being opened up to the outside.”

R: The development boasts a fresh, contemporary and modern look.

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