The Pivot, Montecasino

SPECIAL REPORT> THE PIVOT AT MONTECASINO

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By Bev Hermanson

Conceived as a walled Tuscan village, in line with the previous phases built at Montecasino, The Pivot is a unique blend of office, retail and hospitality spaces that offers convenience and style to those looking for accommodation and business facilities in the upmarket suburb of Fourways.

The Pivot courtyard showing part of the office complex, the conference block, the ‘Pivot’ sculpture designed by renowned Johannesburg artist, Marco Cianfanelli, and the entrance to the hotel.

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The open plan kitchen creates a ‘theatre of cooking’ interactive with the guests in the dining room.

Easily accessible from the N1 freeway, the Lanseria and OR Tambo Airports and the business hubs of Sandton and Midrand, the casino complex known as Montecasino offers an excellent blend of entertainment to the residents of Johannesburg. The first phase of Montecasino, comprising a gaming floor, various upmarket restaurants and boutique-styled stores, along with a Pieter Toerien theatre, NuMetro cinema complex, fast food court and kiddies entertainment zone, was opened in 2000. Launched amidst much fanfare, Montecasino rapidly became one of the most popular gaming destinations in Gauteng.

Initially, the 5-star Palazzo Hotel built alongside the casino, was the only hotel accommodation nearby, but as subsequent phases came on stream, offices, an additional theatre – the 1 900 seater Teatro – and another hotel ‘on the square’ added more spice.

The latest offering at Montecasino, in the form of The Pivot, adds a great deal of value as an extra dimension to the already popular entertainment node. A joint

venture between Tsogo Sun, Abland and ABSA, The Pivot fulfills a number of needs, one of which was the provision of extra parking. Furthermore, for those living in the vicinity and for those living north of Witkoppen Road, The Pivot offers an excellent business premises alternative to the congestion experienced in Rivonia, Sunninghill and Sandton. Over 16 000 m2 of rentable office space is available in blocks of between 50 m2 right up to 13000 m2. Each office block has its own core facilities in the form of lifts, stairs and toilets, with access to the open air communal square.

A dominant feature in the square is the huge sculpture by renowned Johannesburg artist, Marco Cianfanelli.

The brief to Cianfanelli was to create a tall sculpture that would add a touch of modernity to the Tuscan surroundings. “I tried to capture the idea of a pivot being both a point of origin and a source of energy,” explains Cianfanelli. The interpretation suggests that the pivot represents centrifugal forces and Cianfanelli decided to depict this by arranging multiple fins around a single point, to create the effect of energy radiating out-

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Multiple volume reception area of the Southern Sun Montecasino Hotel and the sweeping staircase leading off the reception area.

wards. The result has been quite a feat of engineering, at 18 metres tall, weighing six tons and wired to light up at night.

The office facilities are complemented by a choice selection of retail outlets and restaurants. In fact, every convenience has been considered, from rentable meeting rooms and boardrooms, to hairdressers, dry cleaners and even printers. In addition, tenants of the office accommodation have access to the facilities in the new four star Southern Sun Montecasino Hotel that is part of the new development – in particular the 120 seater restaurant, the lounge area and the Venetian bar.

“The addition of another hotel increases our total room stock to over 600 in the Montecasino node,” says Kevin Page, director of development for the Tsogo Sun Group.

“This has been a welcome extension to the accommodation already available. The additional offices have further added an exciting business opportunity, especially since we have included a 1 200 m2 conference centre as an extra attraction.”

Modelled on the Palazzo Corsini, a fifteenth century villa nestling on the slopes between Gianicolo and the Tiber River in Italy, the new Southern Sun Montecasino Hotel, with its distinctive pink and cream exterior, offers 194 rooms and boasts a theatre-style open plan kitchen interactive with the restaurant, a high tech gym in the basement and a spacious lounge and bar. An extensive wooden decked terrace outside overlooks the pool and wetland area on the northern side of the hotel, which, although it faces one of the busy traffic circles, is effectively shielded from public view.

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"Design is a plan for arranging elements in such a way as best to accomplish a particular purpose."

- Charles Eames

SANDTON +27 11 555 4800 I CENTURION +27 12 663 2556 I www.offix.co.za I sales@offix.co.za

Laila Interiors appreciates the opportunity to be a part of another Kharafi Holdings Project at the Hyatt Regency Oubaai development Laila Interiors have been involved in the following projects with Kharafi Holdings; -Sheraton Hotel, Albania & Gambia -Lombardy Estate Lodge, Pretoria -Port Khalib Hotel Project Egypt -Sheraton Hotel, Pretoria Tel: +27 011 474 1431 Email: lailainteriors@wol.co.za www.lailainteriors.co.za

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The Southern Sun Montecasino Hotel enjoys prime position as part of The Pivot development in Fourways.

“What is special about this development is the unique fusion of old meeting new,” says Ryan Illgner, interior designer for the hotel and conference facilities and Director of Blacksmith Africa Interior Design Consultants. “The juxtaposition is evident throughout the development and especially in the hotel, which resembles an old Venetian building that has been refurbished.”

The ‘remnants’ of the ‘old’ building are evident in the antique furniture pieces, the refurbished ceilings, reclaimed oak floors and timber work. A contemporary element is added through the use of glass for the balustrades, stainless steel detailing and the intermingling of classic contemporary furniture pieces accented in places with strong colours.

“The Pivot project was a wonderful experience in that it combined the talents of some of the top consultants in all disciplines within South Africa, who were given the creative freedom by the client to create a unique development where every detail has been carefully considered and tested,” Illgner adds. “The future for The Pivot can only be successful. Its beautiful classic Venetian appeal is seamlessly integrated with contemporary design and all the convenience afforded by modern technology.” <