Menlyn Maine Central Square

This mega residential, office and entertainment hub is the largest development project in Pretoria. It’s also the first of its kind: it’s being dubbed Africa’s first green city.

Location

Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa

Client

MENLYN MAINE INVESTMENT HOLDINGS, MENLYN MAINE HOTEL TRUST

Project Value

ZAR 1.5 BILLION

Project Status

ONGOING

Awards

GREEN STAR SA CUSTOM MIXED-USE RATING

The goal of Menlyn Maine is to be a healthy mixed-use city environment on the premise of sustainability for future generations. The precinct partnered with the Clinton Climate Initiative to be one of 16 green cities around the world and aspires to be Africa’s first green city. But with different buildings in the massive development, designing and construction of the precinct, as well as obtaining a four-star Green Star certification for the mixed-use area and a four-star LEED neighbourhood rating, was a challenge.

A challenge WSP’s Bryanston team accepted, providing their structural, civil and sustainability expertise. The buildings they specifically worked on in this area of the precinct are:

the 55,000m² Menlyn Maine Central Square, which houses high-end retail offerings, restaurants, a Virgin Active gym and commercial office space, including BMW, Regus and Sage VIP;
the Nedbank Menlyn Maine Falcon Building, which is the bank’s regional head office;
and a residential development.

RETAIL SPACE

20,000m² 20,000m²

COMMERCIAL SPACE

14,000m² 14,000m²

HOTEL ROOMS

200 200

Our solutions

For Menlyn Maine Central Square, the team implemented the following design solutions:

Beneath the entire development lies a three-level super-basement. A delivery yard and driveway forms the northern edge of the basement to service the three retail anchors, additional restaurants and line shops.
A tunnel beneath the public road to the south of the development provides a link to the neighbouring development, Time Square. Construction of the tunnel was via open excavation, with a series of active services on either side of the road providing a challenge. Installing large concrete anchor blocks on each end of the excavation to support post tension cables across the excavation provided the solution.
The mall has two courtyard spaces with retractable roofs linked to rain sensors. A series of restaurants and coffee shops surround a large, landscaped public piazza with water features, sculptures and glass floor lights.
The Virgin Active Classic gym has a suspended swimming pool and spa pool, and the ablution facilities, sauna and change rooms drain into the suspended, waterproofed drainage channel to avoid possible leaks into the retail space below.
The hotel is formed from precast slabs on six levels of load-bearing brickwork. The brickwork is carried by a 680mm-thick transfer slab with a 500mm-deep central trench in the passageway containing all drainage reticulation for the hotel rooms. The trench is accessed through removable floor panels.
Commercial space is on the first and second floor adjacent to the piazza, and a seven-level office tower with a landscaped roof and entertainment area.

Learn more about our innovative projects in our latest Sustainability report.