WORK on a major new office development in the Sandton central business district will soon sprout up metres from the Gautrain terminus and the bus rapid transport system.

The development, a joint venture between Barrow Properties, Group Five and Amabubesi Properties (AP), is on a 4269m² site.

The space, which was previously occupied by townhouses, will incorporate a 17500m², 10 storey office tower together with 2200m² of retail space and a 12000m², 14-storey tower with a 288-room hotel.

The office space will all be rented at an estimated R170/m² a month for occupation in early 2011. The retail component will consist of three or four restaurants, a pub and coffee shops.

Paul Barrow, MD of Barrow Properties, says: “We have had tremendous initial interest in the development, underlining the fact that correctly conceptualised developments strike a responsive chord in the marketplace, irrespective of the business climate.”

The development will also be built according to some green building standards, incorporate a high level of energy efficiency through a variety of green design features such as a hi-tech “thermal envelope” to minimise heat loss through the walls, energy-efficient lighting and HVAC (heating, ventilating and air conditioning) systems and recycled water systems, Barrow says.

Carel van Zyl, a director at Group Five AP, says the “global phenomenon of mixed-use developments is characterised by business efficiency, optimised infrastructure and concentrated target audiences”.

Also involved in the development are TPSP Architects, structural engineers Pure Consulting and quantity surveyors Norval Wentzel Steinberg.

Source: Business Day