The dynamic couple, who are also the curators behind the hugely successful V&A Waterfront’s Watershed project, have been selected by Atterbury Property Group to enhance its award-­winning Newtown Junction, through WORK I ShopI New ITown, a 1 200-­square-­metre design destination that will be situated adjacent to the soon-­to-­be launched The Potato Shed, a heritage restaurant and craft brewery by Maira and John Koutsoudakis of LIFE who will also open the Gentlemen’s Arthouse in the precinct, an artisan cocktail bar in the 1911 Edwardian gentlemen’s washrooms.

Work | Shop | New | Town will present over 45 stalls and store units, with an in-­depth focus on cutting-­edge local fashion, alongside innovative product design and services such as a tailor, barbershop and tattoo parlour. It will be open for trade seven days a week, with some tenants housing their design studios and workshops adjacent to their retail space.

In reimagining the interior architecture of the heritage building that was built in 1911 to store vegetables and livestock, Julian McGowan’s extensive experience in spatial design will ensure the creation of a dramatic and eclectic visual language for the varied store options.

‘We are thrilled to have secured Source and Life for the project that forms part of the Newtown Junction mixed-­use precinct,’ says Johan Roets, Director of Leasing at Atterbury. ‘The heritage-­inspired designs that both plan on incorporating will retain and restore historical landmarks, while transforming the iconic potato sheds into a modern-­day market space, reinforcing Atterbury’s vision for it to be a cutting-­edge blend of art, design, fashion, heritage, inspiration and leisure.’

Atterbury’s Newtown Junction development scooped multiple awards at the 2015 Property Owner’s Association Annual Innovative Excellence in Property Development Awards held in Durban in May, recognising top new property developments in terms of innovation, aesthetic appeal, sustainability, creativity and game-­changing architecture. Newtown Junction was declared overall winner and also winner of the best mixed-­use development and overall transformation awards.

For its exciting new addition to this development, SOURCE has employed the consulting services of urban strategist Alice Cabaret, whose experience in spatial activations, pop-­up installations, industrial reconversions, public-­space upgrades and street-­art curation will ensure that Newtown, once the city’s central meat and fresh-­produce market, joins Braamfontein and Maboneng as a thriving inner-­city neighbourhood.

WORK I SHOP I NEW I TOWN will form part of this secure precinct, with basement parking for over 2 000 vehicles. Its family orientation will lend itself to weekend festivals and interactive events for young and old, and its position alongside the recently renovated Market Theatre and seminal Klippies jazz club building will highlight its significance in Newtown’s entertainment and cultural hub.

About SOURCE

Trevyn and Julian McGowan, through their company SOURCE, have been working with the development, promotion and export of South African design for over 12 years, and are responsible for advancing the African design industry in the global market. With their team of experienced staff that includes sourcing agents, product developers and designers, brand specialists, marketing agents, writers, graphic designers, project managers and logistics facilitators, they operate on multi-­faceted levels to ensure professional outcomes for a wide range of design-­focused activities. As an agency, SOURCE supplies South African product to some of the most important retailers around the world. The company also acts as a consultant to commercial clients.

About Atterbury

Over the past 21 years, Atterbury has become a leading name in property investment and development, and continues to be the driving force behind several landmark South African property developments. To date, it has developed more than 1.5-­million square metres of commercial, retail and residential properties. Newtown Junction is the first significant economic injection in the Johannesburg CBD in 40 years, and demonstrates Atterbury’s commitment to urban regeneration through its transformation of the historic Newtown precinct into a vibrant mixed‐use shopping and leisure destination with prime office space.

About LIFE

Maira and John Koutsoudakis are the founders of the LIFE Group of Companies, comprised of the internationally award-­winning resort, lodge, private island and hospitality specialist LIFE Interiors I Architecture I Strategic Design and the LIFE Grand Group of restaurants and hospitality offerings. In 1999 they established the first LIFE Grand Café, subsequently opening more of these designer eateries around South Africa. As creators of bespoke hospitality offerings, both for private clients and for their own portfolio of burgeouning hospitality properties, LIFE is adding to its stable of successful restaurants with two new offerings in the Newtown precinct, as a collective initiative to promote the regeneration of the inner city.