SHOPPING CENTRE IN MELVILLE
Officially opened in June 2015, the cargo retail
space was designed with small, independent creative entrepreneurs in
mind. Talented local designer-makers, artists and artisans now have their
own permanent retail spaces, with a few of the containers being used as
rotating pop-up shops.
CITIQ, PROPERTY INVESTMENT AND MANAGEMENT
COMPANY
Citiq,
a Gauteng property investment and management company, built the city's first
shipping container multi-storey building in Windsor, in 2012. "People don't mind what their home is
built of, as long as it is finished to the right standards, in the right
location, and looks good," said Paul Lapham, chief executive of Citiq.
"We
started with a small apartment block built out of shipping containers in 2012.
These 15 apartments were rented out in two days," he said. Citiq has since branched out into other uses
for containers, including student residence Mill Junction, built in Newtown
using grain silos with shipping containers on the roof. Citiq also
opened the Umhlanga Junction Extension, a 75-bed student apartment block in
Brixton. The structure is built entirely
from shipping containers. The striking
building was erected in a record two months.
"Shipping
containers make for an amazingly simple module, with Umhlanga Junction being
erected around the basic living modules. Really creative design was required to
make this a truly attractive apartment block and the shipping containers are
combined with different materials, cladding and colours, to achieve a modern
and appealing appearance," Lapham said.
"What
is important for people to remember is that using a container doesn't mean
cheap construction. People still want
all the finishes that you would expect in a conventional building, and the
building still needs services and professionals to complete, so the cost-saving
is not significant."
"In
Joburg, people are quite proud we are leading with our repurposing of old
buildings into something that is visually appealing and useful again." Lapham said, as a neighbourhood, Melville
needed a fresh injection of energy to complement the upliftment that was
already happening. "We have some
really exciting tenants in the new centre, which has attracted many
independents, as opposed to the national brands, and this means the centre will
have something for everyone."
The
centre offers secure underground parking, with 200 bays, a visually appealing
and interesting design and is located in the park next to the bohemian Melville
shopping district.
MELVILLE
Melville is a bohemian suburb of
Johannesburg. It is the location of many
restaurants and bars, which are mostly frequented by students from the nearby
University of Johannesburg, located in Auckland Park and the University of the
Witwatersrand, located in Braamfontein.
Melville is also one of the City most popular
tourist destinations
The suburb was proclaimed on 5 October 1896,
and is named after the land surveyor, Edward Harker Vincent Melvill. In the public sale notice, the suburb was
described as a "picturesque and healthy spot in the vicinity of
Johannesburg with a magnificent view of the wooded country to the north with
the blue Pretoria ranges stretching like lines of steel against the horizon".
The area, along with Parkhurst and Greenside
is one of the few areas of the Northern Suburbs to have cafes, restaurants and
shops lining the streets rather than in enclosed shopping centres. There are over 30 guest houses in the
vicinity, and is a popular stopover in Johannesburg for tourists. On 7th Street, there are numerous restaurants
and bars and the Street is a popular hang-out for the cosmopolitan crowd.
Melville is also well known for the Melville
Koppies (an archeological site, with rolling hills of grassland with views over
the city), and is near the historic suburb of Sophiatown.
AUCKLAND PARK
Auckland Park a suburb of Johannesburg lies on a
gentle slope, and is in close proximity to the suburb of Melville. The suburb
is well known as the location of the SABC, South African Broadcasting
Corporation.
The suburb was laid out by John Landau, a New
Zealander who named the area due to the similarities he experienced between the
region and the city of Auckland, his native home. The original site offered a boating lake,
located where the Auckland Park Country Club is today, as well as a horse
racing track, where the University of Johannesburg (formerly RAU) is.
Auckland Park is home to a number of academic
institutions including private schools such as the Auckland Park Academy of
Excellence and Park Nursery School and Auckland Park Preparatory School.
