Mall of Africa
Civil and structural engineering for the iconic Mall of Africa, Gauteng, South Africa
Leading South African property developer and investor, Atterbury Property Group, appointed Zutari as the civil and structural engineers of the iconic development in the Waterfall City development in Midrand, Gauteng.
At the time of its opening, the expansive 131,000 m² mall was the largest retail development built in a single phase in Africa and won the Engineering Excellence Award for projects with a value greater than R250 million at the 2017 Consulting Engineers South Africa (CESA) Awards.
The project team, comprising the professional team and the main contractor, had to overcome specific challenges relating to logistics and programming of construction sequences due to the sheer size of the mall, as well as hire and manage a wide range of sub-contractors.
A highly unified team was needed to fast-track the construction of such a large project and to complete construction in 32 months. Six of Zutari’s design offices and more than 50 engineers, technicians and draughters worked on the Mall of Africa project to complete it on time.
The design inspiration for the mall and courts was drawn from the natural and geological beauty of the African continent.
Drawing on Africa’s natural beauty for design inspiration
The mall’s design has incorporated many unique elements, including very high shop fronts, wide passages, and an undulating roof feature in the centre with specialist animated LED lighting and a large public space with restaurants known as the Town Square.
The design inspiration for the mall and courts was drawn from the natural and geological beauty of the African continent. There are four courts that depict the different climatic zones on the continent; the oleum court depicting the oil rich West Africa, a great lakes court depicting East Africa, a crystal court depicting the mineral wealth in South Africa, and a sand court depicting the desert area of North Africa.
*The Aurecon Africa business has been officially renamed Zutari as at 21 July 2020. Zutari acquired Aurecon Middle East on 20 November 2020.
