OVERALL IMPACT: The Boulevard is a significant new office park in Cape Town, it is highly visible from a national road, and will be a landmark development in the region.
The Boulevard Office Park in Woodstock recently won the SAPOA (South African Property Owners Association) 2010 award for innovative excellence in the commercial office development category.
This category is regarded as one of the most hotly contested categories, with 13 national finalists vying for the prestigious award this year. Although many believe the award to be based primarily on aesthetics, it is apparent that the Boulevard Office Park Development accolades extend far beyond its landmark architectural appeal, says Tim Irvine, a director of Faircape Property Developers, a member of the Boulevard Park Trust.
“Previous potential developers of the Boulevard site investigated alternative developments including a retail value centre. However, the Boulevard Park Trust - made up of, Faircape, Trematon Capital Investments, and Baker Street Properties - elected instead to develop a premium grade office park with generous parking ratios on a site on the immediate outskirts of the Cape Town CBD with excellent access and visibility from the Eastern Boulevard.”
The Boulevard consists of seven individually designed buildings providing a total of 38 000m² of premium office accommodation in a secure office park environment. Three basements provide about 1 900 parking bays, giving the development one of the highest parking ratios in Cape Town.
The development incorporated the restoration of a historical building on the site, and extensive landscaping and paving of surrounding areas, which was done in conjunction with the relevant departments at the local authority and in discussion with local residents.
The Sapoa panel of judges took into careful consideration various factors and criteria before they made their award. These included economic and financial criteria, design and finishes, industry and community perception, efficiency of operation and maintenance, adaptability, owner and user satisfaction, quality design and finish, facilities, security, environmental sustainable design, tenant governance, and overall impact.
“The development was conceived in light of the low vacancy levels and the extensive demand for premium grade office accommodation in Cape Town at the time. However, being situated in the urban development zone (UDZ) and with a capital value of about R600million, the Boulevard Office Park is nevertheless a significant development by Cape Town standards. With no phasing of the project, construction commenced with an extensive basement and buildings standing on a low podium.
“Despite having been developed during these difficult economic times, the letting of the park has proceeded well and is over 86% occupied, with offers under consideration and negotiation on most of the remaining space. There is a good mix of larger and smaller tenants, and the Boulevard has attracted a good base of blue chip national tenants including Medscheme, Alexander Forbes, Zurich and Swiss Re.”
The project was managed by Faircape, which facilitated the design development with three firms of architects on the project. DHK Architects were involved in the massing and design development, the basement and buildings A, B and C; with Peerutin architects responsible for buildings, D, E, F and G; and Rennie Scurr Adendorff was the conservation architect on the Berlin Mission building. Construction was by Faircape Construction.
Each of the seven individual buildings made use of steel, aluminium cladding, off-shutter concrete, granite tiles and elaborate glazing with modern and progressive architecture in an office park environment.
In addition to the aesthetics aspects of a modern architectural design, practical aspects were incorporated including above normal ceiling height (4 m floor to underside of soffit) and full height performance glass windows which help to provide a healthy working environment with good natural light.
The external lift cores and external balconies ensure efficient floor plates and extensive vertical penetration able to accommodate multiple tenant service requirements.
Telkom and Neotel node rooms ensure IT requirements are met, and a borehole and water purification equipment are incorporated into the development ensuring a redundant water supply as well as a common area back-up generator.
“In addition to the inherent enhancement in values a development of this nature has brought to the immediate surrounds, the Boulevard contributed several direct improvements to the area,” says Irvine.
“The Chapel Street School benefitted considerably from the development, with Faircape paying for the grassing of its field and also the supply and installation of an automatic irrigation system for the school. Additional funds were used to pay salaries for two teachers for a year.
“The project included the local upliftment of 15 houses in Aspeling Street, which previously faced onto an unkempt central yard. The Boulevard developers paved and beautified this entire courtyard area for the benefit of the residents, and painted all the walls and roofs of the homes giving the entire area a revitalised new look and sense of pride.
“The Muslim school was repainted and damaged windows were repaired, and the nearby Trafalgar parking and field area also enjoyed a new lease of life. The Boulevard re-grassed the field above the swimming pool parking, and donated an automatic irrigation system to the council so the site does not to fall into a state of disrepair. A palisade fence was installed around the field and this too has brought about a renewed level of recreational usage, with residents now regularly to be seen jogging and playing sports on the field as never before. The Boulevard also paved and landscaped the entire swimming pool parking area and installed an irrigation system down Searle Street to improve the view down the street.”
He says local residents are also benefitting from the extensive cleaning which is scheduled from time to time, and the Boulevard’s extensive network of security cameras create a sense of security inside and outside the park, by covering areas in the immediate vicinity as well. The Spar in the old mission building has added a new shopping convenience for residents and businesses in the area, and a bus shuttle service to Cape Town station has also been introduced.
The animation school, a neighbouring building, has been plastered and painted and the roof painted.
“The park is managed through a body corporate with a constitution that was drafted to deal with factors pertinent to a commercial office park. Where costs can be attributed to a particular building they are borne by that building and services required for all buildings such as cleaning are handled by one contractor and costs pro rated accordingly.
“The design incorporates dedicated toilets so there is no pro rating of these costs. All electrical consumption is individually measured and charged. Air-conditioning consists of dedicated VRV units per tenancy, so there is no shared air-conditioning and temperatures and electrical consumption is the responsibility of individual tenants.
“All cyclical maintenance aspects are covered by the body corporate, with a building manager on site. Security is enhanced through the use of technology (cameras) and limited entrances and exits from the park ensure security is efficient.”
The design incorporates the provision for extensive floor plates. Irvine says there has proved to be demand for these, and the extensive use of walkways allows for subdivision of floor plates.
High ceilings throughout ensure maximum flexibility for tenant installation and design, and floors were finished to the point where they could take the fit out, allowing for flexibility on the positioning and number of toilets, and enhancing design flexibility.
“Constant feedback and meeting with tenants and owners ensures we respond to user requirements and requests. A commercial facilities manager coordinates activities on the park supported by an on site building manager. Regular meetings are held with tenants to ensure responses to questions and matters as they arise.”
Details incorporated into the overall design include efficient column grid for parking, with rounded columns in the parking garage and a semi float to the floor in the parking garage to prevent tyres from squealing.
Extensive penetrations in the post tensioned slab facilitate tenant installations and there is sufficient provision for riser ducts to meet tenant service requirements.
High floor to ceiling slabs with regular shaped floors and external lift cores ensure efficiency throughout, and the A grade air-conditioning meets ASHRAE guidelines.
Facilities include a coffee shop, a new generation SPAR in the restored Berlin Mission, bank ATMs, and ample visitor parking.
Tenants have access to the property 24 hours a day seven days a week using access controls. The 24 hour art security system includes manned-sentry entrances and patrols, CCTV surveillance, dedicated on site control room equipped with screens, monitoring cameras and alarms, and the perimeter controlled with cameras and electric fencing which is zoned and alarmed.
Environmental factors were taken into consideration in the design prompting the use of glass with an appropriate shading coefficient and thickness for sound qualities. Balconies contribute to shading, a weather screen around building A reduces solar loading and air conditioner loads and all air conditioners are fitted with R410 gas and inverters, resulting in a 30% saving on electricity. This is enhanced by the use of lighting sensors and natural ventilation for two of the basement parking floors. The CO2 detection system was used for ventilation on the third floor.
The park is a sectional title development, allowing multiple ownership. During the marketing process it allowed for maximum flexibility so the developer could let or sell, or let with options to buy.
The body corporate rules and constitution of the park were specifically drafted to deal with management aspects in the park including allocation of costs, management structure, aesthetic aspects, and signage criteria.
The development team on the project was;
Development: Faircape Property Developers
Contractor: Faircape Construction
Architect 1: dhk (basement, podium and buildings A, B and C)
Architect 2: Peerutin architects (buildings D, E, F and G, coffee shop)
Architect 3: Rennie Schurr Adendorff (conservation architect on the Berlin mission)
Structural Engineers: de Villiers Sheard (buildings)
Structural Engineers: Sutherland Engineers (basement)
Mechanical Engineers: Sutherlands Engineering
Electrical Engineers: Charl Electrical
Quantity Surveyor: Forsyth Vermeulen and Partners
Landscaping: OVP
Land Surveyor: Ken Hodge
