SA's best Shopping Centre Development Award Winners announced

RDDA AWARDS WINNERS with Sponsor, Ken Reynolds, Regional Executive Nedbank Corporate Property Finance, Greg Azzopardi (SACSC)

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Middelburg Mall, Sandton City, Kagiso Mall, Tribeca Standard Restaurant at Lynnwood Bridge and Hackett London at Sandton City all won top honours at the annual South African shopping centre industry awards.

Winners of the Retail Design & Development Awards (RDDA) 2012, a South African Council of Shopping Centres (SACSC) initiative, were announced today at the SACSC’s Annual Congress, held in Durban.

The RDDA awards recognise exceptional shopping centre design, and economic success, within the South African property industry. The awards, sponsored by Nedbank Corporate Property Finance, celebrate shopping centre development excellence.

Amanda Stops, General Manager of SACSC, says: “Retail plays an essential role in the South African economy and shopping centres are the bases for this significant economic activity. Furthering excellence in retail is of wide benefit. The competitive display of entries received in 2012 is a first-rate sign of retail sector innovation and business strategy in South Africa. It also shows the industry holds the hotly-contested RDDA Awards in high esteem.”

The adjudicators, a panel of recognised and respected retail and property professionals, were challenged to select the best-of-the-best from developments of the highest calibre in the SA retail property industry. They approached the task by looking at the complete package: excellent design resolution, overall development objective, response to environment and market, innovative solutions and sustainability.

Saluted for its outstanding design and function, Middelburg Mall in Mpumalanga won the RDDA Award for a shopping centre larger than 20,000sqm, to the credit of architect MDS Architecture and developers Flanagan & Gerard and Moolman Group. In this category, judges also commended Greater Edendale Mall in KwaZulu-Natal, developed by McCormick Property Development with architect MDS Architecture.

Victory in the category for new centres smaller than 20,000sqm went to Redeveloped Kagiso Mall, developed by Old Mutual Property and designed by KMH Architects.

Taking the crown in the retail centre expansion or renovation category is Sandton City’s Repositioning Phase 1. Developers Liberty Group Limited & Pareto Limited with MDS Architecture and MMA Architects gave rise to this ambitious project.

Two commendations were declared in this category: the extension and alteration of Liberty Promenade by Liberty Property Developments and Vivid Architects, and Ballito Lifestyle Centre Edgars extension by developers LAHAF (Pty) Ltd T/A Lifestyle Centre Ballito and Evolution Architects.

For the design of a shop or restaurant in a shopping centre, the quality of entries left judges hard-pressed to select a single champion. Instead, they pinned stars on two winning designs: Tribeca Standard Restaurant at Lynnwood Bridge designed by Braam De Villiers and Hackett London at Sandton City, Designed by Michael Carey.

Frank Berkeley, Managing Executive of Nedbank Corporate Property Finance, says that the bank is proud of its role in supporting the retail sector in its capacity as sponsor of the 2012 Retail Design and Development Awards. “Our funding criteria for the retail sector, looks beyond the numbers, as we take into account the level of detail and consideration that has gone into the design, amongst others. We are pleased with the effort that goes into this aspect, evidenced in the hard time that the judges had in deciding on winners.”