244 CIRCULAR DRIVE

This eye-catching premises definitely seek attention… you can’t help but look twice.

A little story behind our thinking…

The site is positioned along a commercial strip that buffers a residential area. Instead of being completely demolished, the existing house on the site was stripped back to its ‘raw’ shell and retained as the base element.

Above this, a lightweight component of steel and autoclaved aerated concrete blocks, ‘aka’ ACC blocks, was placed over to umbrella the existing structure.

This strategy enabled us to maximise the site’s commercial potential by finding the sweet spot between town planning regulations and optimising our client’s return.

A further seed idea was to break up the scale of the envelope by introducing a double pitch. We felt that this not only helped the structure integrate better into its residential environment but also assisted with the necessary intrigue that the site demanded.

The ‘umbrella’ is detailed such to read as a tent-like structure and is brought to the fore by the ‘pegged up’ canopy that lifts from the side cladding.

We are pleased with the result and believe it offers a fun take on things.

PROJECT DETAILS:

Client – BSP Holdings

Completion date – November 2019
Project type – Mixed-use Commercial

Photography – Ray Truter Photography

LOCATION

Circular Drive, Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape

Circular Drive in Port Elizabeth has become one of the city’s key growth corridors, connecting established suburbs with the rapidly developing Fairview area. Once characterised by open land and smallholdings, Fairview has transformed into a vibrant mixed-use precinct with new residential estates, schools, retail centres and light industrial developments. The area’s expansion along Circular Drive has created a dynamic urban edge where accessibility, modern living and commercial opportunity meet, marking one of Port Elizabeth’s most significant examples of contemporary suburban development.