The Mall of Africa in Midrand opened its doors to the public on 28 April 2016. Close to 130,000m2 GLA, it is South Africa’s largest single-phase shopping centre to be built in the country. Visitor numbers have been unprecedented, with over 1.3 million visitors in the first month of trading.
Architect's Report
Mall of Africa was designed by MDS Architecture for clients, Attacq and Atterbury. The centre is located in Waterfall City, Midrand – midway between Johannesburg and Pretoria.
Tia Kanakakis, the partner at MDS Architecture who led the project, says that the architecture and materials are inspired by the geological beauty of Africa and that the development is a tribute to local talent. “We wanted the Mall of Africa to set a new benchmark in retail design. The combination of excellent architecture and leasing
expertise within a new urban framework intended to provide the catalyst for a new CBD. It was designed and developed by Africans and can stand proudly amongst the best retail developments internationally,” she says.
In the initial design brief, the retail leasable area was 110,000m² but, during construction, the client decided to increase the area to 130,000m² of Gross Leasable Area due to demand.