The Galleria – the centre of life – taps into a growing international trend for destination creation, urban revision and holistic spatial integration. It is set to transform the Tyger Valley hub from a vehicle-dominated collage of unrelated, independent developments into a dynamic spatial continuum that is pedestrian-centric, human-friendly and totally integrated.

Architects vision

The vision grew from the precedent of the timelessness Italian “Hilltop Town”. It is a place where many different building types, allowing for a variety of experiences and functions such as retail, commerce, residential and entertainment, all exist side by side within an overall unified whole.

From inception, the intention was to include all the best materials and technology required for it to achieve a Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) rating. Landscaping and a green environment are integral and include outdoor spaces and courts such as arbours, structured planting, fountains, pergolas, lawns, street furniture and sculptures. The Galleria project is seen as a “city within a city”.

To contribute to the earth’s sustainability, The Galleria includes a “green lung” that will give visitors a soft green stretch to enjoy the outdoors in an urban setting.

A project of impressive scale

The retail portion of the development forms a central spine that in essence ties the various precincts together and forms a focal point for the entire development. The mall will be at the cutting edge of technology and retail design; and will be in line with the latest international trends and developments.

The first phase of the scheme will consist of:

• A retail mall area of approximately 33 700m².
• Five levels of parking and 2 825 undercover parking bays.
• A four-star business hotel with 200 rooms.
• Complete reconstruction of the Velodrome to a world-class multipurpose events arena.
• A-grade corporate office space of approximately 28 400m².
• A total of 660 residential units.

Mixed use of urban environment

When several formerly isolated adjacent urban pockets are united into one holistic, mixed-use urban environment, the result is a strong, thriving local economy and community. This is Devmet’s vision behind The Galleria – a game-changing, mixed-use development taking shape in Tyger Valley, around the existing Bellville Velodrome.

The Velodrome served as Cape Town’s principal concert venue for a decade, until the Grand Arena at Grand West Casino assumed that role. This created the opportunity to re-interpret and re-engineer the Velodrome as a world-class events venue.

The Galleria will be a vibrant new urban hub and a central destination in Cape Town for business people, corporations, retailers, event organisers, consumers, tourists and locals. The Galleria will be, in short, the centre of life.

Developers

The Galleria was developed by Devmark Property Group. Devmark develops and builds for today, tomorrow and the long term. Their vision for creating developments of lasting value and appeal – whatever the economic cycle – is supported by their insistence on quality and the holistic integration of interrelated sectors: Property development, development marketing, construction, interiors, renovations and commercial. 

For more information on this impressive centre, see the link below.

Full acknowledgement and thanks go to https://thegalleriact.co.za/ for the information in this editorial.

Images from http://the galleriact.co.za

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