Portside Tower Explained

Portside Tower
Address:5 Buitengracht Street
Location Town:Cape Town
Location Country:South Africa
Coordinates:-33.9167°N 18.4219°W
Completion Date:2014
Landlord:Baker Street Properties
Owner:Accelerate Property Fund and First Rand
Cost:R1.6 Billion (estimated)[1]
Floor Area:over 52,000 m2[2]
Floor Count:32
Awards:Tallest Green Building in South Africa
Building Type:Commercial
Architecture Firm:dhk Architects; Louis Karol Architects
Civil Engineer:WSP Structures
Nadeson
Quantity Surveyor:Aecom Davis Langdon
De Leeuw Group
Main Contractor:Murray & Roberts

Portside is a 139adj=midNaNadj=mid building in Cape Town, South Africa. Completed in 2014, it is the city's tallest building[3] and, at the time of completion, was Cape Town's first significant skyscraper developed in the central business district (CBD) in 15 years.[4]

The property is jointly owned by FirstRand Bank (FNB, RMB, Wesbank and Ashburton) and Accelerate Property Fund (APF). The bank self-occupies its share of the property, while AcPF leases office and retail space to tenants. AcPF appointed the Cape Town commercial brokerage firm Baker Street Properties[5] to manage and market the property.

The Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) awarded the property a 5 star Green Star rating,[6] making it the tallest Green Building in South Africa.

Conception

In 2008, it was initially proposed that the building would include a hotel and be above sea level. However, due to the late-2000s recession and difficulties in securing a hotel management contact, the project was put on hold for almost three years and the design was altered.[7]

During the design and planning phase, and after extensive public participation, it was decided to keep the building below a certain height so as not to obscure the view of Table Mountain. The 32-storey tower[8] has over of office space with remaining space being used for over 1,382 parking bays[9] and retail outlets.

The building was designed to use low energy technology throughout and is the first large building in South Africa to use almost exclusively LED lighting. The building has been awarded a five star Green Star rating from the Green Building Council of South Africa as compliant technologies have been specified throughout.[10]

The South African architecture studio dhk Architects; Louis Karol Architects designed the building.[11]

Construction

Construction work on the tower began on 12 August 2011. In late March 2013, construction was temporarily halted by the City of Cape Town's disaster response unit due to strong gale-force winds making the scaffolding unstable.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: At The Portside . Land Mark Properties . April 21, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110609064715/http://www.landmark-properties.co.za/Portfolios/Commercial_Office_Properties/At-The-Portside.html . June 9, 2011 . dead .
  2. Web site: The Building Portside . 2014-07-18 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141019044228/http://portside.co.za/building . 2014-10-19 . dead .
  3. Web site: Cape Town | Statistics . https://web.archive.org/web/20121111171554/http://www.emporis.com/statistics/tallest-buildings-capetown-southafrica . dead . November 11, 2012 . Emporis . 2022-05-02.
    - Web site: Cape Town's tallest building officially unveiled : Property News from Property360.
  4. Web site: Portside Tower Cape Town . e-architect . 20 April 2009 . 21 April 2011.
  5. Web site: We are your new go-to firm for everything on Portside in Cape Town (blog). 22 June 2016. Baker Street Properties. 12 September 2016.
  6. Web site: GBCSA Case Studies Portside. Munnik. Mike. February 2015. Green Building Council of South Africa.
  7. News: Cape Town to get new tallest building . Cape Argus . 4 August 2011 . 31 March 2013 . Williams, Murray.
  8. News: Portside building gets five-star as-built Green Star rating award. 28 March 2015. Weekend Argus.
  9. Web site: Winds make Cape skyscraper unstable . SAPA . 31 March 2013 . 31 March 2013.
  10. News: Portside Ahoy In Cape Town . Skyscraper News . 19 June 2009 . 21 April 2011.
  11. Web site: Portside by dhk architects in Cape Town, South Africa. https://web.archive.org/web/20150316133348/http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/project/2014/24761/dhk-architects/portside-in-cape-town.html. dead. 16 March 2015. World Architecture News . 28 August 2018.