The Rosebank Firestation is set to become a central point of the business hub once it undergoes a major revamp scheduled to be completed in November next year.
The project, which is underway, was the brainchild of Justus van der Hoven (Snr), senior director at ARC Architects in Parktown North. The company is in a joint venture with Tricolour Investments, widely known for their work in commercial and industrial property development.
“The fire station is the second oldest building in Rosebank. It is truly an honour and privilege to do this development which includes the restoration of the fire station,” said Van der Hoven (Snr).
“We’re cognizant of the duty this places on us; Firestation Rosebank isn’t simply an office building. It is a city landmark and a heritage building, and our intention is to restore it with the respect it deserves.”
The developers have offered to make the upgrades to facilities at their cost and Van der Hoven (Snr) said the intention was to contribute towards the neighborhood and to assist the City Of Johannesburg Emergency Services.
A seven-storey state-of-the-art building will be added to the revamped station for sectional title offices. The building will boast an executive roof terrace which will be accessible to tenants and available for booking of corporate events.
Rob Wilkie, director at Tricolour Investments, is excited to be part of this historic project. “The fire station is a landmark site and the blend of modern architecture with a historic building makes this development unique.” He added that their design gives consideration to pedestrians with its glass front offering a view into the fire station.
Justus van der Hoven (Jnr), junior director at ARC Architects, said great attention to detail was given to the façade of the new building in order to ensure that the architecture complemented and respected the scale of the heritage building. “Importantly, careful differentiation ensures that the new offices celebrate – and not imitate – the original building’s beautiful art deco character,” he said.
“Balancing the relationship between old and new is key, as the new development will continue to house a working fire station, including City of Johannesburg Gautrain’s response team.”
Pricing of the offices has been set at R32 000 per square meter which includes four parking bays per 100 per square meter. Fifty percent of the space has already been sold. Additional parking bays are available on request.
“It’s thrilling to be part of Rosebank’s rebirth. We’re immensely proud of this project, and hope that it comes to mean as much to those who use the city as it does to us,” said Van der Hoven (Snr).
