Architects behind the soon-to-be tallest building in Africa, The Leonardo, took the Sandton Chronicle on their journey of designing the monumental skyscraper.
Patrick McInerney and Francois Pienaar, directors at Co-Arc International Architects have worked for more than six years to see The Leonardo transform from a vision represented by a few tentative sketches on paper to the reality of the 233 meters high pinnacle on Sandton’s skyline.
By the time it reaches completion, it will have taken millions of man-hours by teams involved with everything from bricks and mortar, through the design of air conditioning systems to calculating the impact that high winds could have on the structure during a highveld storm.
“We tried by all means to minimise the number of technological systems used. We wanted to create as many jobs as possible,” said Jamie Hendry, director at Legacy Development Management.
The architects explained that they did not intend to design the tallest building in Africa, “The original design was a 33 story, then was later extended until we finally got to 55 floors,” said Pienaar. “It had a lot to do with sales because to date, we only have 19 apartments left of the 234 that we have,” added Mclnerney.
The first two levels will be open to the public. The building will include five restaurants, a crèche, a convenience centre, a gym and a square.
They have highlighted that it was not an easy task to do but it was worth it. “The Leonardo is also a natural continuation to our association with South Africa’s ‘richest square mile’ which began in the 1980s with the design of Nelson Mandela Square for the Council and the Michelangelo Hotel for the Legacy Group,” said Mclnerney. “It comes with great responsibility to handle this big task but we trusted each and made it work.”
The two architects and director have confirmed that The Leonardo will be complete before the end of this year but did not wish to mention the exact date, “We don’t want to jinx it. Just be on the lookout,” Hendry told Sandton Chronicle.
*In the previous version of this article, it was stated that The Leonardo will have 57 floors at its completion, in fact, it’s 55 floors. The article also stated that there will be a champagne bar at the rooftop exclusive to clients only. This was not the case. The opening date is not confirmed at this stage but by the look of it, we don’t have long to wait!
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