Whale Coast Mall

Project Details:

Value: R381.9m
Date: 2017
Client: Whale Coast Village Mall
Architect: JLDesign
Awards: Spectrum Award (2018), Winner of the New Developments Category at the annual Retail, Design & Development Awards (RDDA); MBSA National Safety Competition (2017), Federated Employers’ Mutual Shield, 3rd in Category H (R300m – R500m); MBA Regional Safety Competition (2017), Boland Floating Trophy, 1st in the category for projects larger than R20m

Whale Coast Mall is a high-end regional shopping centre on the R43 in Sandbaai, Hermanus. At the time of its construction, the mall was Isipani’s single largest contract to date. The flagship project went on to win the RDDA Spectrum Award in 2018. The mall was originally conceptualised as a large open-air complex, but after considering the variability of the Overberg’s weather conditions, the designers enclosed the structure under a single roof. Despite this modification to the original design, the mall’s interior retained an airy, contemporary feel. The design of the canopy at the shopping centre’s main entrance was inspired by a whale’s tail. Marine and nautical themes are evident throughout the building and include mosaics of turtles and dolphins, giant wire mobiles of whales, and images of ships and marine life. The mall has four entrances with a gross lettable area of 34,000 m2. The retail space accommodates two anchor tenants, Checkers and Woolworths, with 80 smaller shops and restaurants, a food court and two cinemas.

The main cinema, a 179-seater, was designed to double up as a theatre and has a stage and dressing rooms for performers. The smaller Beanbag Theatre, a cinema for children, only shows child-appropriate movies. The theatre’s name is derived from the 30 large beanbags used for seating. The mall’s interior construction included two lifts and two escalators, while exterior civil works included 1,460 parking bays.

The Whale Coast Mall’s design also has many energy conservation features to maximise the use of natural light, as well as light sensors and LED lights. Isipani had 75 employees on site during the construction period. The project also created work opportunities for local builders and sub-contractors, while local children had the opportunity to help to create the glass mosaics installed in the mall’s ablution areas.