13 March 2018. Its been a busy first quarter for the Attacq team, developing and managing Waterfall City. It seems our ambition to create a truly integrated, world-class city in the heart of South Africa’s economic hub, has really caught the attention of like-minded companies. We are proud to announce that during the first quarter of this year, we’ve welcomed a number of prestigious firms to our buildings and have grown our talented Waterfall development team. Here are just a few highlights from the year thus far:
Our Iconic Gateway West building is well on track to being fully let; it is currently at 70% occupancy. This follows the steady flow of leading global corporate brands that have taken up residence. One of two identical buildings, the 13 611 m² structure’s ultra-modern architecture, coupled with its emphasis on green design, stands as a testament to Waterfall’s commitment to the very best in sustainability and urban design. We were thrilled when Gateway West received a Gold LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental and Design) rating in acknowledgement of the number of green building focused measures, including its façade design which reduces conductive heat, allowing the buildings radiant temperature to remain low throughout the year. New tenants include Sage, IWG Plc and ACI Worldwide. Plans are currently underway to begin construction on Gateway East.
Delivering corporate head offices for consulting and financial services companies is fast becoming an Attacq speciality: a case in point is the fact that we recently broke ground on the building of accounting giant, Deloittes’, new headquarters in the heart of Waterfall City. This supports the current trend of corporate consolidation; which has become an important consideration for corporates in South Africa looking to streamline process and bring various business units under one roof.
The reality is that in today’s challenging economic environment, corporates require a holistic approach to office planning. Our focus at Waterfall is on sustainability and urban design; our effective use of green space and central location makes he precinct an ideal location to attract and retain employees from all over the province. Its proximity to the super-regional Mall of Africa is another significant draw card.
In the same vein, we are proud to also announce that PwC have officially moved into their new premises, the iconic 26-storey PwC Building. This R1,5 billion building, towers over the Waterfall precinct, houses 3 500 PwC employees and serves as the company’s central headquarters in Gauteng. Located in Waterfall City, it’s the tallest structure on the corridor between the Sandton and Pretoria/Tshwane CBDs.
While, in February 2018, we commenced construction of Accenture’s new Southern African headquarters. The 3 875m² avant-garde facility is expected to be complete by the end of 2018. As the commercial developers of Waterfall, we partnered with accomplished property developers, Zenprop, to bring what will surely be a ground-breaking development to our precinct. For Accenture, a leading global professional services company, the choice to relocate their offices from Woodmead to Waterfall is part of its global expansion strategy. We are certainly thrilled to see that Waterfall is increasingly becoming the hub of consulting and professional firms in Gauteng.
In a market where cost efficiency and productivity have become mandatory, our decision to focus on supporting corporate consolidation strategies, which brings together multiple offices or divisions under one roof, makes sound business sense. Market-leading businesses choose our modern offices because they are designed around a company’s working culture, brand identity and financial constraints. This enables them to join their operational services into a truly centralised model, delivering efficiencies by streamlining departments and making it easier to monitor and improve processes and systems in real time. We build with employee needs to function and flourish by enhancing accessibility, promoting the integration of group strategy and innovation, and removing the silos of physical distance that often hamper communications and processes within any business, in mind.
Attacq really is reimagining what an African urban city should look and feel like. We pioneered the Waterfall development ensuring that the city has easy access to major transport routes, close proximity to major business nodes and infrastructure that makes it the ideal location for businesses of all types.
Our development is not just about offices though, one should also keep in mind Waterfall’s Logistics Precinct and Distribution Campus that provides all the latest logistics infrastructure and services, including ultra-fast broadband, and has already attracted some impressive international brands to its tenant list such as Massmart, BMW, Digistics, Medtronic, Torre Lifting Solutions and Dimension Data, to name a few. It forms an integral part of our rapidly developing Waterfall node and is perfect for businesses seeking to be more efficient and productive, consolidating regional operations and bringing together multiple divisions in the value chain under one roof.
To ensure that we continue to deliver on the Waterfall vision we also prioritise recruiting the very best in property sector talent to oversee the delivery of our ambitions. Therefore, we are proud to announce the appointment of Giles Pendleton to the role of Head of Developments for Waterfall, effective from the 13th of March 2018. He brings with him a wealth of experience in general management, commercial property development, operational administration and engineering, from roles in both public and private sector property development in both developed and emerging market economies across the globe.
His career spans organisations such as Liberty Property, Vukile Property Fund and the Dubai International Financial Centre Authority. We look forward to his contribution at the helm of our ambitious Developments division as we continue to deliver on our promise of a world class precinct in Waterfall.
Our goal is for Waterfall City, to significantly stimulate local economic growth in several sectors, attracting more people to live and work in the area, while delivering an unparalleled growth node in Gauteng. “Our vision is to be the country’s premier property company, delivering exceptional and sustainable growth through real estate investments and developments that benefit from a focused approach, quality assets and the Waterfall development pipeline.” Says Melt Hamman, acting CEO of Attacq.