Cape Town's rapidly expanding financial district on the Foreshore is to receive a major boost with the construction of a prominent new R390 million residential, commercial and retail lifestyle centre, to be known as Icon.

The centre will have empowerment credentials, with local group Coessa Holdings acting in partnership with Johannesburg businessman Wandila Mtolana as developers of the centre, making the Icon building Cape Town's first major empowerment development.

The building was designed by the Cape Town signature architects DHK.

The Icon building's residential component consists of three apartment blocks of which two are 18 storeys high and a third nine storeys. The ground floor offers retail space for boutique shops and restaurants, with the first to the third floor designed for office space. This component of the development promises to bring new life and energy to the financial district.

Secure undercover parking is provided in a two level basement, as well as upper level parking on four floors.

The residential section offers 176 airconditioned apartments ranging from 55 m² to 156 m² with 108 one-bedroom apartments, 60 two-bedroom apartments, one three-bedroom apartment and seven penthouses.

Security is provided on a 24-hour basis, including sophisticated high-tech access control. Residents will have access to a private gymnasium and swimming pool. The pool deck, while protected from the elements to some degree by virtue of its central location, is open to the sky.

The residential section of the building folds around a generous open central space - designed to allow natural sunlight to flow through its entire length right down to the retail areas at street level. Much attention has gone into ensuring that there is a constant flow of air through every part of the building, without allowing the wind to cause any discomfort.

Marketing visuals

DHK architects initially created a 3D digital model for design purposes. When Dimension Modeling was asked to work on visuals for marketing by local advertising company, Optic Blaze, they discussed the use of the already created 3D data. The 3D model was in AutoCAD format, and since Dimension Modeling uses Bentley's MicroStation TriForma V8, the existing data could be integrated seamlessly to create marketing material. All the exterior views and animations where extracted in Microstation from the original AutoCAD model. Dimension Modeling created the 3D interior models that were then also rendered out for internal views of the apartments as well as the atrium and foyer areas.

The overall marketing campaign was based heavily on the use of 3D visuals, both to locate Icon in the city, as well as to create high quality marketing material. The final product included in-flight advertisements for SAA, a marketing DVD and print brochures, flyers and billboards. Using high quality 3D visuals through the complete lifecycle of a campaign helped gain confidence in the market and buyer. With MicroStation V8's ability to read major file formats natively, the recreation of data can be eliminated and the various disciplines in a project, especially a project the size of Icon, can concentrate on their special qualities to ensure the best success for all. As one of the largest empowerment projects in this country, Icon has also shown new possibilities of various disciplines sharing information to create a successful project.

Dimension Modeling

For a number of years now Dimension Modeling has been doing superb modelling and rendering work for construction projects and golf courses. This year it submitted one of its projects for Bentley's annual international design competition. Pitted against the best from all over the world, Dimension Modeling did South Africa proud, being selected as runner-up in the hotly contested Rendering section.

For more information contact Bentley Systems, 011 462 5811, www.bentley.com