ABLEWIKI:Manaka Heights (167 Andries Street)
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Significance
Manaka Heights is one of the highest buildings in Pretoria. Its overwhelming structure of twenty one floors is contrasted with its ground level retail shops and roof garden above the parking lot. The style of the building is different from the surrounding existing buildings, emphasising its uniqueness. This building has been used for many different purposes because the tenants are constantly changing. It dominates the corner of Andries and Church Street. Manaka Heights has been occupied by the South African National Association for the Visual Arts, and has therefore promoted art in its widest context.
Current known heritage status
Manaka Heights is Pretoria’s tenth highest building.
Known interested and affected parties
- National Government departments: Public Works, Water Affairs, Home Affairs, Statistics SA, IEC, Gauteng Provincial Government, Social Welfare.
- Private Sector: Absa, Standard Bank, Metropolitan, Cell C, Roman Pizza, Legal Wise, Edcon, Wimpy and Pie City.
- Joe Mathebula, chief executive of Manaka Property Investments (Pty) Ltd.
History
Old Mutual formed in 1845 and by the 1990s, Old Mutual offices opened all around the world, including the one in Manaka Heights. SANAVA (South African National Association of the Visual Arts) is the oldest association for the promotion of the visual arts in South Africa, It originated in 1851 when the Cape Fine Arts Society was established. By the late 1990s, it had twenty six branches and one of them was located at Manaka Heights.
Manaka Property Investments is the current owner of the building and was first established in 2007. In Africa, a bull symbolises wealth. Manaka means the ‘horns of the bull’ and this represents the company’s focus. Manaka is a fast-growing black owned and controlled property company that facilitates the development of properties throughout South Africa. The Moolman Group is a significant shareholder in Manaka Property Investments.
Description of site and/or structures and/or interior spaces
Manaka Heights reaches up to seventy six metres with twenty one floors. Its intimidating structure is eighteen thousand square metres and sits on the corner of Church and Andries Street. Retail shops such as Jet, French Clothing and Zafco Electronics occupy the ground level of the building to allow easy access of everyday customers. Above it are three levels of parking, and this reaches up to twelve metres high. Inside Manaka Heights, there is an entrance hall, just before you reach the different Law offices. Above the shops and next to the high rise structure, Manaka Heights has an old roof garden, previously occupied by the Old Mutual Centre. The centre of the roof garden has a sitting area with wooden benches, tables, a bar and braai area.
The style of the building is unique compared to the surrounding buildings. This high mass structure towers over the street but is softened by glass panes on each floor and gaps between the concrete panels. It faces east and lies above the east-west axis in relation to Church square. Manaka Heights takes up about double the space of its neighbouring buildings. The facade of the building has a balance between lightness and heaviness. There are prominent off-shutter walls. These concrete slabs of exposed aggregate are juxtaposed to the lighter elongated concrete panels fixed between them. On each facade, there are two thin precast concrete panels that run down the building. On ground floor the shops have glass panes to displays their products. At the entrance of the building, there are large reinforced concrete columns on either side of the door. They also contain exposed aggregate. The walls are plastered and painted with a white finish. The floors are laid with 300 x 300mm white ceramic tiles. In the upper floors of Manaka Heights, the walls are plastered and painted white with carpeted floors along the long passages and in the offices. The roof garden has bricked paving with curbs that separate the paths from the vegetation.
Links
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/51568114/SANAVA-%E9%88%A5Presidents-Report
http://www.amethyst.co.za/Pretoria/OldMutual.htm
Sources
- Manaka Property Investments, 2010, Manaka at a glance. Manaka Property Investments brochure. pp. 1-3.
- Van der Westhuizen, L., 2005. Context. Infill. pp. 4, 10.
- Bothma, C., 2003.Context. Vermeulen and Andries Street. pp. 17, 26.
- Anton Loubser, 2008,National President’s Report, viewed 29 August 2010, <http://www.docstoc.com/docs/51568114/SANAVA-%E9%88%A5Presidents-Report>
- Rodney Jones, 2004, Pretoria Landmarks: Old Mutual Centre, viewed 29 August 2010, <http://www.amethyst.co.za/Pretoria/OldMutual.htm>
- Negovhani, J. 2010. Interview with the Building Manager of Manaka Heights. Interviewed by Samantha Sun. [written/unstructured]. 167 Andries Street, Pretoria, 25 August 2010.
Sun: What were the previous names of the building?
Negovhani: Before Manaka Heights, it was called Bothongo Heights.
Sun: But I saw that Old Mutual used to be here?
Negovhani: Yes, they were tenants here for a long time.
Sun: Who is the current and commissioning owner?
Negovhani: Manaka Property Investments.
Sun: What were the previous uses of the building?
Negovhani: It has always been privately owned and used for law offices, retail shops and fast food restaurants.
Sun: Who was the architect?
Negovhani: I don’t know because no one here has a record of the building plans and we can’t ask the previous owner because he has left the country.
Photos
21 Floors of Manaka Heights
Ground floor of Manaka Heights
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Significance
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Current known heritage status
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Possible interested and affected parties
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History
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Description of alterations with dates affected
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Description of site and/or structures and/or interior spaces
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Links
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Sources
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Photos
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