South Africa’s leading designers – including design duo Silvio Rech and Lesley Carstens, Stephen Falcke, Donald Nxumalo, Buzwe Mabuza, Yvonne O’Brien, Amanda Elliott, Bilala Mabuza and Ayesha Nobanda– are adding their talent to ensure that Steyn City’s soon to be launched City Centre is a destination like no other.
Steyn City has always been known as an address with no parallel, thanks to amenities such as a world class equestrian centre, Jack Nicklaus-design championship golf course and award winning clubhouse, indoor Aquatic Centre, kilometres of promenade to run, walk, or cycle, and a plethora of outside activities, including fishing dams, skate park, children’s playnodes and outdoor gym parks.
Now, with a further investment of R5,5 billion into the development, the parkland is readying itself to realise its Vision 2020: the creation of South Africa’s ultimate holiday lifestyle destination. This will be made possible by the launch of the City Centre next year, lifting Steyn City from the ranks of other prestigious South African destinations with an offering of 700 luxury apartments and 11 penthouses. The development includes numerous roof-top pools, a resort pool, a piazza lined with exclusive boutiques and eateries, and a beautifully treed central park. Entirely pedestrianised, the City Centre introduces a new level of convenience and easy living – it even has its own heliport, fitted with office suites, washroom, coffee bars and lounges – so that busy executives can skip the traffic on the way to their next meeting.
Impressive though this is, the highlight of the City Centre is undoubtedly the 300m lagoon, complete with beach areas, kiosk, and kiddies’ waterpark which is currently under construction.
“The lifestyle we are offering simply cannot be beat: imagine leaving your exquisite apartment to enjoy a beach day at the lagoon and its VIP area, catch a chopper from the heliport for that all important meeting or getaway, preferential tee off times through your golf membership, while your horse is liveried in the finest stable yard,” says Tammy Menton, Group Head of Marketing and Events, Steyn City Properties.
The City Centre’s Phase I – comprising 220 apartments – launches next year.
“In the four years since we first introduced Steyn City to the market, our parkland has gained a reputation for providing everything residents could possibly need for a lifestyle rooted in wellbeing, from well-equipped workout zones to hundreds of kilometers of track for running and cycling; from onsite restaurants to an outstanding education campus and world-class commercial park,” furtheradds Menton.“It all adds up to a saving of hundreds of hours that would otherwise be spent in traffic or driving to facilities; hours that our residents can now spend doing the things they love, with the people they love. With the City Centre, this ethos is being taken one step further. We’ve created a lifestyle that simply cannot be beat, bringing the beach to South Africa’s business hub.”
Architect, Bryan Charters of SCAD (Steyn City Architecture and Design) adds that the designers who have been commissioned to bring the project to life and enhance an island/holiday lifestyle destination represent the cream of South Africa’s creative thinking. The heavily awarded Stephen Falcke, who – along with design couple Silvio Rech and Lesley Carstens – is responsible for transforming two of the City Centre’s 11 penthouses into exquisite homes, is perhaps best known for his work at the Saxon Hotel and Villas, although he has also left a mark on properties from Israel to France and Australia. Rech and Carstens, meanwhile, have gained a reputation as the safari destination dream team, having created welcoming havens at a number of the world’s leading lodges. The duo further brings to the City Centre the island-style vision they have honed through their involvement in private island destination developments in Madagascar and the Seychelles. The Design Collective’s Amanda Elliott is also lending her inimitable touch to the project. Elliott’s award-winning international work is characterised by an accent on efficiency and practicality. Then there’s Bilala Mabuza, whose hallmark use of texture and colour borrows heavily from African inspiration, as well as Buzwe Mabuza, a designer led always by the ethos that design allows for the possibility of seeing our dreams come to life.Highly sought after, Yvonne O’Brien from The Private House Company, describes her rooms as “understated, personal and quietly refined”, while Ayesha Nobanda prides herself on effortless elegance.Rounding off the team is Donald Nxumalo, whose interpretation of luxury as a multi-layered, multi-sensory experience has been shaped by his cultural heritage.
“We can’t wait to see how the designers put their stamp on this magnificent development – which will be all the more breathtaking for their input,” Charters concludes.
For more information, visit www.steyncity.co.za
