Atterbury is playing a key role in the ongoing revival of Newtown and in the latest phase, two state-of-the-art motor dealerships are beginning to take shape. Atterbury development manager Derrick Pautz shares the insider story behind the Joburg City Auto BMW and the Joburg City Ford project.

Where exactly is the site and what was there previously?
It is situated on the northern edge of Newtown, literally across the railway lines from Braamfontein. There was nothing there previously; it was a neglected dump site for the last 20 years or so, and it was landlocked with no formal access.

Does that mean that it was an easy site to develop?
Well, there were unique challenges. Because of the years of neglect and the past dumping on the site, the soil conditions were very poor and we had to put in piles to ensure agood foundation for the building. There are also very old municipal services – storm-water and sewerage pipes – running through the site from the Transnet railway lines, that had to be incorporated into the design of the building. A lot of these old  services weren’t working so we in the process of repairing them, and the construction teams need to take care to work around them and protect them.

What is currently happening on the site – how far are you in the process?
We’re three months into construction; the foundations are complete, the ground-floor columns have been cast and next up will be the laying of the surface beds and the first floor slab. We’re on schedule to deliver as planned so that trading can start on 1 August 2017.

Various elements of the Newtown development had to contend with heritage constraints; was that something you experienced here?
Not heritage issues no, as there was nothing on the site, but the practical implications of encountering those old pipes that date back to the original City of Johannesburg town plans from when Newtown was first established around 1904. And of course we took care with the architecture to maintain the look of the whole area.

How did you reconcile an ultramodern dealership with the almost retro feel of the revived Newtown?
The architect did a great job of designing a futuristic dealership which still fits into its environment. This was done by using a lot of glass in the design, with very high ceilings that create a feeling of space, while using old brick and steel in the cladding on the outside to tie in with the Newtown aesthetic. We also incorporated many green practices into the building – huge amounts of glass allows in natural light to save electricity; with energy-saving LED lights installed. It is set up for rainwater harvesting and purification for car washing, and grey water utilisation for toilets.

Are there particular development challenges when creating a car dealership?
Every car manufacturer has strict corporate identity requirements and they want their dealership to showcase their corporate identity. BMW in particular has extremely detailed specs in terms of fittings, fixtures and finishes… with a dealership design this goes all the way down to the layout of the dealership. All the layouts had to be signed off by BMW in Germany, and with Ford for the other half of the development.

Are there differences between the two dealerships from a construction point of view?
In terms of the specs of the building, both dealerships are approximately the same size – 6 500 sqm in size over four floors each, and although they’re joined, the dealerships are completely separate. They share a spiral ramp system which gives vehicular access to each of the four floors of each dealership. Inside, the equipment is very different. BMW has specific hydraulic lifts that take up a lot less space than regular hoists; when they are withdrawn they sink into pits into the floor. For BMW’s electrical cars the workshop where services and maintenance are carried out is quite different too – these cars don’t use oil and grease to the same extent as normal cars, so it’s a clean, computerised environment.

With BMW moving here from their Commissioner Street address, do you expect that more car dealerships will look for space in the area?
Yes, there is more property available around the building, so there is definite scope to create a motor node with other dealerships and also secondary services such as fitment centres, tyres, windscreens and the like. This is only the beginning!