Jakaranda Centre transforming after 40 years

For communities living in and around Rietfontein, Pretoria, the Jakaranda Centre is well known. For 40 years, this local shopping centre has fulfilled the retail needs of those nearby. While the centre has undergone small redevelopments in its lifetime, it’s currently undergoing its biggest redevelopment yet – transforming into a contemporary shopping and lifestyle hub.

The intention of the refurbishment is to re-establish Jakaranda Centre as the trusted retail centre of choice in the community, with an expanded shopping experience. It’s being carried out by the Public Investment Corporation, on behalf of its client the Government Employees Pension Fund.

Highlights from the refurbishment include:

• A new roof overhang at the main entrance to create an iconic urban image
• An additional entrance with street-level access to the centre near Pick ‘n Pay
• Upgraded apartment blocks into modern lifestyle units, with a brand new access route
• A new skylight, which uses a state of the art EFTE system to control the levels of natural lighting and thermal gains and losses, reducing running costs
• A solar farm on the roof to provide the mall with solar electricity
• A new gym and food court
• Improved two levels of parking and additional speciality stores
• A new taxi drop-off area to make the centre more accessible

In total, the redevelopment GLA will stand at an estimated 22,000m2. With so much attention being paid to detail and quality, there’s no doubt the community will enjoy Jakaranda Centre’s new look and feel.