Johannesburg - The long-awaited container shopping centre, 27Boxes, has finally opened its doors in Melville.
It is South Africa’s first retail centre made from shipping containers.
Over 100 traders with goods ranging from clothing to coffee; food, furniture and fashion; decor to doughnuts; biltong, bikes, bags, bistros and bus tours; art to architects and galleries to gardening for kids, have taken up space there.
This follows the construction of the new building for 75 students constructed in nearby Caroline Street, Brixton, made up entirely of shipping containers.
According to Paul Lapham, chief executive of Citiq – the company behind the container developments – shipping containers make for a very simple building module with the overall design strongly influenced by the use of what are essentially large Lego blocks.
“Combining shipping containers with clever design, splashes of vibrant colour, together with a mix of different materials and cladding, go to creating a contemporary, aesthetically pleasing building,” he said.
However, building with containers is by no means cheap construction. Containers still need the same or higher finishes as a conventional building, as well as the same professional fees and cost of services, so the overall cost-saving is not that significant, he said.
“Using containers does, however, enable us to fast-track the construction process and the time to build is significantly less than conventional building. Buildings constructed out of shipping containers provide an unusual alternative, which, if well designed and conveniently situated, are an attractive option for tenants,” he said.
Every effort has been made to ensure that the tenant mix in the 27Boxes remains diverse and of a high standard. Tenants have been selected according to a strict set of criteria to ensure an eclectic mix of options. Small businesses can rent affordable space with rentals starting from R2 800 for a single store.
Historically, small and medium enterprises have had to rely on weekend or craft markets or find premises on the outskirts of the suburbs and city, said Lapham. At 27Boxes, entrepreneurs can sign up for one month or more and be exposed to enthusiastic shoppers.
Lapham said the company selected Melville and subsequently, the Faan Smit Park because it was centrally situated close to Melville’s bohemian shopping district.
Faan Smit Park was transferred from City Parks to the Johannesburg Property Company in the late 1990s and was acquired by a company known as the Joburg Artists Market.
Melville residents complained that the park was not being used and was being overrun by “undesirables”.
In 2008, the park was officially and permanently closed.
“By 2013, we had acquired the lease and after engaging with the city and the community, we started developing 27Boxes. Part of obtaining buy-in from all stakeholders was that we have provided 200 parking bays, which will go a long way to assisting with dealing with parking issues around Melville’s busy shopping district. There are 150 underground bays.
“Our architectural team toured Europe inspecting shipping container developments and retail centres to see how they could build something differently and better.
“From Boxpark in London – a renowned and successful shopping centre built entirely from shipping containers – and the George Pompidou Centre in Paris, a world-famous statement of industrial design, they put together ideas which laid the foundation for our concept and produced a shopping centre that is at the forefront of international design – of which Joburg can be proud,” he said.
Citiq built the first shipping container building in 2012 – a small block of flats in Randburg. From there it built Mill Junction, a student residence in Newtown, using a mix of shipping containers and the existing grain silos, followed by the student accommodation in Brixton.
“People who have visited the site are really enthusiastic about the potential and tenant take-up of stores at the centre has been extremely positive, leading us to believe that our retail concept fulfils a real need in the market,” he said.
The Star