Page 18 - Landscape-Issue142

PROJECT
Noltea africana creates a small forest adjacent to the building to have easy access between the on-grade parking areas and to
The pond shelf hosts a variety of aquatic plants
Viburnum odoratissimum and Aristida junciformis provide excellent cover
Walkways meander through the landscaped spaces
16 Landscape SA • Issue 142 2024
BUILDING M
uilding M, hosting a gym, resides on one of the prominent
corners of Hertford Office Park, with its entrance off Bekker
BRoad. The brief from the client was to create a pleasing
landscape with the same look and feel as the existing office
park landscaping. As such, Building M’s landscaping includes
established sidewalks to the north and east of the building, as well
as the entrance area between Buildings A and M.
People visiting the gym may park on the on-grade parking area
on either side of the gym, or may choose to park in the basement of
Building M. A short, paved walkway has been provided for visitors
the main entrance. These walkways are flanked by landscaped
edging and a variety of plant types displaying evergreen foliage and
interesting colours.
Hardy trees providing seasonal colour changes were planted along
the edge of parking bays facing south and east of the building. A
water feature to the eastern side of the building’s entrance, as well as
a built planter to the western side of it, marks the space.
An area where specific attention was given to height and screening
is the back of the signage wall on the corner of Bekker and Pretorius
Roads. Here, the scale of the wall required a strong vertical element.
The area in front of it has been planted with dense evergreen material
which is to be retained at a height where only 800mm of the planting
is visible above the signage wall from Pretorius Road’s side. The wall
is illuminated in the evening and provides a pleasing glow behind
the planting.
Irrigation for Building M’s landscaping is also provided from the
tank farm at Building G, with a ring mainline installed around the
Hertford Office Park site. Stored water from the tank farm takes
priority over municipal water usage.
Soft landscaping and planting palette
All plant material selected for this project is water wise, frost resistant
and tolerant of windy conditions.
The green area of Building M is viewed as an extension of the
northern and eastern sidewalks. It was therefore kept as flat as
possible for motorists to look into the site and visitors to look over
the landscaping onto the roads adjacent to the site. Trees and other
plants were selected to fit in with the climatic conditions of the area
and due to the space in which planting occurred, the focus was also
on using plants with non-invasive root systems.
The drive from Bekker Road to the entrance of the building is a
relatively short distance and therefore the landscape area was
designed for the visitor to experience the garden as being evergreen
and thickly planted, rather than placing focus on specific elements.
Landscape installation, site challenges and
maintenance
This was a project executed shortly after Covid restrictions were
lifted, when people still wore masks, proving to be quite a challenge
on any construction site. Mikki Roxmouth of Bidvest Top Turf says the
schedule, as with Building K, was also very tight, with strict deadlines
and a short duration to install. However, it had a good laydown area,
making it easy to receive stock and install on site.
The beauty of this landscape area is enhanced by trimming hedges
to form a strong backdrop to contain certain planting types. This is
an area where the landscaping needs to appear neat and attractive
all year round, considering the number of visitors entering and
exiting the site. The landscape maintenance of the park resides with
a preferred provider selected by the property manager.
SALI Awards
Bidvest Top Turf received SALI gold awards for Buildings K and M, both
of which were entered in the category of Landscape Construction with
Design by Others.
Information and supplied by Connie Pretorius of CPLD and Mikki Roxmouth
of Bidvest Top Turf. Photos by Connie Pretorius. n
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