ENCOURAGING for the Western Cape economy is that Belgian based construction group Squareturn sees potential in commercial and high end residential developments, which has peeked this international investor’s interest in Cape Town’s environs, fuelled no doubt by the widely publicised ‘semigration’ phenomenon.
Squareturn is based in its own development – Devonbosch, in Stellenbosch, a mixed use residential, retail and commercial development on an 18 ha site with 10 000m2 of new builds being targeted annually over the next 5 – 10 years.
Its Botanica development in Constantia however, located on the corner of Brommersvlei Road and Hohenort Avenue, involves the creation of four luxury dwellings in a bespoke security eco-estate setting measuring approximately 8 000m2 with expansively landscaped areas and established trees. The dwellings are architecturally sculptured offering floor areas up to 500 m2 per dwelling with extensive luxury finishes and hi-tech service offerings.
Squareturn’s project manager Andrew Hoeks, provided further details the project’s characteristics:
“The Estates’ infrastructure, landscaping and architectural design are all informed by environmentally responsible decisions. The estate has a particular aesthetic which is both contemporary and to some degree ‘naturalistic’. The conceptual idea ‘places in nature’, sums up the design ethos that is expressed through green spaces, ambiguity between inside and outside space, the extensive use of glazing and the use of natural materials. The ‘broken down’ architectural massing, whereby the houses are not monolithic but comprise a collection of built elements, forms part of the blending together of the architectural and the natural that is so central to the identity intended for the estate.
“Construction started in mid-2022 on the first dwelling that provides a refreshingly modern take on that which is typically available in the area, but still respects the environment and the natural attributes of Upper Constantia comprising large established oak trees and green open spaces with beautiful mountain views.
“The external enclosure of the first house, ARCA is complete and will be finished in accordance with the requirements of a purchaser (with the integration of solar PV panels together with inverter and battery back-up systems to counter grid power loadshedding.)
“The remainder of the houses are now also being constructed (ARIA, ASH and AVA) with a target of having all four houses completed in the latter quarter of 2024” he explained.
“While emphasis has been placed on the construction of the houses there has also been a drive to integrate new soft landscaping and garden features into the building process to ensure that verge planting, greening elements and the active stream that runs between the houses is fully established on completion of construction” said Hoeks.
