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Conceived as a walled Tuscan village, in line with the previous phases built at Montecasino, The Pivot is a unique blend of office, retail and hospitality spaces that offers convenience and style to those looking for accommodation and business facilities in the upmarket suburb of Fourways.
By Bev Hermanson
The Pivot courtyard showing part of the office complex, the conference block, the ‘Pivot’ sculpture designed by renowned Johannesburg artist, Marco Cianfanelli, and the entrance to the hotel.
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Easily accessible from the N1 freeway, the Lanseria and
OR Tambo Airports and the business hubs of Sandton
and Midrand, the casino complex known as Monte-
casino offers an excellent blend of entertainment to
the residents of Johannesburg. The first phase of
Montecasino, comprising a gaming floor, various
upmarket restaurants and boutique-styled stores,
along with a Pieter Toerien theatre, NuMetro cinema
complex, fast food court and kiddies entertainment
zone, was opened in 2000. Launched amidst much
fanfare, Montecasino rapidly became one of the most
popular gaming destinations in Gauteng.
Initially, the 5-star Palazzo Hotel built alongside the
casino, was the only hotel accommodation nearby,
but as subsequent phases came on stream, offices,
an additional theatre – the 1 900 seater Teatro – and
another hotel ‘on the square’ added more spice.
The latest offering at Montecasino, in the form of The
Pivot, adds a great deal of value as an extra dimension
to the already popular entertainment node. A joint
venture between Tsogo Sun, Abland and ABSA, The
Pivot fulfills a number of needs, one of which was the
provision of extra parking. Furthermore, for those
living in the vicinity and for those living north of Wit-
koppen Road, The Pivot offers an excellent business
premises alternative to the congestion experienced in
Rivonia, Sunninghill and Sandton. Over 16 000 m2 of
rentable office space is available in blocks of be-
tween 50 m2 right up to 13000 m2. Each office block
has its own core facilities in the form of lifts, stairs and
toilets, with access to the open air communal square.
A dominant feature in the square is the huge sculpture
by renowned Johannesburg artist, Marco Cianfanelli.
The brief to Cianfanelli was to create a tall sculpture
that would add a touch of modernity to the Tuscan sur-
roundings. “I tried to capture the idea of a pivot being
both a point of origin and a source of energy,” explains
Cianfanelli. The interpretation suggests that the pivot
represents centrifugal forces and Cianfanelli decided to
depict this by arranging multiple fins around a single
point, to create the effect of energy radiating out-
The open plan kitchen creates a ‘theatre of cooking’ interactive with the guests in the dining room.
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wards. The result has been quite a feat of engineer-
ing, at 18 metres tall, weighing six tons and wired to
light up at night.
The office facilities are complemented by a choice
selection of retail outlets and restaurants. In fact,
every convenience has been considered, from rentable
meeting rooms and boardrooms, to hairdressers, dry
cleaners and even printers. In addition, tenants of the
office accommodation have access to the facilities
in the new four star Southern Sun Montecasino Hotel
that is part of the new development – in particular the
120 seater restaurant, the lounge area and the Venetian
bar.
“The addition of another hotel increases our total room
stock to over 600 in the Montecasino node,” says Kevin
Page, director of development for the Tsogo Sun Group.
“This has been a welcome extension to the accom-
modation already available. The additional offices
have further added an exciting business opportunity,
especially since we have included a 1 200 m2 confer-
ence centre as an extra attraction.”
Modelled on the Palazzo Corsini, a fifteenth century villa
nestling on the slopes between Gianicolo and the Tiber
River in Italy, the new Southern Sun Montecasino Hotel,
with its distinctive pink and cream exterior, offers 194
rooms and boasts a theatre-style open plan kitchen
interactive with the restaurant, a high tech gym in the
basement and a spacious lounge and bar. An exten-
sive wooden decked terrace outside overlooks the
pool and wetland area on the northern side of the
hotel, which, although it faces one of the busy traffic
circles, is effectively shielded from public view.
Multiple volume reception area of the Southern Sun Montecasino Hotel and the sweeping staircase leading off the reception area.
"Design is a plan for arranging elements in such a way as best to accomplish a particular purpose."
- Charles Eames
SANDTON +27 11 555 4800 I CENTURION +27 12 663 2556 I www.offix.co.za I [email protected]
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Tel: +27 011 474 1431Email: [email protected]
www.lailainteriors.co.za
Laila Interiors appreciates the opportunity to be a part of another
Kharafi Holdings Project at the Hyatt Regency Oubaai development
Laila Interiors have been involved in the following projects with Kharafi Holdings;
-Sheraton Hotel, Albania & Gambia
-Lombardy Estate Lodge, Pretoria-Port Khalib Hotel Project Egypt
-Sheraton Hotel, Pretoria
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The Southern Sun Montecasino Hotel enjoys prime position as part of The Pivot development in Fourways.
“What is special about this development is the unique
fusion of old meeting new,” says Ryan Illgner, interior
designer for the hotel and conference facilities and
Director of Blacksmith Africa Interior Design Con-
sultants. “The juxtaposition is evident throughout
the development and especially in the hotel, which
resembles an old Venetian building that has been
refurbished.”
The ‘remnants’ of the ‘old’ building are evident in
the antique furniture pieces, the refurbished ceilings,
reclaimed oak floors and timber work. A contemporary
element is added through the use of glass for the
balustrades, stainless steel detailing and the inter-
mingling of classic contemporary furniture pieces
accented in places with strong colours.
“The Pivot project was a wonderful experience in
that it combined the talents of some of the top con-
sultants in all disciplines within South Africa, who
were given the creative freedom by the client to create a
unique development where every detail has been
carefully considered and tested,” Illgner adds. “The
future for The Pivot can only be successful. Its beautiful
classic Venetian appeal is seamlessly integrated
with contemporary design and all the convenience
afforded by modern technology.” <
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