Sandton City opened in 1973 on land once considered too far from Johannesburg's CBD to succeed. Fifty years on, MDS Architecture reflects on the mall that helped create the modern Sandton.
A gamble that built a city
Sandton City Shopping Centre first opened its doors on 12 September 1973, at a time when Sandton was a semi-rural area far removed from Johannesburg's historical CBD. Developed by Rapp and Maister after Michael Rapp saw modern covered malls in France and Canada, the centre was announced in 1969 as the first development of its kind in South Africa, part of a deliberate move away from the traditional pattern of building around central business districts.
Many observers expected the development to fail, but the office tower filled quickly and the mall succeeded early on the strength of a strong retail mix, with developers persuading major retailers to take a chance on the new centre from the outset. MDS Architecture, involved with Sandton City since its inception, has guided the centre's Master Plan through five decades of growth, with partner Tia Kanakakis alone contributing more than thirty years to the project.
Spoormaker's role
Spoormaker & Partners has contributed engineering services to Sandton City's ongoing evolution as part of the wider professional team supporting MDS Architecture's long-running Master Plan.