The 23,000m2 Castle Gate Lifestyle Centre opened its doors to the public in November 2020. It is the first development in the initial phase of the billion rand Castle Gate Precinct masterplan located on the original Waterkloof Farm in the east of Pretoria. The Precinct is being co-developed by the Atterbury Property Fund and The Carl Erasmus Trust and offers a level of accessibility along with innovative retail design that sets a high precedent for future development within the masterplan. Construction of the centre began in 2019 after three years of meticulous planning and approvals to develop the last portion of the original Waterkloof farm in Pretoria. However, work was shut down on the site for three months because of the Covid-19 lockdown. Despite this delay and the immense construction challenges that followed in terms of materials manufacturing and supply, among other things, Atterbury was able to accelerate the project so it could open in time for the festive season. Prior to the opening Raoul de Villiers, Atterbury Development Manager, said, “The development of Castle Gate Lifestyle Centre has included so many highlights, but what stood out most, especially over the past six months, is the can-do attitude of everyone working on the project. Everybody rolled up their sleeves and got stuck in, working long hours, going above and beyond, giving of their very best. The sheer determination to create a beautiful place for the community that we can all be proud of helped to drive the project forward at full steam. This amazing spirit transformed under-used farmland into the heart of a neighbourhood in less than a year. We believe Castle Gate Lifestyle

Designed by Boogertman + Partners the name Castle Gate refers to the original owners, the Erasmus family whose house on the property was known as the Castle and the Gate refers to the site’s centrally connected location.

The overall aesthetic theme of the lifestyle retail centre references the historical origins of the original Waterkloof farm with traditional brick and stone work combined with wood beams and detailing, while exposed steel structures and steel create a contemporary industrial feeling. The two styles merge in a spacious open plan retail layout that is warm and inviting and evokes a large farmyard that is modern and durable with facilities that invite users to spend more time in the space. The site is located on a dolomite zone which presents challenges for the design and construction in that broader structural spans are required. This challenge has been optimised as a design opportunity to create broader spaces with fewer column structures that allow for ease of pedestrian movement and increased visibility within the centre. The centre is eco-friendly with recycled grey water being used for the landscaping plus a solar farm with the capacity to generate about 1MW of power. All the gabions on site were constructed using rock excavated and sorted from the site during the earthworks phase.