Malkerns Parkview Shopping Centre

Congratulations to African Alliance on the launch of Malkerns Parkview Shopping Centre in Eswatini. We were proud to be there to celebrate the opening of this new retail centre, which makes an exciting addition to the growing Malkerns precinct in this lush, picturesque valley about 40 minutes from Mbabane. The development already includes a residential estate along with the more recent addition of padel courts and a pavilion.

Malkerns Parkview adds not only a new home for the local anchor Pick n Pay, but also a range of convenience retail outlets and new restaurants. The design language draws loosely on the valley’s agricultural setting, referencing the sheds and small-scale industrial buildings of the surrounding farmland without resorting to imitation. The primary palette of sheet metal, concrete block and steel was selected from locally available materials in Eswatini. Construction consciously relied on familiar, existing skills and techniques to create opportunities for local builders and artisans.

A central part of the challenge was to take what could have become an unremarkable large retail shed and break it down to a human scale, give it local resonance and elevate the local retail offerings.

Bold steel portals create focal points, orientation and shelter, while variation in colour and materials add variety and interest. Places to pause and linger at walkable intervals are integrated into the design, and naturalistic landscaping design is drawn from the local plant palette, immersing the familiar industrial forms in the wider context.

The detailed patterning of the paving and brickwork, the pergolas and the treated timber screening was partly inspired by the basket-weaving and grass-craft traditions of the area. The level of detail, care and variation not only adds to the fine grain of the architecture, but also allows a playful dimension to come through in the detailing. In this way, something out of the ordinary is achieved using ordinary materials; not a moment of monotony.

For Boogertman + Partners associate director Andrew Ellmore, what made the project so satisfying was the chance to work in a genuinely collaborative relationship with some of the builders and artisans on site, extemporising and problem-solving with materials and opportunities that readily came to hand. He is particularly fond of details such as the relief detailing on the feature façade.

“The design is all the better for it,” says Ellmore. “The centre has become an example of authentic local design, from the materials and skills to the creative input.” He adds: “The inspiration might have its origins in the industrial-agricultural tradition, but the result is a hand-crafted piece of architecture – a much-needed shopping environment built by and for the local community.”