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Lake Michelle’s heart is a salt marsh lake with
indigenous fauna and flora. The area is home to over
126 species of birds and other fauna like the rare
leopard toad and an extensive variety of ducks and
fish. “Our greatest challenge in this five phased
project was to ensure that the venture remain eco
friendly. This required us to engage in many long
discussions with environmental bodies like The
Noordhoek and District Civil Association, The
Developers of the Environment for the Western Cape and
the Noordhoek Environmental Action Group,” says Peter
Wium, senior partner at De Villiers Sheard Consulting
Engineers.
Although the project started eight years ago, it was
suspended temporarily until a Cape Town developer
bought the ground and resumed the venture at its full
pace. The delay placed tremendous time constraints on
the team. They subsequently approached Knowledge Base
Software to help with the preliminary designs,
feasibility studies and DTM, extending into the final
designs for the roads, services and pond structures.
“It was comforting to know that we were receiving help
from the Civil Designer software experts and we
acquired a great deal of knowledge during this period.
Knowledge Base provided us with two technicians for a
month and we were able to meet our deadline in time,”
notes Peter.
Besides the actual environment, the design itself was
equally challenging. “We were given specific
requirements for the design of the sewer systems,
being so close to the water body and with a ground
surface that was very flat. In addition, certain zones
were restricted and we found |
ourselves having to work around these environmentally
sensitive areas.”
In order to maintain the quality and aesthetic of the
estate, the landscape guidelines specified that
stormwater pass through reeded channels to aid the
water purification process before entering the lake.
These reeded links form access points via bridges and
paths, leading residents onto decks, board walks,
jetties and bird hides. More than half of the 224
plots ranging from 700m² to 2500m² have already been
sold with property prices ranging between R695 000 and
R1,5 million.
De Villiers Sheard have been in existence for over 20
years, deciding very early that government contracts
were too inconsistent and restrictive. Since then they
have concentrated on private development work which
has held them in good stead with the recent shortages
in this sector. “When you work in such a small team
you are not limited to accepting specific contracts as
each team member is multi skilled and there is a
greater degree of flexibility within the company. The
increased demand for commercial buildings and housing
development complexes has therefore allowed us to
explore other exciting options."
“Other projects include the Schonenberg Estate. Like
Lake Michelle, the design of the roads, services and
detention ponds required strict adherence to many
environmental restrictions - as is the norm these days
- but we were by a well-developed, appropriate urban
design,” explains Peter. The estate is situated on the
outskirts of Somerset West near The Lord Charles Hotel
and consists of the development of a 60 ha piece of
land. This initiative is still in its design phase and
will be completed in June 2005.
Another massive project worth over R200 million is The
Island Club development at Century City. “The project
was conceived by ourselves and Marc Harries, a long
standing client and well established developer in Cape
Town. It was put together by Rabie Properties and was
sold out in two months. The estimated cost for civil
structures alone is worth over R16 million.” The
proposed development is on the N1 highway to Cape Town
and is considered to be the new prime address in Cape
Town. |
