Mixed-use developments have been on the rise for several years globally and for valid reasons. However, automatic success is not guaranteed unless there is an understanding (and implementation) of core design principles, says Marike Louw, candidate architect at BPAS Architects.
“The shift towards mixed-use is largely due to lifestyle preferences as well as changes in traditional workspaces, risk diversification, land scarcity, sustainability and place-making,” says Louw. “There’s a shift towards experimental environments rather than merely functional ones. People are looking for community with convenience and urban living. Workplace shifts have increased the demand for flexibility and spaces that can accommodate different functions. Mixed-use developments create a more vibrant urban fabric and thus support sustainability with less commuting, more walkability and diverse uses to create better-connected neighbourhoods.”
However, she says, one of the biggest misconceptions about mixed-use developments is that combining residential, retail and commercial elements in a single building will automatically generate vibrancy. “In reality, poorly designed spaces can easily become empty, unsafe and disjointed. Mixed-use developments are not just made by stacking apartments on top of retail and commercial spaces and opening the ground floor to the public. It’s important to ensure that the combination of functions within mixed-use developments is strategic and not overcomplex and that the development matches its surrounding context.”
Louw says successful mixed-use design requires a clear understanding of how different users move through and experience a site as well as when spaces are active and where boundaries between public and private life should be drawn.
Key considerations include:
• Designing with time in mind: anticipating when each part of the development will be used to avoid overcrowding or periods of inactivity.
• Separating where necessary and integrating where beneficial: balancing privacy for residents with activity in public spaces: separate the private and public spaces and create spaces that can act as buffers where needed.
• Creating a strong ground-floor interface: shaping the street edge as the “social interface” that makes or breaks the development’s connection to its neighbourhood.
When these elements come together, mixed-use developments can increase long-term property value.
BPAS points to two of its designs – The Radley in Bellville, Cape Town and a (as yet unbuilt) Rosebank development in Gauteng as examples of mixed-use principles applied with care.
The Radley responds to the growing demand for urban housing while still fostering a sense of community. Its elevated courtyard creates a shared social space that reconnects residents with the city beyond the building’s walls. By shaping this courtyard as the heart of the development, BPAS has ensured that communal life is a feature of the resident experience.
The Rosebank development is envisioned as a mixed-use high-rise in one of Johannesburg’s most popular suburbs. Given its dense pedestrian-orientated setting, Louw explains, the building is designed to sit on a dynamic plinth of aluminium slats that conceals structured parking and enriches the streetscape. “This solution strengthens the public interface and supports the vibrant urban character of the precinct while internal programming offers residents and visitors a blend of amenities without compromising clarity or circulation,” she says.
“Without careful planning and a nuanced understanding of context mixed-use developments risk becoming overcomplicated, underutilised or disconnected from the communities they aim to serve,” says Louw. “Mixed-use is about creating places where people genuinely want to live, work and spend time. That requires design that understands people.”
LIMITED SUCCESS FOR MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENTS
Mixed-use developments have been on the rise for several years globally and for valid reasons. However, automatic success is not guaranteed unless the
Mixed-use developments have been on the rise for several years globally and for valid reasons. However, automatic success is not guaranteed unless there is an understanding (and implementation) of core design principles, says Marike Louw, candidate architect at BPAS Architects.
“The shift towards mixed-use is largely due to lifestyle preferences as well as changes in traditional workspaces, risk diversification, land scarcity, sustainability and place-making,” says Louw. “There’s a shift towards experimental environments rather than merely functional ones. People are looking for community with convenience and urban living. Workplace shifts have increased the demand for flexibility and spaces that can accommodate different functions. Mixed-use developments create a more vibrant urban fabric and thus support sustainability with less commuting, more walkability and diverse uses to create better-connected neighbourhoods.”
However, she says, one of the biggest misconceptions about mixed-use developments is that combining residential, retail and commercial elements in a single building will automatically generate vibrancy. “In reality, poorly designed spaces can easily become empty, unsafe and disjointed. Mixed-use developments are not just made by stacking apartments on top of retail and commercial spaces and opening the ground floor to the public. It’s important to ensure that the combination of functions within mixed-use developments is strategic and not overcomplex and that the development matches its surrounding context.”
Louw says successful mixed-use design requires a clear understanding of how different users move through and experience a site as well as when spaces are active and where boundaries between public and private life should be drawn.
Key considerations include:
• Designing with time in mind: anticipating when each part of the development will be used to avoid overcrowding or periods of inactivity.
• Separating where necessary and integrating where beneficial: balancing privacy for residents with activity in public spaces: separate the private and public spaces and create spaces that can act as buffers where needed.
• Creating a strong ground-floor interface: shaping the street edge as the “social interface” that makes or breaks the development’s connection to its neighbourhood.
When these elements come together, mixed-use developments can increase long-term property value.
BPAS points to two of its designs – The Radley in Bellville, Cape Town and a (as yet unbuilt) Rosebank development in Gauteng as examples of mixed-use principles applied with care.
The Radley responds to the growing demand for urban housing while still fostering a sense of community. Its elevated courtyard creates a shared social space that reconnects residents with the city beyond the building’s walls. By shaping this courtyard as the heart of the development, BPAS has ensured that communal life is a feature of the resident experience.
The Rosebank development is envisioned as a mixed-use high-rise in one of Johannesburg’s most popular suburbs. Given its dense pedestrian-orientated setting, Louw explains, the building is designed to sit on a dynamic plinth of aluminium slats that conceals structured parking and enriches the streetscape. “This solution strengthens the public interface and supports the vibrant urban character of the precinct while internal programming offers residents and visitors a blend of amenities without compromising clarity or circulation,” she says.
“Without careful planning and a nuanced understanding of context mixed-use developments risk becoming overcomplicated, underutilised or disconnected from the communities they aim to serve,” says Louw. “Mixed-use is about creating places where people genuinely want to live, work and spend time. That requires design that understands people.”
AUTHOR: Staff Writer
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