The Waterfall precinct has won the regional title of ‘Best Mixed-Use Development in Africa’ for the seventh consecutive year and has also been named ‘Best International Mixed-Use Development 2020/2021’ at the recent online Grand Finale of the International Property Awards.
This is the fourth consecutive year that Waterfall has beaten formidable competitors to the top spot of the world’s best mixed-use development. This year’s nominees included mixed-use developments from the UK, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Australia, Vietnam, Russia, and Turkey with entries judged based on criteria ranging from design layout, architecture, services, and security to sustainability, innovation, and marketing.
The International Property Awards, now in its twenty-eighth year, celebrates the best projects and professionals in the industry across sixty residential and commercial categories. Awards are split into four sectors namely architecture, development, interior design, and real estate across nine regions covering Africa, Asia Pacific, Arabia, Canada, the Caribbean, Central and South America, Europe, the UK, and the USA. Over the past year, a panel of 100 independent judge experts studied and assessed thousands of entries from 115 countries to arrive at the world’s winners.
“Retaining the title of Best International Mixed-use Development in what can be considered a challenging period due to the global pandemic, is humbling. Each year sees our team and partners set even more ambitious goals for Waterfall where we all strive to take bold steps towards rolling out this innovative, world-class smart city to the benefit of all who live, work, and visit here. A fourth consecutive international win is certainly a testament to our continued efforts in this regard, making us feel honoured and proud”, says Willie Vos, CEO of Waterfall Management.
Waterfall Management Company is the property and asset management company of the Waterfall land and it has been working with developers and investors since 2004, to create the largest mixed-use development in Africa. Built on the core values of locality, infrastructure, safety, sustainability, technology, amenities, vitality and social development, Waterfall has become synonymous with being the ideal place to work, stay and play in the heart of Gauteng.
Not even half complete yet, Waterfall still has over 1.6 million square metres of Gross Leasable Area (GLA) to be developed, ensuring future sustainable growth of this state-of-the-art smart city. By completion in 2027, it is estimated that the Waterfall development will combine 28 000 residential units housing approximately 80 000 people, with about 2.5 million square metres of GLA for commercial and office space, accommodating a further 95 000 people. The development also continues to play a key role in creating job opportunities along with contributing substantially, in terms of rates and taxes, to the City of Johannesburg.
“Congratulations must be extended to everyone involved in the development of Waterfall, including my fantastic colleagues, all our role players, partners, shareholders and individual residential investors, on this achievement. The dedicated passion, commitment and hard work that goes into accomplishing the vision of Waterfall is astounding. I am not only proud but also grateful for the opportunity to be part of this incredible team. With big plans already set for 2021, we look forward to the year ahead and the continued success of world-class Waterfall,” concludes Vos.
