Legacy Group - Oct 2019

LEGACY GROUP

LEGACY GROUP

Leonardo Joins A Long Line of

Legacy Luxury PRODUCTION: Timothy Reeder

Over the last 20 years, the Legacy Group has been behind some of the most exciting retail, commercial and hospitality developments on the African continent. The Group is spending big on uplifting its current prime properties, while Leonardo, about to take the crown as Africa’s tallest building, is set to officially open this month. www.enterprise-africa.net / 3

INDUSTRY FOCUS: PROPERTY

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The Legacy Group is built on three key pillars, of the Property Development and Hotel and Resorts arms come in for the majority of the plaudits. “The Legacy brand was established by individuals who were leaders in the property development, construction and hospitality industries,” Legacy Hotels & Resorts Chairman Bart Dorrestein told us in November last year.

“Their role was pivotal to the strong foundations on which the group’s success has been built.”

Ever since its infancy, Legacy has been considered a true pioneer in luxury lifestyle projects on the continent, Dorrestein went on. “The founders of the Legacy Group were involved in many of South Africa’s iconic hospitality developments,” he revealed, “including Sun City, The

Palace of the Lost City as contractors, and Nelson Mandela Square, which was developed in the early 1990s.”

In brief, Legacy Property Development assists Legacy and its outside clients in ensuring that projects are completed on time, to specification and within budget.

Legacy Hotels & Resorts, meanwhile, operates an extensive collection of four and five star hotels, bush lodges, leisure resorts and casino resorts in key tourism and business locations throughout Africa.

“Legacy offers its clients, shareholders and partners the opportunity to invest in the skills and experience of its founders and the values they aspire to uphold,” was Dorrenstein’s overall summation of the Group’s offering.

LEONARDO COMPLETION Almost a year ago now, the vast majority of the furore and excitement whenever the Legacy name was mentioned surrounded its revolutionary mixed-use development at the heart of Africa’s financial hub, Sandton.

“The Leonardo promises to become Africa’s benchmark mixed use development,” enthused Dorrestein, “offering a complete lifestyle in one location. There will be some 10,000m² of offices and plans are under consideration, subject to market demand, to develop a luxury six-star hotel.”

Back then, Leonardo was inching skyward, ever closer to dominating an already world-famous skyline, Dorrenstein outlined.

Committed to Delivering World-Class Bespoke Finishes The Leonardo, an iconic, superstructure, towering above all that it surrounds, personifying the very essence of distinction, its very name is synonymous, with structure, architecture, science, design, sculpture and art, and we, at Marble Classic, were afforded the opportunity, to extend our knowledge, experience and expertise on this most prestigious project.

We commend Architects and Designers who had clear-cut and decisive ideas on the selection of materials for this impressive structure. Their concept reflects modernism and power in this unique edifice, and the products are chosen to satisfy that vision and with the luxury of access to extraordinary materials, such as large format tiles out of Italy and Spain, and exotic marble used for wall cladding in public areas of the Hotel as well as staircases. The interesting use of beautiful local granites on external wall applications to swimming pool copings renders the internal and external structure of this modern and elegant super-build, a timeless opulence and aesthetic beauty both inside and out.

Marble Classic was privileged to work and experience The Leonardo. All staff, Quantity Surveyors, Draughtsmen, Site Foreman and Managers, Site workforce, Factory workforce, in fact, all at Marble Classic (Pty) Ltd, involved in this project, worked and experienced the Leonard, up-front and personal. It was not an easy task, and there was blood, sweat and tears, and very long days and nights, but finally the results, the Leonardo, and we were privileged to be part of this adventure.

Marble Classic (Pty) Ltd, is committed to precision and consistency in the work we endeavour to execute both on-site and in our factories. We specialise in the design, supply and installation, of marble, granite, natural stone, engineered stone materials, ceramic and porcelain tiles, and porcelain slabs. We also are proficient in all types of curtain walling, and various natural stone and, porcelain tiles installation techniques.

Manufacturing at our Factory is delegated to fully computerised plant machinery and equipment which adopts highly advanced technologies, in profiling and design of products. However, we cannot attribute our success to the hightech machinery and equipment alone, our factory technical staff and workforce and technicians, are specialised and experienced in every aspect of the natural stone, ceramic and porcelain tile applications and designs industry.

The Legacy Group has set a very high standard in Luxury and Design, in this supreme build ‘The Leonardo’.

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Committed to Delivering World-Class Bespoke Finishes

The Leonardo - Towering Above the Rest Info@marbleclassic.co.za 011 392 6700 www.marbleclassic.co.za

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// THE REFURBISHMENT OF MANY OF OUR PRODUCTS REMAINS A FOCUS // “The development commenced on a phased basis with 33 floors, with expansion linked to market demand. The market’s response has been phenomenal, and we are now developing the building to its full potential at 55 floors, reaching 240m into the sky.”

Eventually forecast to be valued at nearly R3bn, The Leonardo occupies prime real estate on Maude Street, just a stone’s throw from the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE).

It is set to offer a mix of residential

and commercial space including more than 200 apartments, 15,000m² of office space, a hotel and even a small retail section.

Originally slated for a September 2018 finish, the developers instead opted to push the building past the 50 floors originally planned and take the tallest crown from the Carlton Tower, also located in Johannesburg, which reaches 223m and had remained the tallest building in Africa for over 40 years. While its reign may be short-lived, with a number of other

developments across the continent threatening to surpass the Leonardo’s height, Legacy will surely look to enjoy every moment of the triumph when The Leonardo opens its doors this month.

“The Leonardo epitomises the ideal of a mixed-use development – a means to live-work-play in the lap of luxury, with every creature comfort and convenience at your fingertips a simple lift ride away,” commented Gijs Foden, Legacy Living Director of Sales.

“We believe that The Leonardo will be

Only the best wireless connectivity for Legacy’s latest masterpiece The rise of Legacy’s latest masterpiece, the Leonardo, is the very definition of living in the lap of luxury. Residents, guests and visitors can expect a luxury coffee shop, premium business and conference centres, extravagant apartments and penthouses and so much more all while being constantly connected!

Aside from the flawless architecture and elegant interior, the luxurious 234m high building is fully equipped with the latest technology. One of the most important technical requirements was that every inch of the building has Wi-Fi connectivity. To meet this demand eComX turned to the UniFi SDN Wi-Fi network connectivity solution from Ubiquiti Networks.

With UniFi technology throughout the building, residents, guests and visitors will be able to seamlessly connect to the high-performance Wi-Fi network, whether it be from the parking in the basement or at the top-level floor from the penthouses. Once connected, residents, guests and visitors will be able to roam freely within the building and enjoy uninterrupted connectivity, even in the elevators! eComX has not only supplied seamless Wi-Fi connectivity but are also responsible for the security of the networks, as security is always a very important requirement at Legacy hotels. This is all centrally managed with VLANS and different SSID’s. Client isolation is enabled to protect the guests from each other, this is done on device, switch and firewall level.

This state-of-the-art network was envisioned by Thomas Klingler, Group Financial Manager at Legacy Hotel Management Services. Jointly Thomas assisted eComX with the design and implementation of the network as they are experts in enterprise and hospitality ICT solutions and have been a trusted partner of Legacy for almost 20 years. Trusting them not only to deliver based on their technical abilities but also for their experience and knowledge that aesthetic appeal plays an important role in the hospitality industry.

“If you can see our device without specifically searching for it, you are welcome to send us a photo’’ – Helmut Schling, Engineer at eComX eComX are experts in delivering the best connectivity solutions with a strong focus on customer service, which made partnering with a like-minded technology distributor a must – this is when they turned to MiRO for their value-added approach to distribution and their ability to help build the best solutions and deliver the product on time, every time.

MiRO is amongst South Africa’s leading distributors of Wireless, Networking, VoIP, Acess Control and IP Video products.

MiRO has the experience and a proven track record of supplying powerful, flexible and scalable ICT solutions and backs this up with top-notch services such as solutions planning, strong after-sales service and certified trainings.

To deliver on the expectations of this world-class building, Legacy required the support of world-class service providers and wants to thank all the parties involved for their contributions to making the technically advanced Leonardo building a reality.

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INDUSTRY FOCUS: PROPERTY

the most technologically advanced, environmentally friendly building on the continent.”

It’s also a necessary addition to Sandton, Keillen Ndlovu, head of listed property funds at Stanlib told BusinessLive, given the increased densification in the commercial

centre. Sandton City itself is fully let, and yet demand continues to grow for housing stock in Africa’s most highly valued hub. While other developments are on the cards, including Abland’s building of Sandton Gate on the edge of the suburb, Ndlovu said that more people

// WE BELIEVE THAT THE LEONARDO WILL BE THE MOST TECHNOLOGICALLY ADVANCED, ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY BUILDING ON THE CONTINENT //

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want to live on streets like Maude, given the proximity to their places of work and the prestige associated with the residence and its location.

With The Leonardo, the Legacy Group has “changed Sandton’s skyline and created something that is a new symbol for SA”, says Gijs Foden, sales director for the group, which is also responsible for Sandton’s Michelangelo Towers and Raphael Penthouse Suites. “It is an iconic addition to Sandton. When you look out of the window you see The Leonardo. You can’t miss it.”

LEGACY GROUP

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EXTENSIVE REFURBISHMENT Dorrestein hinted at another of Legacy’s operational priorities last year, telling us that, “Legacy’s vision is to manage four and five star properties throughout Africa, either through the development of new mixed-use developments or the refurbishment of existing hotels; those which include the addition of elements that make the ‘live, work and play’ philosophy a reality.

“The refurbishment of many of

// THE LEONARDO PROMISES TO BECOME AFRICA’S BENCHMARK MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT //

our products remains a focus and the Michelangelo Towers, the Michelangelo Hotel and the Commodore Hotel in Cape Town are all currently undergoing upgrades and make-overs,” he detailed, and sticking to Dorrestein’s word, the first phase of a multimillion-pound revamp of Crewe’s Wychwood Park Hotel and Golf Club, operated by Legacy Hotels and Resorts, has been unveiled, including the refurbishment of its 110 bedrooms.

Robert Glashan, general manager at Wychwood Park, added how these works would heighten the experience for all who choose to stay, and bring it even further in line with the Legacy Group’s lofty aims. “We’re very pleased to be unveiling the first phase of our transformation to the public and mark the start of this exciting new chapter for Wychwood Park.

“Our vision is to create a special place for all of our guests – whether you’re staying with us as part of a business trip or a short break, we want to create a fresh and modern space for all guests to enjoy.”

Concluded Rob Ledson, Legacy Hotels and Resorts COO: “This is just the start of an exciting new journey for Wychwood Park. We’re now looking forward to progressing with the second phase of the redevelopment and unveiling the completed project to guests and staff later this year.”

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