Suburban
CONSTRUCTION is booming in Harare with new suburbs, shopping malls, office parks among other developments taking shape and Highlands has seen two malls opened in six months as 68 Ridgeway came to life this week.
Ivan Zhakata Suburban Reporter
68 Ridgeway is a complex with 11 retail units, a hot seating and boardroom for those who want to have their conferences and meetings in a quiet place and have state of the art visual equipment.
The mall will soon house Harare’s first English Pub, which will be named the “Bishops Mistress”.
Mr Charles Pickering the owner of the mall says the site has been under the ownership of the family for almost two decades and they decided to develop it as they felt the need for a convenience shopping mall.
“The building took us 10 months to construct and we had to blend in various development partners from Europe in order to bring a new design and a new feel to the country. We also decided to go green and make the mall off grid in order to support the renewable energy drive,” said Mr Pickering.
68 Ridgeway is designed to be fully off the electricity grid as it is powered by solar energy with a generator as a back up to the solar power. This means each of the tenants will have their own solar power and metered utilities.
The architects only identified as MT said the project’s inspiration came from a wonderful collaboration between the whole architectural team and the client’s open mind to explore the continuous possibilities of what could be.
“Sustainability was at the heart of this project from the very start. It was key to be able to harvest as many natural elements as possible, solar and water being at the top of the list. This also played a part in shaping the building’s overall look,” said the architects.
According to the architects, using the roof structure and vertical pergola gardens as flexible eco-friendly tools made them able to create a dynamic design that worked its way into the geometry of the floor space, allowing the functional to stand with sustainability and aesthetics.
Some of the tenants offering services at the mall said they felt the complex was convenient for the kind of services they offer.
“I fell in love with the place when I passed through and decided that it is a convenient place to have a health and beauty spa. We do offer a variety of services such as massages and skin care therapy among other services,” said Aesthetic Solutions head therapist Ms Nicola Pike. Blinds Designs shop manager Ms Mufaro Zembe said the unique design of the mall suited their type of business.
“The mall is a revelation for us as we are not a traditional furniture shop, and this will ultimately increase our customer base. This is our second branch and it is rejuvenating and very convenient for our customers in and around Highlands and Borrowdale,” said Ms Zembe. Blinds and Designs is in the business of curtains, blinds, shutters, residential and office designing. Ms Zembe said their shop will also benefit from business from other tenants as they target high end clients.
68 Ridgeway is owned by Charles and Frances Pickering who bought the property in 2005 from Mr Lester James Graham Owen.
Mr Owen had inherited the property from his mother in 1983 as the Owens owned one of the original Borrowdale farms.
The site where 68 Ridgeway is located was originally built to be Mrs Prudence Grace May Owen’s art studio hence its low windows that gave light when she was busy painting. Up to this point it has had multiple tenants both residential and commercial.
The original property is being kept intact with a few additions which will become the “Bishops Mistress” English pub to be up and running in January 2023.
Other tenants to be housed at the convenient mall include Nguni & Co, the renowned Faye Marsh Jewellers, The Apparel Hub, The Pantry and Sue’s Bakery and Delicatessen as well as a pharmacy.
The first phase of US$20 million Highland Park Shopping Mall at the corner of ED Mnangagwa Road (formerly Enterprise) and Arcturus Road opened in June with 23 retail shops offering a variety of services. The second phase is under construction.
