Name: 120 East End Street
Use: Residential Conversion
Floors: 26
Status: Under Construction
Location: Johannesburg CBD


http://www.amdec.co.za/images/120endstreet/view4L.jpg

http://www.amdec.co.za/images/120endstreet/view3L.jpg

http://www.amdec.co.za/images/120endstreet/view2L.jpg

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120 East End Street - Johannesburg

Construction has commenced on the conversion of the 47,000m2 building at 120 End Street into 800 to 850 affordable apartments, available on a rental basis. The conversion is being undertaken by Amdec in joint venture with AFHCO (Affordable Housing Company).

This development will include a ground floor convenience retail section to serve the residents as well as ancillary services such as a gym, crèche or childcare facility and supervised homework room for high school pupils.

The conversion of 120 End Street will provide a secure, quality and functioning lifestyle to residents in an assortment of one- and two-bedroom apartments located in this 26-storey high-rise building.

The location is in close proximity to Wits Technikon and the Jo’burg CBD.

For more information on 120 End Street contact us by filling in the form on the contact page or feel free to e-mail us directly on info@amdec.co.za with your request.

Development Manager: Gerhard Botha

Is 850 residential apartments too much for a 26-story building?

the apartment prob big enough to fit a bed & loo in it.

These apartments are aimed at younger people, working in the CBD, earning between R3000 (and up to R10000) a month. Yes, these will be small apartments. But it is awesome that people with smaller incomes get access to decent and safe developments. Plus it is close to work, so they save on transport.

It is not the size of the apartments that matter, but rather the management of the building. All of these buildings (with decent developers) put in measures to prevent overcrowding. it is virtually impossible to sublet your flat, or have 5 people staying in a bachelors.

I think it will be beneficial to the entire area. Lower income groups, especially the lower middle class, must have access to developments such as these. and it does not need to become a slum again. You just need to manage bigger buildings better...

Lets do some figures!

The building is 47 000m2 and there are 850 apartments. Without corridors thats 55m2 per apartment. take into account corridors, public areas and the like and you are probably down to 50m2 per apartment...and that is if they are all the same size, if some are larger, then the smallest could be 35-40m2... its not worth buying it

They will not go on sale. They will be rented out.

With it being near Wits, deff marketed for students or for new guys from out of town who basicaly need a place to sleep n eat.

With it being near Wits, deff marketed for students or for new guys from out of town who basicaly need a place to sleep n eat.


Thats the main thing. you want affordable, decent and convenient accomodation near to people's workplace or place of study. This is not supposed to be an upmarket yuppiefied tuscan work/live/play palace. Their is a huge gap in the market for exactly this, and Aengus especially tapped into this.

And another office block gets a make-over. There are hardly a street in Hillbrow or Braamfontein or the traditional CBD where you can drive nowadays without upgrades or conversions taking place. Crime dropped by a staggering 63% in the CBD are in the past year. (if we are to believe statistics).

Massive amounts are invested. Joburg CBD is huge - it can accomodate all of the other CBDs in SA (in terms of lettable space). So it took time for developments to show, but now they are everywhere. It is impossible to make a thread for conversions, upgrades. Too many are currently underway.

I agree with you Jakes, every wher u go there are upgrades. Gents you must also take a drive in Hillbrow and see for yourselves as to what's happening there. My only problem with Hillbrow is that most of the renovated buildings do not have retail like they do in other parts of the city. By the way Yeoville is getting along just fine.

Largest office to residential conversion ever in the world...

Engineering News

HOUSING

The world's largest conversion of office space to apartments is under way in the Johannesburg central business district, at 120 End street,...

By: Christy van der Merwe

Published: 28 Sep 07 - 14:23

The world’s largest conversion of office space to apartments is under way in the Johannesburg central business district at 120 End street, and is expected to be complete in early 2009.

This will make available a further 924 residential units for the affordable housing market, and will be a significant boost for regeneration in the Johannesburg inner city.

A 6 000-m2 shopping centre will occupy the ground floor of the 26-storey building, which also has a swimming pool because it was originally built as a hotel. Above the shopping centre level will be a 500-m2 gym, with a 400-m jogging track. A joint-venture (JV) company, consisting of Amdec Property Development, Affordable Housing Company (Afhco), and Chelsea Manhattan, is responsible for the conversion.

The JV brings together an impressive collection of skills, which have significant experience in the rental housing market, and have thought out inventive solutions for many of the problems faced by those in the housing delivery industry, namely lack of skills, soaring costs of building materials, and lack of appropriate space for affordable housing.

To combat the competition for skills and contain the costs of roll-out and delivery of housing, Afhco has established an in-house construction company, Afhco Projects, which has attracted highly skilled people from across the board. Afhco Projects allows the development to be fast-tracked, and in a building that has the capacity to generate about R2,5-million a month in rental, there is significant incentive to finish the project early and start gathering income sooner.

The internal demolition of the building took place earlier this year, and the rebuilding of the walls on all floors in both the high-rise and low-rise portions of the building is complete.

“Considering the shortage of building materials, which is expected to worsen, we have made use of innovative high-quality walling, instead of bricks and mortar, which are difficult to procure at times, cumbersome to move throughout a high-rise building, and represent inefficient use of space on the floor plan,” explains Afhco Projects director Rodney McLoughlin.

The lightweight walling is filled with a cement and vermiculite mix. It has undergone thorough testing and meets all safety standards, and is soundproof and waterproof. Although this type of walling is more expensive, and is often used in upmarket developments, the logistical and time savings serve to counterbalance the overall costs.

“There should be little difference between affluent housing and affordable housing except the size,” says Amdec Gauteng regional director Nicholas Stopforth. “In South Africa there is a huge shortage of quality housing for the low-income market. The provision of housing is the bedrock of a stable society,” he adds.

Number 120 End street will also be fitted out with the latest technology, such as biometric access-control points, only allowing tenants who have been fingerprinted into the building. This is done for security reasons, as well as to ensure that there will be no overcrowding, which could compromise safety.

A 24-m2 bachelor show unit has been completed on the twenty-sixth floor, and displays the resourceful use of space and high- quality robust finish- ings that will be present throughout the apartment block. Although smaller in size than the average low-cost house, which is usually at least 36 m2, the limited space is used in the best way possible.

Not stopping at the building itself, the company is on a mission to improve the surrounding area, and is also entering into a JV with City Parks, with a long-term management agreement over the neighbouring, currently derelict, municipal park. It will upgrade and secure the park for use by the public as well as by residents.

The developer is also in the process of establishing the area as a city improvement district (CID), which means that landlords in the area will contribute funds towards stepping up visible security, as well as employing more cleaners to improve the environment. CIDs have been implemented in areas such as Newtown and Braamfontein, where impressive results have been realised.

“I love this city and am proud to be a part of its regeneration. Our aim is to supply dignified housing solutions that people living in the city can be proud of. “Number 120 End street will increase the amount of housing available in the city, and will be a sparkling example to the rest of the affordable housing industry,” affirms Afhco CEO Wayne Plit.

Edited by: Martin Zhuwakinyu



Downloads:
Flash Video
120 End Street conversion to affordable housing, Johannesburg CBD (13/9/07)

Saw this th other day its not far from Jewel City, I will later post pics of Jewel cities artistic pavements. A couple of buildings are under renovations around the Jewel City.

There was a report that the area around this building is also receiving a face lift inclusive of a park but the only thing i saw happening there is Jewel City, any have been to that side?

The residential conversion looks similar to a project converting an office building to a college dormitory.

Inner city is more attractive

22 Oct 2008

Intro
Dozens of buildings in Johannesburg have had much-needed refurbishment, to the tune of millions of rand, in an inner-city renewal drive.

Dozens of buildings in Johannesburg have had much-needed refurbishment — to the tune of millions of rand — in an inner-city renewal drive meant to provide affordable housing.

Work has begun on the conversion of the 26 storey, 47 000m² former Nedbank building at 120 End Street, which is being converted into 924 affordable apartments plus a 6 000m² shopping centre.

The joint venture of Amdec Property Development and Affordable Housing Company Holdings has bought 12 more properties surrounding this building, and neighbouring each other, which will double the number of affordable housing units created to 1850 homes.

The project will cost about R580m and the properties include Merchandise Centre and the Frank & Hirsch buildings; the Rodi Lot vacant land at 54 Davies Street as well as the Sidelsky Lots which span 56, 58 and 60 Davies Street; Mantoll Court at 49 Davies Street; Tollmans Building at 51 Davies Street; End Park at 112 End Street; Khan Corner at 106 End Street; and 5 Rockey Street. All but two of the properties have been transferred.

Nicholas Stopforth, Gauteng regional director at Amdec, says: “This is in line with leading international cities. We aim to provide a quality and functioning lifestyle for the residents from the assortment of bachelor and one- and two bedroom apartments.”

The developers are considering ancillary services such as a gym, creche, or child-care facilities and a supervised homework room for high school pupils.

Source: Business Day

2 of the parks which will form linear parks past the new park station to the old one are currently being worked on. The site is a total construction site as Saratoga, Wolmerans streets and other roads are also being worked on for BRT and easy public transport access to the area. The other project within the same area is Doorenfontein Train Station.

Tbang, if you can please get us photo updates of the area.

Any renders?

Wow, 924 units... That's about 44m2 per apartment excluding corridors, small! It's about the same as some of the very small studios in Amsterdam.

I think the area is gonna be a stunner, passed there again the past weekend and its construction all the way. I just hope that they will chase away taxis that park close to this development.

When I passed this one last week, contructers were busy with the exterior. I think they were cleaning windows. The park outside this monster is progressing well and will try post its pics next week.

When I passed this one last week, contructers were busy with the exterior. I think they were cleaning windows. The park outside this monster is progressing well and will try post its pics next week.

Yes please pics

Yes!- I'd love to see pics. of what they've done with this building.

Not much on the exterior.

Yes please pics

i want too!!!!!!!!! :banana:

ah forgot about this one, should be good, would love to see pic's of the apartments, so if any students from Wits that got friends staying in here, u know what to do :D

http://i490.photobucket.com/albums/rr270/rulani/P1170086.jpg

that's pre renovation right? should look great on the skyline

No, that's after.

And it looks great on the skyline:wink2: