Portside Tower

Portside Tower
Portside Tower in 2018
General information
TypeCommercial
Location5 Buitengracht Street, CBD, Cape Town, South Africa
Coordinates33°55′00″S 18°25′19″E / 33.91667°S 18.42194°E / -33.91667; 18.42194
Current tenantsFNB
RMB
WesBank
Ashburton Investments
Equites
China Construction Bank
EXL Service
Completed
March 2014; 12 years ago (March 2014)
CostR1.6 Billion (estimated)
ClientFirstRand
Old Mutual
OwnerFirst Rand
Accelerate Property Fund
LandlordBaker Street Properties
Height
Height139 metres (456 ft)
Technical details
Floor count32
Floor areaover 52,000 m2
Design and construction
Architecture firm
dhk Architects; Louis Karol Architects
DeveloperEris Property Group
Old Mutual Property
Civil engineerWSP Structures
Nadeson
Quantity surveyorAecom Davis Langdon
De Leeuw Group
Main contractorMurray & Roberts
AwardsTallest green building in South Africa

Portside is a 139-metre-tall (456 ft) building in Cape Town, South Africa. Completed in 2014, it is the city's tallest building and, at the time of completion, was Cape Town's first significant skyscraper developed in Cape Town CBD in 15 years.

It was developed by two of SA's largest financial services firms, FirstRand and Old Mutual, through Eris Property Group and Old Mutual Property.

The property is jointly owned by major South African financial services holding company FirstRand, and Accelerate Property Fund (APF). The bank self-occupies its share of the property, while AcPF leases office and retail space to tenants. AcPF appointed the Cape Town-based commercial brokerage firm Baker Street Properties to manage and market the property.

The Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) awarded the property a 5 star Green Star rating, making it the tallest green building in South Africa.

Conception

Portside Tower with Table Mountain in background

In 2008, it was initially proposed that the building would include a hotel and be 147.6 metres (484 ft) above sea level. However, due to the late-2000s recession and difficulties in securing a hotel management contact, the project was put on hold for almost three years and the design was altered.

During the design and planning phase, and after extensive public participation, it was decided to keep the building below a certain height so as not to obscure the view of Table Mountain. The 32-storey tower has over 51,500 square metres (554,000 sq ft) of office space with remaining space being used for over 1,382 parking bays and retail outlets.

The building was designed to use low energy technology throughout and is the first large building in South Africa to use almost exclusively LED lighting. The building has been awarded a five star Green Star rating from the Green Building Council of South Africa as compliant technologies have been specified throughout.

The South African architecture studio dhk Architects; Louis Karol Architects designed the building.

Construction

Portside Tower under construction in June 2012, photographed from the south side of the building

Construction work on the tower began on 12 August 2011.

In late March 2013, construction was temporarily halted by the City of Cape Town's disaster response unit due to strong gale-force winds making the scaffolding unstable.

In December 2013, electrical equipment supplier Zest WEG Group stated it was preparing to commission four 1,250 kVA generator sets, two 1,250 kVA transformers, and medium-voltage control panels and interface units, at Portside. The February 2014 commissioning would coincide with the completion of the building's construction. The equipment, from a contract awarded in 2012, would enable the main areas of the building to have diesel-fueled power backup that integrated with the national grid.

The building was completed in March 2014.

Post-construction

In 2016, Accelerate Property Fund (APF) bought Old Mutual's shares in Portside. The deal, worth R755 million, transferred ownership of floors 9 through 18, with a total gross leasable area (GLA) of 25,127 m2.

Tenants

As of 2026, tenants of Portside Tower include:

See also

References

  1. ↑ "At The Portside". Land Mark Properties. Archived from the original on 9 June 2011. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 "The Building Portside". Archived from the original on 19 October 2014. Retrieved 18 July 2014.
  3. ↑ "Cape Town | Statistics". Emporis. Archived from the original on 11 November 2012. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
    - "Cape Town's tallest building officially unveiled : Property News from Property360".
  4. ↑ "Portside Tower Cape Town". e-architect. 20 April 2009. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
  5. 1 2 "FNB Portside, Cape Town". Metrum. Retrieved 27 August 2026.
  6. ↑ "We are your new go-to firm for everything on Portside in Cape Town (blog)". Baker Street Properties. 22 June 2016. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
  7. ↑ Munnik, Mike (February 2015). "GBCSA Case Studies | Portside" (PDF). Green Building Council of South Africa.
  8. 1 2 Williams, Murray (4 August 2011). "Cape Town to get new tallest building". Cape Argus. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
  9. ↑ "Portside building gets five-star as-built Green Star rating award". Weekend Argus. 28 March 2015.
  10. 1 2 "Winds make Cape skyscraper unstable". SAPA. 31 March 2013. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
  11. ↑ "Portside Ahoy In Cape Town". Skyscraper News. 19 June 2009. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
  12. ↑ "Portside by dhk architects in Cape Town, South Africa". World Architecture News. Archived from the original on 16 March 2015. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
  13. ↑ David Oliveira (6 December 2013). "Generator sets to be commissioned at completion of Portside construction". Engineering News. Retrieved 28 August 2026.
  14. ↑ "Accelerate Property Fund - Integrated Annual Report, 2016" (PDF). Accelerate Property Fund. Retrieved 27 August 2026.
  15. 1 2 3 4 "Integrated Report 2019" (PDF). Accelerate Property Fund. 25 July 2019. Retrieved 27 August 2026.
  16. ↑ "Contact". Equites Property Fund. Retrieved 27 August 2026.
  17. ↑ "Portside Tower". Artefacts. Retrieved 27 August 2026.
  18. ↑ "MGI Bass Gordon". MGI Worldwide. Retrieved 27 August 2026.