Apart from the obvious rent savings achieved when moving from multiple buildings to a single base, it can also be a strategic leap forward that strengthens communications, innovation and workflow processes between companies.

A great example of this is Attacq’s award-winning Waterfall City and Logistics Hub in Gauteng, which has seen the company deliver on its promise to build a world-class urban precinct optimised for business excellence and employee engagement.  This new development node is pioneer for consolidation in two distinct business categories: 

• Waterfall City – where companies such as Novartis, Premier Foods, Diageo, Group 5 and Dow have already consolidated their offices.
• Waterfall Logistics Hub – where combinations of warehouses, distribution centres and offices are located.  Servest, Amrod, Hilti, Cummins already boast operations here and the new BMW Group South Africa distribution centre is moving fast toward completion.

While these leading global brands have already moved, and consolidated, their businesses in Waterfall, more premier businesses have recently signed on too; these include PwC and Deloitte. The PwC Tower which comprises of over 45000 m gross lettable area (GLA) can accommodate over 4 000 employees and is due for completion in February 2018, after which the company will consolidate its regional headquarters in Waterfall. 

PwC’s Chief Operating Officer, Fulvio Tonelli says, “Our decision to consolidate our Gauteng operations into a single office at Waterfall was largely shaped by the needs of our clients and our people. Innovation and being attuned to changing business requirements are key to the sustainability of an organisation like ours. Bringing our people together under one roof means that we can be more agile, respond to our clients’ needs faster and more efficiently, and provide our people with a modern, environmentally-friendly work environment.”

The Deloitte building, estimated for completion in early 2020, with a GLA of over 42 000 m will ensure the company has capacity for over 3 500 employees in a beautifully designed and landscaped environment.

These are not the only forward-thinking organisations who understand that putting regional operations all under one roof is good for their bottom line and their people too.  However, they are certainly leading the pack in optimising their property management strategies.  In fact, a recent Urban Studies: Waterfall Economic Impact Study projected that office growth in Waterfall City will increase by almost 30% per annum until 2020/21 based on projects already committed.

How your business can benefit from strategic property consolidation at Waterfall City

·         Cost reductions – paying rent for a single location rather than multiple buildings

·         Commercial efficiencies through centralisation of departments, systems and processes

·         Waterfall is ideally positioned to secure access to major transit infrastructure

·         Well-positioned to widen the employee recruitment pool for staffing requirements

·         Safe working premises with top-class security measures in place

·         Appealing work environment and beautifully landscaped outdoor facilities

·         Future expansion requirement easily facilitated

What’s more, the combination of South Africa’s growing office and light industrials sectors along with Waterfall City’s proximity to Mall of Africa, is expected to act as a driver for further retail, industrial, residential and commercial activities in the Waterfall node. This means that by its very existence, Waterfall City and Logistics Hub will significantly stimulate local economic growth in several sectors and attract more people to both live and work in the area.   

Urban Studies recently undertook to survey CEOs and managing directors of twenty-two of the businesses that have already moved into Waterfall City to understand what their key motivator was.  These executives made the following comments regarding their presence in Waterfall City:  

Attacq CEO, Morné Wilken adds his thoughts on this, “Attacq is in a unique position to control the design and build of a new urban city right in the heart of Gauteng.  Allowing us to develop Waterfall as an environmentally friendly precinct where people can truly live, work and play. This includes building superior infrastructure, in a well-designed city where residence and visitors can meander along the pedestrian friendly walkways, shop and eat at Mall of Africa, work at one of the many businesses or relax in Waterfall Park. Some of the many other offering at Waterfall include schools, a Netcare Waterfall City Hospital and a number of residential estates and complexes. As Waterfall City and Logistics hub attract further business consolidation, their employees can enjoy all the benefits of being in a city that really works.”