Located in close proximity to the Sandton CBD, one would never imagine a serene and peaceful environment as the one you will experience at the new Waterfall Country Estate and Village.
This is a multi-purpose development which expands over 750 hectares and includes 2500 residential stands nestled in amongst world class facilities such walking/bike trails, non-motorised watersports, a Pre-Primary, Primary and High school (Reddam House), shopping centers, a 5-star Hotel with conference facilities, stringent security, a 4000m² clubhouse which will house a fitness center, tennis courts, volleyball courts, squash courts, a swimming pool, and aerobics studios; a health spa and admin offices.
What makes this development unique?
Obtaining your dream home at Waterfall is easy. Investors can purchase a stand and commission their own architect and contractors within the uniquely South African guidelines. For those wanting a simpler option, simply choose from a variety of six different building packages to suit personal needs. These packages are diverse in size, design and finishes and they come standard with an architect and builder to save the owner the hassle of sourcing these specialists and managing their own home-building project.
Century Gas is a piped liquid petroleum (LP) gas system which supplies all homes with gas for stoves, braais, and geysers, under floor heating, fire places and generators. Century Gas has also partnered with Sasol to provide fuel to the Estate in the form of Sasol filling stations.
Century Property Developments is the first residential developer in the country to offer piped LP gas to all homeowners which will provide about 70% of each home’s energy requirements. At present LP gas is about 30% cheaper than electricity therefore making it a more cost effective way of running a home and reducing the carbon footprint by 40% to 50% at the same time.
Smart Village Technology is a fully integrated multi-media, telecommunications and IP network that homeowners of Waterfall Country Estate can benefit from. It covers all forms of communications such as telephones, internet, security and television and will be built into the infrastructure of the Estate whereby homeowners will have access to internal and external telephone lines, access to CCTV cameras from the main gate, and a broadband wireless internet network to mention but a few.
The Green Design Centre is the first of its kind in a South African development that offers homeowners in-house eco-friendly building and living solutions.
Keeping in line with Century Property Developments’ priority of ensuring an environmentally friendly development, the Green Design Centre provides the home owner with access to essential “green” products and services for all their building and decorating needs. “Not only is the new centre an exemplary and comprehensive showcase of sustainable design and eco-caring home products, it also provides a platform to educate and inform the visitor”, says Mark Corbett, CEO of Century Property Developments. “Homeowners can experience first-hand how current and stylish living ‘green’ can be. It will also bust the myth that living green is a more expensive option.”
Construction and Design
Cited as the biggest development in Johannesburg, Waterfall Country Estate and Village covers a massive 50% of the property and aspires to include multiple ‘green’ technologies in every aspect of the building process.
The 4000m² clubhouse will have a 5-star green rating. The design of which is very environmentally friendly as it has a recessed turf roof which decreases the visual pollution and windows encircling the entire building.
These windows are temperature sensitive so that when the building gets too hot they open automatically and when it is too cold they close. Gas is used for all heating purposes, therefore, fire places, cooking equipment, geysers etc. are all powered solely on gas.
LED lights are fitted throughout the building and recycled water is pumped through for the water features and for watering the gardens. Recycled material has been used wherever possible in the wooden and wrought iron structures. Recycled rubber has also been used for the kids play area. Materials are chosen for their low-maintenance qualities and predominantly proudly South African products were utilized in the building process.
The entire estate is peppered with indigenous tress with a budget in place to plant one million plants and trees. Strict architectural guidelines govern the building processes and also encourage South African designs and techniques for example, designing houses in a north/north-easterly direction so as to achieve optimum internal living conditions by maximizing the warmth in winter and light and ventilation in summer; as well as number of other elements such as using natural paint colors and natural stone materials.
Challenges
The property industry has seen the brunt of the economic crises world-wide. Luckily, all the major banks have tailored their lending packages to suit Waterfall’s 99-year leasing system. This has set a new benchmark in South Africa, but does not differ too much from the leasing structures that are common in the United Kingdom and the rest of Africa.
Great care was taken to ensure the natural beauty of the Waterfall site remains intact. It is considered pristine land with magnificent ecological wetlands and indigenous grasses. All of these are being rehabilitated and protected with little more than walking trails around them.
Century Property Developers will aim to have all fundamental development structures in place, such as sewerage, storm water, electrical and water supplies, by the end of the year and 95% of the development is expected to be sold by then too. Existing and prospective home owners are looking forward to enjoying the fullness of their investments in the Waterfall Country Estate and Village.
