[Interview] Lukas Reichmuth, Founder, Swisatec, South Africa
Founder and Director of Swisatec, a property development and management company, Mr. Lukas Reichmuth throws more light on the state of the real estate sector in Africa and introduces Swisatec’s latest concept.
His interview with Africa Business Communities:
Would you please introduce Blue Rock?
Blue Rock Village is Africa’s first green village and the pioneer of the Car Free Living concept in South Africa. The Village is built with the ideology of combining the three elements of life which are Live-Work-Play. I was Inspired by the vision of creating a safe, eco-friendly environment, hence Blue Rock Village is situated in the heart of the Helderberg, surrounded by the Hottentos Holland mountain ranges, world famous wine farms of Somerset West, Gordon’s Bay and Strand beaches.
What makes Swisatec uniquely different in the property sector?
What makes Swisatec unique in the industry is that our building systems save money in the long run, compared to the conventional South African way of building. The biggest difference is that we do not only focus on trees and landscapes, but make a difference by coming up with innovative ways of building and positively impacting the environment, and increase human well-being. By focusing more on the actual building – we are able to save energy and also increase the well-being.
Giovanni Luxury Terraced Apartment features Insulation and double glazing that saves up to 90-100 per cent of energy, Car Free Living concept that will result to less CO2 emissions, Water saving fittings and feature (shower to sprinkler) which saves 30-50 per cent, A use of low VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) paints, LED Lighting saving up to 50-80 per cent of energy, Solar Power with plans of producing 80 per cent of electricity to feed the Village, Underfloor heating and Central water heating systems. Unfortunately, our way of building which is based on European Standards is more expensive, however potential investors can enjoy better well - being, return on saving, comfort and luxury.
You recently announced your decision to build the first Green Village in Africa. What brought up this great idea?
When I came up with this idea I started looking at the problem we face in today’s world whereby we have day camps and night camps. By that I mean we have days’ camp (a place where people work or industrialisations) and night camps (residential, leisure or sleeping areas). We all spend most of life time traveling between these two places and having less fun time with our loved ones. I wanted to change this by building a complete Village that will combine these three elements into LIVE-WORK-PLAY hence the Village is divided into five hubs; first, is Blue Rock Luxury apartments which offer high European quality and design, a 10 year guarantee, well - being, Fibre Optic, MAC@Home and Car Free Living.
Second, is the hotel and conferencing centre which is envisioned to have ±150 rooms, 30 condos, exhibition space and conference centre for 500+ executive delegates. Third, is the 500 metre Santa Luzia Life Style Centre which is the first Life Style centre in South Africa that offers outdoor Expo and events space of up to 10 000sqm, Gastronomy, Doctors Centre, Entertainment, Boutique stores, Academies, Hostel, and Workshops. Fourth, is the Wellness Centre equipped with Sports facilities (Olympic size swimming pool, Gym, Dance studio, and Squash Courts,), Beauty (Tanning beds, Nail Bar, Hairdressers and Barbers) and Therapies (Spa, Sauna, Steam Room, Massage Parlour, and Physiotherapy).
The fifth hub is the Dollar House, this is where all the captains of the financial industry will meet, and work. The Dollar House will have financial professionals such as Banks, Consultants, Lawyers, Financial Advisers and a Business News Room. The Dollar House will link to the Professional Service Centre, an office space which will cater for Marketing firms, Events planners, Graphic Designers, and photographers. What has also brought much attention to Blue Rock Village is our Car Free Living concept. The Village’s Car Free Living system is one where pedestrians dominate the streets and cars are kept underground, away from the living space.
The principle is based on one ring road that serves the whole Village and leads cars directly to the underground parking area. No cars are allowed to park in open spaces in the Village, but drop-offs and emergency parking is permitted in the widened spaces between landscaped pots. We are proud to introduce this concept to Africa and we hope it will catch on.
How competitive is the property sector in South Africa and how would you rate its progress?
Currently the South Africa property sector is on a down slope and is slightly turning upwards in my opinion and this presents great opportunities for upcoming development like Blue Rock Village. We have seen a high demand from the middle to higher earning individuals mostly from Johannesburg, overseas and in African countries such as Angola.
How has the development of technology impacted your industry?
Through the fact that we are using the latest technology from Europe which we have implemented now here in South Africa, we have made a huge impact in the quality of building, through this we are able to give a 10 year guarantee which no one in South Africa is doing at the moment. But also this new technology has huge impact on the well - being of our residence in the house as well cost saving, reducing the use of energy.
What core strategies have you adopted to make your company the lead in the sector.
We are using top quality products, good brands and European standards to insulate the house and put in double glazing the house, using the latest technology of glass to keep the heat inside or outside and absorbing UV rays, which again increase human well - being. Our strategies also focus on saving of energy which means you will not to use air-conditioning in summer or a heater in winter. Our company (Swisatec) has carefully studied the well - being aspect of the building as we believe that it’s the most important thing when you are at home, but also the quality of the building itself.
How difficult is it to manage properties in Africa?
It’s difficult to develop property let alone complete construction because the industry it’s over regulated with regards to managing properties in renting is becoming better and the demand is growing because of people moving in search of a better life but it makes it difficult when it comes to social surety due to the economic difficulties.
Are governmental policies helping the industry?
No, based on the experience I have received as a developer I had to argue and motivate why we want to build such as development, which is considered as not normal, however in my defence I don’t like to do normal things! Hence Blue Rock Village is the of its kind in Africa and has raised the bar of building construction in South Africa. It took me close to 7 years to have 40 % of Blue Rock Village approved by the City of Cape Town, the timeline to approve a development takes extremely long and this makes matters hard for me as a developer.
Economically, which African countries will perform best in 2016?
I personally think that the African continent is making positive strides in developing its economy and we see that countries like Angola, Botswana, Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt and Mozambique are booming opportunities for Africa. The growth of African cities creates a demand for increased volume of higher-quality commercial and residential estates and I believe that we are going to make our mark in this country and create more Villages with the ideology of combining the elements of life.
Any news from Blue Rock?
We are planning to break ground in September 2016 in building our first phase: Giovanni Luxury Terraced Apartment which has created massive interest to potential buyers and investors. The benefit of reserving your apartment gives you the exclusive chance to make adjustments to the layout of your chosen unit/s and/or have the opportunity to combine one or more apartments to create luxury 4 – 6 room unit. This will only be available to those who commit to reserving an apartment before the end of 31 July 2016.
We are also busy with the Santa Luzia Life Style Centre, which has received a great deal of interest from corporates who would like to be part of the Dollar House and we will make an announcement on this publication in more detail.
For more information about Blue Rock Village and great investment opportunities you can visit www.bluerockvillage.co.za
