Braamfontein From Above

2Summers | 12 March 2021
johannesburg architecture

On Tuesday evening, South Point properties invited me to check out 56 Jorissen Street, a brand-new, high-rise student residence in Braamfontein. The whole building is beautiful – I almost wished I could become an 18-year-old college student again and move in. But the major highlight, of course, was the 16th-floor roof deck with nearly 360-degree views of Braamfontein and the rest of Joburg.

Roof deck at 56 Jorissen Street, Braamfontein
I don’t know about you, but my college dorm did not have a roof deck. Even if it did, it would have looked nothing like this.

It was a beautiful late summer day – warm, with puffy white clouds scattered across the sky. I got to catch up with several of my best Joburg-loving friends, have a glass of wine and some canapés, and take tons of photos of the Joburg skyline. Basically it was a perfect evening – the kind of evening I might have taken for granted a year ago but never will again.

For an hour or two I forgot all about the pandemic, the poverty, the police brutality, the power and water outages, and all of the problems in this city and this country and this world. It was blissful.

Here are the pictures.

View of Mandela Bridge and downtown Joburg
View to the south: Braamfontein at rush hour, Mandela Bridge, train tracks…one of my favorite Joburg views.
View toward Hillbrow from 56 Jorissen Street
View to the east: Central Braamfontein and Hillbrow.
Students hanging out on 56 Jorissen roof deck
View to the northeast.
More students enjoying the view.
Looking across roof deck at 56 Jorissen St.
Looking across the roof deck, which surrounds a central atrium.
Looking down on Braamfontein from 56 Jorissen Street
I’m getting redundant now but who cares.

Thanks to South Point for the media invite. You made my week.

Joburg view
A final take on Braamfontein.

Have a fabulous weekend, everyone.