On site: the Moka chimney

A landmark designed in 2015 and built in 2016 — how a feature becomes a place.

The chimney feature at Moka Square against the sky

Phase 1 of Moka City delivered the infrastructure: the main axes for vehicles and pedestrians, a square, a park. What the square needed next was a reason to be at its centre.

The intent was to create a landmark that would relate to the history of the place while acting as a major focal point — a chimney, drawn by Ashvin Mooneeram in March 2015 and implemented by ENL in June 2016.

Stone landmark structure at the centre of the square — Moka Square — the landmark at the centre of the plan.

It is accessible on one side through steps, so people can walk around it rather than view it from behind a barrier. Inside, cat ladders fixed within the structure make the top reachable — a piece of infrastructure repurposed as a public object.

Small interventions carry disproportionate weight in a new city. A square with a landmark becomes a place people can name.