project demonstrates: • Adherence to the City Densification Strategy. • Enhancement of a publicly accessible landscaped courtyard. • Reduction of energy loading requirements: through a double-glazed performance façade to reduce solar heat gain, optimisation of the exposed MEP services specification, and intelligent passive design measures. • A well-considered material selection. • Future-proofed design for different tenant types on lower ground, ground and first floors. • No additional parking built on site over than existing. From the architects’ time/cost perspective this project required a disproportionate amount of time and costs in preparation and approval of a design which could be approved by the neighbourhood commenting bodies, City and provincial Heritage Bodies, City Zoning and Construction Plans approval. In terms of cost and quality, the client (Tower Property Fund at the time) understood the need to balance the project viability with a building that required a high level of specification for the facades, landscaping and interiors due to the building context as well as the target market for tenants and apartment purchasers. The complexity of the construction onto existing
which resulted in a unique intervention. Fragmentation of form: The smaller scale and fragmented character of the historic De Waterkant context is referenced rather than mimicking as a pastiche. This was achieved by fragmenting the building mass into smaller distinct plastered masonry forms, respectfully set back from the existing streets frontages. FaÇades: Dissimilar to most high-end residential schemes in Cape Town (with the expressed slab edges and maximized glazing) this contemporary plastered wall structure features punctured window apertures that vary in size, alignment and depth to create a contemporary addition to the existing buildings. The adaptative reuse and extension of the existing building is the key driver of environmental sustainability as substantial embodied energy savings are made by repurposing buildings. Furthermore, the
buildings in terms of programme, unexpected discoveries on site and cost thereof made the viability challenging.
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21 st Best Project Awards 2022
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