dhk Architects has completed an apartment block conceived as a monolith with indentations and cut-outs. The building features 85 luxury residential apartments and penthouses supplemented with small-scale commercial and retail space at ground level. Occupying a prominent corner position in growing suburb Century City in Cape Town, the landmark development has been designed to capitalise on enviable views of Table Mountain and the Atlantic Ocean.
The building connects to the environment in a myriad of strategic ways and sets a precedent for urban conscious residential developments in the city. The compact form of the building wraps around itself and gradually rises, orientating most of the apartments towards views of the city. Its unique doughnut-shaped form is adorned with visual gashes that allow the sheltered walkway spaces to catch glimpses of the city around it, connecting the inside circulation to the outside world. The rising form cuts away, creating dynamic terraces and activity at differing heights, culminating in generous penthouse units. Transporting every inhabitant on a scenic journey to their destination, a large panoramic lift runs the full height of the building and is positioned at the pinnacle of its mass. A stand-out element of the design, the exterior of the lift is completely clad in red aluminium and sits within a glass shaft facing Table Mountain.
Tucked away in a leafy suburb in Cape Town stands a statement-making home – not only for the modern, glass-fronted architecture but more so for it’s vibrant interiors. For local design studio ARRCC, who executed the project, it was the homeowner’s affinity for colour – and a multitude of materials – that informed the creative journey. ‘By working with the homeowner’s wide and varied art collection we were able to create spaces that allow for a dynamic dialogue between the artworks and furnishings,’ says ARRCC director Mark Rielly. This is immediately apparent in the expansive, marbled entrance hall of this Jenny Mills Architecture-designed home, where the brightly coloured, geometric Emmemobili Arlequin C cabinet is complemented by a two-tone suede sofa, angular rug and organically shaped side table. The scene sets a welcome sense of repose that carries through to the rest of the home. ‘Materiality is just as much a feature in this area,’ says ARRCC designer Quintin Gilman, pointing to the architect’s vision for the staircase leading down to the basement level. ‘Crema Marfil marble, glass balustrades with brass cladding, and dark-stained timber all create unique textures in this stairwell,’ he says. On the staircase wall, laser-cut, coated-steel cladding was added and then back-lit for dramatic effect.
Norval Foundation is a modern pavilion for art set against a dramatic mountain and vineyard landscape, located on the slopes of the Constantiaberg Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa. The Norval family who are the founders and initial funders of Norval Foundation envisioned a world-class art museum in an exceptional location that would be accessible to the general public. This provided a unique opportunity for architecture studio dhk; to strike a balance between two motivations: protect the artwork within and maximise views of the natural landscape outside.
The building’s architectural design is a pure expression of form; a bold rectangular mass, delineating its heavy-walled enclosure and light over-sailing roof. It is constrained by a linear site, between a busy road and an existing wetland; turning its back to a neighbouring embassy compound. The linear circulation spine is positioned along this edge, with the galleries and public spaces facing the natural landscape, capturing framed views of the wetland, vineyards and mountains beyond.
Battery Park is a new 12 000 sqm (1.2 hectre) urban park situated at a key entranceway to one of Africa’s most visited tourist destinations, the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town, South Africa. Developed as the nucleus of a larger urban vision for the district, the site includes a park and piazza that effectively conceal a 1 206-bay parking facility as well as new pedestrian routes to invigorate the precinct with activity. The site is of archaeological importance as it contains the remnants of one of the city’s oldest structures, coastal fortification the Amsterdam Battery. This provided a unique opportunity for architecture and urban design firm dhk – to pay homage to the historic landmark whilst incorporating a parking facility and providing spaces for leisure and recreational activities.
On Cape Town’s mountainside stands a striking angular building by renowned local architecture firm SAOTA. Complementing this terraced home, the interiors, by interior‐design leader ARRCC, are a treasure trove of gem‐like materials and custom furniture which pull together the client’s brief for ultimate comfort within high‐ functioning entertainment zones. A profusion of metallic surfaces is juxtaposed with warm wood and splashes of bright colour, invoking a sense of dynamic living.
Says ARRCC Designer Nina Sierra Rubia of the entrance hall: ‘The walnut paneling reflects the warmth seen throughout the rest of the home, while the metal fleck ceramic by Chantal Woodman for OKHA, standing on a suspended black swing server, tells you that there’s fun to be had inside,’
This SAOTA designed family home is positioned below Lion’s Head; with views of Table Mountain, Lion’s Head, Signal Hill, the city of Cape Town and the mountains of the Boland and the winelands in the distance, the architecture is shaped to take in as much of the surrounding as is possible. The strongest gesture is the inverted pyramid roof which creates a clerestory window around the upper level. It allows the building to open up, capturing views of Table Mountain and Lion’s Head that would otherwise have been lost. This has also opened up views of the sky bringing the sun and moon into the home, heightening the connection to nature and its cycles.
Located in a luxury residential estate in Cape Town’s Constantia Valley, this home exudes self‐assured sophistication through a minimalist approach. The initial architecture conceptualised by Vivid Architects was refined and developed by leading South African Architecture firm SAOTA. It reveals a dramatic façade, with honed stone floor and wall slabs lending themselves to the bold aesthetic. Tasked to create an interior that could confidently fit into this dominant setting, and working closely with the owners, Mark Rielly, of interior design studio ARRCC, revelled in the challenge.
Leading South African architectural and urban design studio, dhk, has completed Sable Park in Century City in Cape Town. The commercial development comprises two buildings – one of 8 000 sqm and another of 8 300 sqm – and sits at a prominent entry point into Century City forming an iconic front face for the suburb. Situated at the southern edge of the blossoming Bridgeways Precinct, it boasts unobstructed panoramic views of Table Mountain.
Beyond is a contemporary setting for life and art, where the full comfort of a modern home is potently married to an elemental architecture drawn from its dramatic setting.
Perched on the shoulders of Lion’s Head, the home, designed by SAOTA, springs from a steep hillside that drops off to the famous sequence of Clifton’s white beaches to the Twelve Apostles beyond. Entry from Nettleton Road – the most sought-after street in South Africa – gives a carefully composed impression of four lower stories with tantalising glimpses of two more levels towering above. The lower levels play host to six generous bedrooms, three of which can be interlinked for a family suite, and to a double volume entertainment space complete with spa, games and cinema. Principal living is at the very top of the building – an expansive, double-height open plan space which houses kitchen, bar, dining, living and family rooms as well as a winter lounge, study and art studio at a mezzanine level. The glazed lines between inside and out peel back to blur the boundaries in a continuous transparent space which links a generous back garden opening directly onto Table Mountain National Park to a pool which stretches out towards the sea in front.
When one of the most exclusive hotels in Southern Africa gave OKHA an open brief to redesign its Cellar bar, lead designer Adam Court combined Japanese reductionist minimalism and post-war Italian Baroque, two seemingly opposing visual styles to execute a complete transformation using what he refers to as “Naked Maximalism”.
Ellerman House is a family run hotel comprising several freestanding villas, a wellness spa, extensive art gallery, wine gallery and terraced gardens which surround the central house, an Edwardian Villa dating back to 1906. Each of these spaces has been given a unique design treatment which is why, when it came to the new bar it was important for the hotel to partner with a design studio they had not previously worked with; bringing fresh eyes to continue and explore the dialogue between contemporary and classical.
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