WORDS Chris Reid PHOTOS Helene Sandberg, Supplied

Concrete is not a material that has historically kept good company with living things. It doesn’t bend, it doesn’t breathe, and it’s difficult to love at times. Which is exactly what makes Eco-Brutalism – the movement built on the marriage of raw concrete and rampant greenery – one of the more surprising design stories of recent years. Yet the more you sit with it, the more inevitable it feels.

As a reminder, Brutalism is an architectural style that’s known for its pragmatic yet monolithic design, as well as its heavy use of unfinished building materials. (The latter is the source of the name: a reference to the French term for raw concrete, béton brut.) Emerging in the 1950s, it was used for institutions such as universities, civic buildings and hospitals. Post-war governments valued its speed and cost-efficiency. City planners loved its scale. The public was, however, oft en less convinced.

Eco-Brutalism takes the same commitment to material honesty and pushes it into more verdant territory. In this approach, hard edges aren’t softened with paint or embellishments, but with plants. And not just a discreet flowerbed here and there: we’re talking climbing vines, living walls, rooftop gardens and indoor trees – the kind of foliage that sprawls and reaches and eventually makes a building look more like a terrarium than a monument. It feels like it should clash. But in the right hands, it produces something genuinely arresting: the hard and the soft, the permanent and the growing, locked together in an aesthetic that feels both radical and deeply natural.

Tough Love

A shift in attitudes to Brutalism has been brewing for some time. In London, the Barbican is the most instructive example. Once polarising, it is now the subject of a £231-million renewal programme approved in late 2025, with plans to restore its public spaces and conservatory ahead of its 50th anniversary. What has long been regarded as a cold, labyrinthine edifice has become one of the most desirable addresses in Europe. Architecture tours are sold out. The shop sells Brutalist memorabilia. The turnaround is remarkable – and it signals something broader.

As a style, Eco-Brutalism has some associations that make it quite apt for the current point in history. For a start, it has an innately socialist bent and forward-looking perspective. At a time when income disparity feels like it’s constantly increasing and retrogressive politics are on the rise, that is comforting. It also taps into the biophilia trend that defined the last decade or so. But where biophilia often feels surface-level, this turns the volume up and takes the greenery from an accent to an essential core. Also, in a world where the future will only get hotter and where cities will continue to densify, the smart use of greenery alongside concrete creates instant oases that people can appreciate regardless of their feelings on the aesthetic itself.

More than Skin Deep

With this type of design trend, there’s an implicit question: how much of the green thinking is substantial, and how much is purely symbolic? After all, Brutalism with a few plants added to it hardly feels like it warrants a whole new name. Added to that, concrete is a material that has come under significant scrutiny in recent years for its environmental impact.

What we’re seeing in this new iteration of Brutalism, however, is the “Eco” aspect going deeper. New, sustainable cement innovations by companies like Seratech are helping to sequester carbon in the build process. Architects intentionally include passive cooling and rainwater collection to reduce their environmental footprint. Plus, there’s an argument that this kind of anti-ostentatious design removes the unnecessary features that tend to add to a building’s overall impact.

Perhaps most importantly, this aesthetic is defined by permanence. In a world of fast design and disposable interiors, there is something quietly radical about creating buildings that are designed around function and intended to be scaffolding for nature. Brutalism in all its forms resists simple interpretation. But sometimes the most beautiful things are the ones that refuse to be easy.

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WORDS Martin Jacobs PHOTOS Renata Dominik, Michael Lassman, Felix Mooneeram

One would think originality inevitable when access to the endless scroll places a world of architecture, interiors and design at our fingertips. Yet in a culture of constant visual assault, sameness persists, leaving us yearning for the shock of the new. Too often, we circle the expected when shaping our homes – but when convention is set aside, and different choices are given space, the results can be extraordinary. “Global thinking about how we use our resources is shifting, but architecture is lagging,” says Clinton Cole, founder of CplusC, a Sydney firm of architects, interior designers and builders, of the conventional bigger-is-better approach to bespoke homes. “What happens when we turn from excess towards nature? What does human-centred architecture look like now on our fragile planet?”

The collaboration between CplusC and interior designer Jase Sullivan, who brought his decorating expertise to this unusual home, offers a compelling response. Positioned above Manly’s Shelly Beach, with distant views of Manly Beach, the house could have followed the familiar path of its neighbours, maximising bay views. Instead, it turns inwards, focusing attention on a man-made body of water: a natural pool inspired by the homeowners’ love of a freshwater creek several hours from Brisbane. “We wanted our home to feel like the outdoors every day – like camping in the woods, but with the luxury of a house,” says Karin*, who commissioned the home with her husband Jurgen for their young family. In many ways, the pool is the heart of the home, with every room opening onto it.

In consultation with landscape architect Duncan Gibbs, CplusC’s design for the swimming pool is part of a broader rainforest creek concept. Following the slope of the property, water cascades through a series of biofiltration ponds and reedbeds into the pool, and down into a waterfall alongside the home’s entrance. Overhead is perhaps the most unusual feature: a canopy of timber, steel and translucent jade-coloured lattices into which more than 20 planters are embedded. Permeable to the elements, this is a breathing architectural structure that filters sunlight and heat, forging a constant connection to nature. “Eventually the canopy will resemble tree canopies, with leaves swaying in the wind and water dropping like rainfall into the tranquil watercourse below,” says Clinton. “It’s a contemporary interpretation of a landscape and environment, invoking memories of our human experience in nature.”

“With the doors open, the sounds of water outside make you feel as though you’re in a forest,” says Jase, a runway model-turned-interiors specialist whose award-winning work dots not just Australia but also Beverly Hills and Hollywood Hills in California. “I knew from the start that the furniture choices had to honour this incredible architecture. There is no way I could have gone subtle with this house – I had to take it to the extreme!”

The double-volume living room, with its stained-glass windows (in the colours of Sydney sunsets) inspired by Mondrian artworks, best illustrates Jase’s approach. Confessing that this may be his boldest pairing yet, he explains how the colour palette of the stained-glass windows was his starting point. “I’ve always had a passion for rare Mid-century pieces. When I began in the industry, at a time when most designers weren’t turning to them, I believed pairing such pieces with contemporary ones offered a fresh perspective on vintage design.” He’s combined a pair of 1960s yellow Pierre Paulin Ribbon chairs with Hessentia’s Gio sofa and two Soniah floor lamps by Ukrainian designer Victoria Yakusha. “Collaborating with DenHolm, I designed the pink coffee table to tie everything together,” he says. “Even though the pieces are from different eras, their curves complement one another beautifully.”

Jase’s decorating extends beyond aesthetics and, where possible, mirrors Clinton’s sustainability-forward measures, such as exterior timber cladding in a low-maintenance shou sugi ban finish, hydronic heating and cooling, electric car and bicycle charging stations, and a solar-panel battery system that generates more energy than it consumes (all of which contributed to this being the first certified Active House in Australia). “The drive towards sustainability always enhances my design thinking,” says Jase who, for seating at one end of the nine-metre kitchen island, turned to Dutch designer Dirk van der Kooij’s Chubby barstools, created from extruded recycled plastic. Upstairs, headboards and ottomans were made from upcycled plastic and clothing, and wooden furniture (as well as architectural elements throughout the home) utilised recycled timber.

“This is a home in which the air is filled with the play of water, a light- and soundscape awash in colour from stained-glass windows,” says Clinton, reflecting on the project. “It’s playful and rejuvenating all at once.” And for homeowners Karin and Jurgen, it’s about so much more. “We imagined a beautiful carbon-positive house that inspires others,” says Jurgen. “Our goal is for our home to generate more energy by 2050 than was used to construct and operate it.”

It’s ambitious thinking like this that jolts us into creating things that feel genuinely new. jasesullivan.com | cplusc.com.au

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WORDS Gina Dionisio PHOTOS Paris Brummer

When EF Education First – the world’s largest privately owned education company – relocated its language school from Kloof Street to a modern office building at the V&A Waterfront, the move called for a bold design response.

EF’s in-house Architecture & Design Studio – which brings a contextual design approach that ensures no two schools look the same – was tasked with transforming the interior of the existing building into an environment that fosters creativity and learning, while remaining true to its location.

“A strong use of colour was meant to activate this space, shaking loose any office associations, while alluding to the confluence the Waterfront embodies – a rich mixture of people, languages, buildings, industries, geography coming together to form an incredibly sophisticated and cosmopolitan neighbourhood,” says Philip Iosca, Head of Interior Design, Architecture & Design at EF.

This delicate balance between location-centric design and EF’s global brand values is achieved through careful space planning, ensuring each school’s floor plan is both globally consistent and locally responsive. “A welcoming reception area, a flexible auditorium for learning as well as social events, classrooms with natural light, inviting lounge spaces and, often, a student café in the centre that becomes a kind of ‘heart’ of the school – these have all become standard features of our schools,” says Philip, “but how they are realised – furniture, finishes, and graphics will vary based on each location.”

Material choices were guided by both aesthetics and function. “Good acoustics are one of the most important requirements for language learning,” says Philip. “For Cape Town, we paired custom-painted wood-wool ceilings with cork floors – both selected for their inherent acoustic properties, and both sympathetic to the Cape Town climate.” Glass walls allow natural light to filter deep into the floor plates, while the layout of each classroom follows a C-shaped configuration to facilitate conversation, with tables for spreading out books and comfortable chairs throughout.

Incorporating local designers, artists and makers has always been a core principle of EF’s in-house Architecture & Design Studio. The team selected Cape Town-based Red Nail Design to oversee the fit-out of the space, with furniture locally produced by Coral + Hive, Dokter and Misses, James Mudge, Okha, Pedersen+Lennard, Studio 19 and Voegel Design. “We knew we wanted to curate a selection of these brands and worked to find a cohesive selection aligned with our contextual design approach,” says Philip.

For the project, the team collaborated with Dokter and Misses on bespoke pieces including a ‘Big Five’-inspired reception desk, an animal-print podium, striped banquettes and perforated wall lights. “We were charmed by Dokter and Misses’ disco chair, which was completely delightful, while still referring back to a long tradition of wood chairs – Gerrit Rietveld, Donald Judd, and Enzo Mari, among others. Unlike some of the artist versions, this chair was carefully designed to be comfortable – with a sloped backrest and contoured seat. This attention to detail permeates their collection, which feels singular at a time when products are beginning to be increasingly flattened by social media,” says Philip.

The team approached Dokter and Misses to ask if they would be willing to collaborate – with seemingly impossible timelines and a modest budget – and were thrilled they were up for the challenge. “We gave brief design directions for each item – material, rough dimensions, quantity and references to their work we admired. They did one or two rounds of proposals for each item, where we quickly homed in and agreed on the final designs. We are absolutely thrilled with the results – everything was made locally, fitted within our budget and, most importantly, arrived on time. They absolutely nailed it!” says Philip. ef.com | @ef

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COMPILED BY Gina Dionisio PHOTOS Courtesy of the Restaurant & Bar Design Awards, The Room (Natelee Cocks), Alrecchino (Jan Ras), Arum (Inge Prins)

The Restaurant & Bar Design Awards is arguably the most influential global design competition specifically dedicated to food and beverage environments. Now in its 18th year, this prestigious event honours and celebrates the most innovative venues and the brilliant minds who bring them to life.

The shortlist comprises five regional categories – Asia, Australia & Pacific, Europe, Middle East & Africa, and The Americas – plus a number of global categories.

Shortlisted for this year’s awards are four outstanding South African projects:

Kolonaki

With its inviting atmosphere, Kolonaki in Parkhurst has been shortlisted in the Multiple category. The indoor-outdoor flow and breezy character, along with screed flooring, touches of wood, luscious plants and abundant cane slatting, lend an authentic Aegean island feel to the Atmos-designed interior. | atmosadd.com

Arlecchino

Shortlisted in two categories – Visual Identity (Partner & Form) and Ceiling (Verhaal) – Arlecchino possesses a certain theatrical charm, thanks to its interiors and design details inspired by Natasha Sideris’s childhood memories of Italian restaurants and holidays in Cape Town. With its ode to 1970s design, the restaurant offers a slice of Mediterranean glamour – think terrazzo floors, solid wood surfaces, patinated finishes and eye-catching ruffle chandeliers. partnerandform.com | verhaal.studio

The Room

Designed by award-winning South African interior architect Tristan du Plessis, The Room has been shortlisted in the Small Space category. For the space, Tristan drew inspiration from the atmosphere, materiality and cultural excess of 1970s recording studios, aiming to create an immersive, music-driven environment that balances intimacy, energy and a strong, contemporary sense of place. | tristanduplessis.com

Arum

Shortlisted in the Heritage Building category, Arum at Boschendal was conceptualised and designed by MR. Studio. The design of the farm-to-fire restaurant reimagines farm life as a spatial experience through materiality, texture and light. | bymr.co.za

To see the full shortlist for this year’s awards, visit restaurantandbardesignawards.com.

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Set within one of Cape Town’s most prestigious residential enclaves, Hillside Private Residence presents a rare opportunity to secure an architectural masterpiece on an extraordinary 6,000m² north-facing estate. Once completed, this 1,044m² luxury residence will command uninterrupted vineyard and mountain views, embodying timeless design, exceptional craftsmanship and uncompromising luxury.

Designed for effortless indoor-outdoor living, the home has been conceived with expansive entertainment spaces, elegant formal and informal living areas, and beautifully landscaped gardens that frame every outlook. Five luxurious bedroom suites, a private study, chef’s kitchen, wine cellar, cigar lounge, cinema, gym and sauna ensure every aspect of modern luxury has been thoughtfully considered.

Outside, an infinity lap pool will appear to merge seamlessly with the surrounding vineyards, while tranquil water features and generous covered terraces will create an atmosphere of complete privacy and retreat. A six-car garage, staff accommodation, borehole water supply, energy-efficient systems and comprehensive security infrastructure further enhance this exceptional offering.

Perfectly positioned in sought-after Upper Constantia, the residence affords residents immediate access to acclaimed wine estates, leading schools, world-class restaurants and some of Cape Town’s finest outdoor lifestyle experiences.

Represented under a sole and exclusive mandate, Hillside Private Residence is more than an exceptional home; it is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to shape the future of luxury living in one of South Africa’s most coveted addresses.

Ready to experience luxury living.

Enquire today to receive full project information, architectural plans and pricing, and to secure this extraordinary residence before construction begins. View the full listing or contact Alexa Horne +27 82 349 7799 | alexa@dgproperties.co.za directly to schedule your private viewing.

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WORDS Robyn Alexander/Bureaux PRODUCTION Sven Alberding/Bureaux PHOTOS Greg Cox/Bureaux

“It was an old two-bedroom cottage on a vast 1 200m2 plot,” says homeowner Erica Schalkwyk. This was back in 2018, when she and her husband Werner bought the property, “gave the cottage a lick of paint, and moved in”. Their intention was always to redevelop, creating a new home situated towards the back of the long, relatively narrow piece of land. But, she explains, “We first had to live in it, plan, save and start our family.”

For three years, that’s what they did. “We had no timeline; we were enjoying the home as it was,” says Erica. “We waited for life to happen.” The couple now have two sons – five-year-old Mynhardt and three-year-old Migael. They eventually started the build in 2021, moving into the completed house in May 2022, but only fi nished the garage at the end of 2025. It’s been slow, steady going.

The couple asked architect Ruan Marsh of Monograph Architects to assist them with the design of the new house. Ruan and his practice partner Kevin Coetzee like to create work that isn’t style-bound, but that originates in critical regionalism – an idea that stresses the importance of architectural responses to site, local context and climate, as well as the client’s brief and needs. “The condition of the existing house was good, but its position on the site was not ideal, leaving a large, underutilised garden towards the back,” Ruan says. “The house also wasn’t functional for Erica and Werner – they host fairly big gatherings of people regularly, and needed a space more suited to this. Monograph aims to create spaces in which clients can experience delight and form core memories. We want to make great spaces the norm.”

A major part of the Schalkwyks’ overall design brief was that they wanted the biggest garden possible. The site is 15m by 76m, and north-facing on the street side of the narrow end; the land is also quite steeply sloped, with a change in level of just under fi ve metres from one end to the other. And both the clients and their architect wanted to ensure that, in Ruan’s words, “the connection between indoors and out be as seamless as possible”.

The design solution was to push the building all the way back, puncture it with courtyards, and use split levels for the garden level, says Ruan. “Inside the house, we wanted to create a public-private divide using levels as well.” As a result, the bedrooms and more private work and play spaces for the family are situated at the rear of the home, up two short flights of stairs.

“The design plays with light in creative ways, to draw the eye towards certain elements of the spaces and really connect with the outdoors,” says Ruan. This starts right at the front of the home with the wooden slatted enclosure within which the kitchen-diner is situated. “Kitchens should have morning and afternoon sun,” he says – and the timber slats create the variable shade needed within this glass-clad area. The timber is from the original 2018 conceptual sketch, and the fins are a shading device for east and west, with panels that can be opened in sections. In addition, the slats are “used to create oneness vertically in that element of the house” because there is a mini floor underneath for laundry and storage; it functions as a “basement” but is also light-filled and functional.

Adding an extra dimension of light to the dining area beyond the kitchen is a narrow courtyard on the eastern side, which enables morning light to enter this space. There are several compact, planted courtyards across the floor plan; they function as light wells and as a way to create natural air fl ow through the interior. “They create visual interest via the planted greenery, and are a further connection with the outside,” says Ruan.

Another noteworthy aspect of the design is the way undulating – rather than rigidly geometric – connections are made within the house. This “eases transitions between spaces”, says Ruan, adding that this sort of movement has a more human scale and feel, and is part of age-old principles of design encapsulated in traditions such as feng shui. The gradual stepping up of levels towards the more private zones of the house is an additional element of this thoughtful approach to layout.

The striking wooden slats that enclose the front edge of the facade are something of an homage to the design of Johannesburg’s Circa art gallery, creating an effect Erica very much wanted. Having worked as an interior designer for over a decade prior to “giving it up to enjoy this stage of life with small children”, she currently designs and makes jewellery – but she also conceptualised all of her home’s interiors. She and Werner spent many years putting together a collection of South African designer furniture, wall art and sculptures. “I wanted our new home to have that gallery feel,” says Erica. “Every single nook is designed with a specific art piece in mind.” The interiors combine bold, earthy neutrals with a strong monochrome colour theme, with additional visual and tactile interest created through skilful layering of natural textures, from wood and steel to leather and stone.

The house is designed to function as a unified whole in which, Erica explains, “the entire living space – the patio, living room, dining area, kitchen and pool – is in use daily.” And when asked about her favourite among these areas, she responds, “The patio! We spend all our time there.” Warmly welcoming, always connected and very much a true reflection of everything the Schalkwyks value and enjoy, their home is perfectly attuned to their wants and needs. | monograph-architects.com

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WORDS Martin Jacobs PHOTOS Aiste Rakauskaite, Andrew Lee, Iwan Baan, Tom Powel Imaging© 2025 Calder Foundation New York/Artists Rights Society New York, Jason keen, Jason O’Rear

LOST SHTETL MUSEUM Šeduva, Lithuania

When architect Rainer Mahlamä ki, of Finland’s Lahdelma & Mahlamäki Architects, fi rst visited the Lithuanian town of Šeduva a decade ago with the intention of better understanding the site of the museum he was to design, it was the landscape that lingered. “I was struck by the open sky, the vast agricultural landscape, the adjacent cemetery, the quiet sound of the wind, and the grey houses of the countryside,” he says. Ten years on, the recently opened Lost Shtetl Museum is not just sitting in that landscape, it’s in dialogue with it. In August 1941, just short of 700 Jewish residents of Šeduva were executed in a nearby forest, an act marking the town’s destruction. The museum, built to commemorate not only the loss of life but also of Jewish and European culture, takes the form of a small shtetl (or village).

A collection of individual houses – each echoing the dimensions of a single-family dwelling, their interiors canopied by the pitch of their roofs rather than ceilinged – are interconnected by short passageways. The effect is twofold: it nods to Šeduva’s pre-war skyline while cleverly allowing for possible future expansion. The facades are constructed from shingle-like recyclable aluminium sheets which, up close, are textured, setting up a constant play of light across their silvery-white surfaces. For Mahlamäki, this wasn’t simply a reference to the weathered farm buildings that dot rural Lithuania, but an intentional counterpoint to the darker, rougher material palettes that characterise many Holocaust memorials.

The surrounding gardens and cemetery, conceived in collaboration with Enea Landscape Architecture, form a memorial park shaped by the idea of the last journey. The garden rooms – an orchard, wetlands and a flowering meadow – reimagine the landscapes that Jewish residents may have encountered en route to the forest, translating absence into a verdant presence. | lostshtetl.com

CALDER GARDENS Philadelphia, USA

Hemmed in by a highway, on-ramps and the city’s Benjamin Franklin Parkway – and with the Barnes Foundation, Rodin Museum and Philadelphia Museum of Art within a stone’s throw – it was inevitable that Pritzker Prize-winning architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron would embrace a novel approach to the design of Calder Gardens. The museum is dedicated to an ever-changing selection of work by the late (and great) Alexander Calder, a Philadelphian sculptor best known for his kinetic mobiles.

“Form, colour and movement are the most obvious aspects in Calder’s art,” says Jason Frantzen, senior partner at the firm. “When the concept for Calder Gardens was conceived, it sought to avoid rather than adopt the use of these characteristics as possible design elements. Likewise, the design avoids the monumental architecture of the museums that line the parkway. With these parameters in mind, it was decided that the face of this project should not be a building – instead, it is a garden with a building within.”

Designed by lauded Dutch landscape designer Piet Oudolf, the garden is a showstopper, with his trademark pairing of plants and time as mediums. Heavily season-, weather- and light-dependent, the plantings are in a constant state of flux, unfolding across outdoor rooms that include a woodland, prairie matrix (composed of mostly North American species) and perennial meadow. On entering the garden, the architecture slowly reveals itself, initially in the form of a disc-shaped plaza (which doubles as a roof to the subterranean museum). Flanking the plaza are sunken open-air galleries carved into the ground; these off er protected outdoor spaces for sculptures, and draw natural light into the interiors, most a fusion of off -shutter, polished and shotcrete concrete. | caldergardens.org

NEW MUSEUM New York, USA

First opened in 1997 and in its current lower Manhattan premises since 2007, New Museum is the only one in our roundup that – ironically, given its name – isn’t entirely new. (It’s the only museum in Manhattan dedicated exclusively to contemporary art, describing itself as “future-facing, not a place for preserving and recording history”.) A recently completed addition, adjacent to the museum’s iconic flagship building by architects Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa of SANAA, doubles New Museum’s exhibition space.

While it’s not uncommon for architects to be commissioned to design new wings alongside significantly older buildings, here the brief was trickier: contemporary beside contemporary. The architects helming the project – OMA’s Rem Koolhaas and Shohei Shigematsu – had to grapple with that notion. “While maintaining the architectural integrity of the original building, our design seeks to create a new whole rather than two halves, adding space and openness with its own distinct identity,” says Shigematsu of the solution, which mirrors SANAA’s language in a manner that’s more suited to our times.

Located on Prince Street in the Bowery, the seven-storey extension connects to the original building on three floors, with ceiling heights accurately aligned. But while SANAA’s building is visually impenetrable from outside, OMA’s design opts for laminated glass with a metal mesh interlayer across its facades. Broad stripes running down the street-facing facade of the faceted structure are rendered in mesh-free glass, lending a heightened sense of transparency – especially at night – that connects those inside with the city, and engages passers-by with the goings-on and displays indoors. Semi-outdoor terraces with triangular apertures further encourage a dialogue with Manhattan. | newmuseum.org

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At 80 St George’s Mall, the former Waldorf Arcade is entering its next chapter.

Originally completed in 1988, the landmark building is being thoughtfully transformed into Arlo & Co. – a mixed-use residential destination that brings together heritage architecture, hospitality-led living and professionally managed investment opportunities within the heart of Cape Town’s Central City.

Comprising 276 residences, including studios, lofts, one- and two-bedroom apartments priced from R1.275 million (VAT inclusive), Arlo & Co. has been conceived as a hosted residential address where exceptional design, curated amenities and seamless ownership come together under one roof.

Unlike a conventional residential development, Arlo & Co. has been designed around a professionally managed aparthotel model operated by Revo Stay, allowing owners to enjoy the flexibility of contemporary city living while benefiting from an investment model tailored to one of South Africa’s strongest-performing short-term rental markets.

Responding to a Changing Cape Town

Arlo & Co. arrives at a time when Cape Town continues to cement its position as South Africa’s leading residential property market.

Cape Town has firmly established itself as South Africa’s strongest-performing residential property market, consistently outperforming every other major metropolitan area over the past five years. Driven by sustained semigration, constrained housing supply, growing international demand and a resilient tourism sector, the city continues to attract both local and international buyers seeking long-term capital growth and investment stability.

That momentum is particularly evident within the Central City, where continued public and private investment has reinforced confidence in precincts such as Greenmarket Square and St George’s Mall, transforming them into vibrant mixed-use neighbourhoods where people increasingly choose not only to work and visit, but to live.

Against this backdrop, professionally managed residential assets have emerged as an increasingly attractive proposition for buyers seeking both lifestyle and long-term investment performance.

More Than a Residential Address

Beyond the residences themselves, Arlo & Co. introduces a hospitality-led way of living rarely seen within Cape Town’s city centre.

Residents will enjoy a dedicated General Manager and concierge, purpose-built co-working spaces, a fully equipped gymnasium, an open-air atrium, rooftop clubhouse, swimming pool, private entertainment spaces and panoramic views across Table Mountain, the city skyline and Table Bay.

At street level, the building will also welcome Mojo Greenmarket, a vibrant new food and entertainment destination brought to life by the acclaimed team behind Sea Point’s iconic Mojo Market.

Rather than functioning simply as a food hall, Mojo Greenmarket has been conceived as an extension of the building’s everyday rhythm – bringing together artisan food, boutique bars, live entertainment and curated retail beneath one remarkable address.

Together, these elements create a residential experience shaped as much around community, hospitality and connection as they are around ownership.

Respecting the Past While Designing for the Future

Designed by TwoFiveFive Architects, Arlo & Co. carefully preserves the defining character of the original Waldorf Arcade while introducing a contemporary architectural language inspired by its heritage.

“From the beginning, our ambition was to honour the character of the original building while reimagining it for the way people live today. Every architectural decision was made to ensure its heritage remains visible, relevant and enduring for generations to come,” says Conrad Janse van Rensburg, Associate Director at TwoFiveFive Architects.

That same philosophy continues throughout the interiors, where refined detailing, warm materiality and subtle Art Deco influences create residences that feel timeless rather than trend-driven.

Exclusive furniture collections curated by Maison & Marble in collaboration with Hertex Haus further extend this thinking, allowing buyers to move into professionally designed homes that are equally suited to owner occupation or immediate short-term letting.

A Different Kind of Investment

According to Emanuel Germanis, Group CEO of Revo, today’s buyers are increasingly seeking investment opportunities that combine strong market fundamentals with operational simplicity.

“Cape Town’s residential market continues to demonstrate exceptional resilience, but buyers are looking for far more than location alone. They want professionally managed assets that simplify ownership while delivering an exceptional living experience. Arlo & Co. responds directly to that shift, bringing together heritage, hospitality and investment within one thoughtfully hosted address. Our role has been to shape a brand and go-to-market strategy that reflects the calibre of the development itself, creating an experience that begins long before a buyer receives their keys.”

Professionally managed by Revo Stay, Arlo & Co.‘s aparthotel model has been designed to remove much of the complexity traditionally associated with short-term rental ownership, offering dedicated on-site management, hospitality services and operational expertise that allow owners to benefit from Cape Town’s thriving visitor economy with confidence.

A Shared Vision

Developed by Freedom Properties, Arlo & Co. reflects the company’s long-term approach to recognising the potential within significant urban buildings and thoughtfully repositioning them for contemporary living.

Rather than replacing the character of the Waldorf Arcade, the development extends its story – contributing to the continued evolution of one of Cape Town’s most historic precincts while creating a residential destination designed to remain relevant for decades to come.

Sales for Arlo & Co. officially go live on Thursday, 20 August 2026 at 12 pm, with residences priced from R1.275 million (VAT inclusive). The development’s go-to-market strategy has been led by Revo Digital, with buyers able to reserve apartments online through Connect, Revo’s interactive real-time sales platform, while all sales are managed exclusively by Revo Property.

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WORDS Neyani Mphephu PHOTOS Supplied

In the past, greenery in urban settings has often been seen as an aesthetic addition rather than a functional necessity, and almost always the first line item cut when a development budget tightens – which is exactly what makes green connectivity, the growing movement to weave nature through the built environment as deliberate, functioning infrastructure, one of the more quietly radical ideas reshaping urban design in cities like Lisbon, Bangkok and Cape Town.

Green connectivity goes beyond simply planting trees. It is the deliberate weaving of natural systems such as street canopies, green corridors, pocket forests, urban farms and water-sensitive landscaping through the built fabric of a city, so that nature does not merely sit alongside urban life but moves through and with it.

It is this thinking that drives the work of organisations like Mission for Inner City Cape Town, whose Greening Lead, Vincent Truter, describes the city’s green network in terms that go well beyond horticulture. “Every street, every park and every public space is not only part of an ecological system,” he says. “It is also part of a nervous system. It is quietly influencing how people feel, how they move and how they recover from the intensity of urban life.”

At its core, green connectivity challenges cities to treat green space as essential infrastructure, not just an amenity. And it has a host of environmental benefits that address global warming.

The hothouse

Cities are getting hotter in every sense. There have been a number of successful initiatives globally to combat rising temperatures in metropolitan centres. One of these programmes is Forestami – launched in Milan in 2019 – an urban forestation initiative that includes creating green roofs and restoring polluted land in the Italian city, with the aim of planting 3 million trees by 2030.

Since its launch, research conducted in the metropolitan area found that urban forests provided an average cooling effect of 3.5°C on mean temperatures and up to 5.5°C on maximum temperatures within a 180-metre range. A clear demonstration of green connectivity working in practice with measurable results.

Cape Town’s tree canopy cover was measured at only 6% in 2020, against a world norm of 10% to qualify as an urban forest. Cllr Francine Higman, Ward Councillor for the City of Cape Town, warns that “if we don’t continue investing in greening, we risk creating places that become increasingly hot, less resilient to climate change and ultimately less attractive places to live, work and invest.”

Georgina Smit, CEO of the Green Building Council South Africa (GBCSA), echoes Francine’s warning: “If we do not intentionally weave green spaces into our development strategy, we risk losing critical green and blue resources and their myriad benefits.”

While one of the most overlooked benefits of urban greenery is its ability to cool cities naturally, Vincent argues that what is even less discussed is what trees do to the human nervous system. “Breathing slows. Conversation changes. Children move differently,” he explains. “Green spaces are not only performing ecological work. They are also performing nervous system regulation.”

Beyond the green

A truly green-connected space goes beyond planting trees on a pavement.

Georgina cites Newinbosch Neighbourhood Estate in Stellenbosch as a leading example. It’s the first estate in Africa to achieve a 6-Star Green Star Sustainable Precincts certification, with its on-site nursery, pocket forests, green corridors, urban farm and circular waste processing.

Closer to the city, Green Point Park demonstrates similar thinking at a much larger scale. Its Biodiversity Showcase Garden is home to approximately 300 indigenous plant species and 25 000 individual trees, shrubs and groundcovers, while a sustainable water system sourced from the Oranjezicht spring saves roughly 580 million litres of potable water annually.

But designing a green space is only the beginning. Ensuring that it survives and thrives requires long-term care, partnerships and community stewardship. “Success isn’t simply measured by how many trees we plant. It’s measured by whether those trees survive, mature and continue to expand the canopy,” says Francine. Connected green space, she emphasises, should always be designed around people: “shade where people actually walk, seating, accessible public spaces, biodiversity and opportunities for people to spend time outdoors.”

Future forward

The next evolution of cities may not be primarily technological, but relational. “The question is not whether cities will become greener. That trajectory is already underway,” says Vincent. “The more important question is whether they will become more coherent across their systems. Because cities do not only shape landscapes. They shape people.” missionforinnercity.org | @missionforinnercityct

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WORDS Gina Dionisio PHOTOS Matej Hakár

Defined by its seamless connection to the outdoors, Banánka House embraces its surroundings through a raw, honest use of natural materials, a restrained horizontal form, and a minimalist aesthetic.

The clients had a clear brief for local architecture studio Paulíny Hovorka Architects: design a single-storey home fully connected to its rocky, woodland garden, orientated to maximise sunlight without disturbing a single existing tree.

The response is a Y-shaped plan, with three wings extending outward at 120-degree angles – each positioned to weave between the trees, carving the plot into intimate spaces, every room opening onto its own private corner of the green.

The structure of the house is solid and expressive. The brushed board-formed monolithic concrete ceilings, concrete interior walls, and prefabricated parapet panels are offset by crushed stone encased in galvanised mesh gabions that flow from the exterior into the interior, all complemented by wooden cladding, floors, and decking. Windows feature ultra-slim frames and can be fully retracted into wall pockets to maximise the visual and spatial connection with the outdoors. Hidden doors integrate into cladding and plastered surfaces, and the interior, which is largely free of decorative objects, is defined by custom-built furniture and a modular sofa that can be reconfigured as needed.

Internally, the house is organised around a central hall that connects both residential wings while maintaining clear separation between the parents’ suite and wellness area, and the children’s and guest rooms.

At the centre of the house, the living hall brings together the kitchen, dining, and living areas beneath a fireplace with a massive stone heat-retaining wall. Large sliding glass walls open the space fully onto a covered terrace – with a summer kitchen, grill, and outdoor dining area orientated toward the garden, pond, and forest beyond – so that on warm days, the boundary between inside and outside dissolves entirely.

The three wings are arranged around this central hub, each serving a distinct purpose: the north-facing wing contains the entrance and utility spaces, its extended roof forming both carport and sheltered entryway; the southeast wing houses three bedrooms, a shared bathroom, and a multipurpose room for study and meditation; and the southwest master suite, with a bedroom, walk-in wardrobe, spacious bathroom, and sauna, connects to a smaller terrace with a hot tub and plunge pool beside the stream.

At its core, Banánka House reflects an ethos of modern simplicity, durability, and contemplative living. A home that is one with nature. | pha.sk

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