building Archives | Visi https://visi.co.za/tag/building/ SA's most beautiful magazine Fri, 14 Oct 2022 14:45:42 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.11 https://visi.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/cropped-ICO-32x32-Black-1-1-32x32.png building Archives | Visi https://visi.co.za/tag/building/ 32 32 Belgian Embassy Revamp https://visi.co.za/belgian-embassy-revamp/ Fri, 12 Nov 2021 06:00:00 +0000 https://visi.co.za/?p=603977 The revamped Belgian Embassy – housed in a former ambassador’s home – is a masterclass in subtly repurposing heritage buildings.

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WORDS Graham Wood IMAGES Dook


The revamped Belgian Embassy – housed in a former ambassador’s home – is a masterclass in subtly repurposing heritage buildings.

The recent renovation of the Belgian embassy in Pretoria, by Earthworld Architects and Inside Interiors, is a beautiful fusion of cultures, de ly combining historical and contemporary design while converting a heritage house into a modern office.

Having been used as the residence of the Belgian ambassador for more than half a century (with offices added at the back in the 1980s), the building was redesigned so that the Belgian embassy and the consulate could be housed in the same space.

Earthworld’s director Braam de Villiers says the original house – designed by Vivian Sydney Rees-Poole, who worked in Sir Herbert Baker’s office for a time, and went on to design Church Square and other local landmarks – dates back to 1929, and was steeped in local heritage. So Braam found himself taking an architecturally cautious and respectful approach, with an emphasis as much on preservation as on modernisation. The house was built by John Johnston Kirkness – a local luminary of sorts, who served as mayor of the city for a time – for his son, next to his own home, the landmark Kirkness House.

Quite significantly for the chosen architectural approach, Kirkness owned Groenkloof Brick Works, which produced the distinctive red bricks that were used extensively in and around Pretoria and further afield (including Cape Town’s Groote Schuur Hospital), and were simply referred to as Kirkness bricks. In fact, Baker used Kirkness pavers and planters at South Africa House in London.

As is often the case with heritage buildings, Braam says a large part of his task was first to strip away the accumulated add-ons that typically cluster onto them, and pare things back to their original shape. From there, he could rationalise and repurpose. In consultation with Belgian state architect Nicolas Houyoux, Braam devised a subtle intervention for Erik Pronk of CPM Projects to carry out, retaining historical details and finishes where possible, updating sustainability and tech requirements and, together with Earthworld colleague Laurika Brümmer, reinventing the interior spaces.

Belgian Embassy Revamp
Chairs by Muller Van Severen are off set by Nortstudio tables.

The timber window frames were removed, and replaced with double-glazed aluminium windows. These are sleek and minimalist, almost disappearing in the openings. “We chose not to use any mullions so we could accentuate the brickwork,” Braam explains. “Kirkness was a brickmaker, so we paid homage to the red brick.”

The original Oregon pine floors and clay pavers were all restored and kept in place. Where internal walls were removed, Earthworld commissioned handmade clay tiles from Southern Art Ceramics – one-third glazed and two-thirds rough, and precisely sized and inlaid, “so you have a bit of the old story of where the walls were,” says Braam.

The back of the house was opened up to let in natural light – “the building was very dark inside,” he says – and a “horrible courtyard” at the rear was formalised, covered and converted into a charming, light-filled, usable space. Braam points out that apart from these interventions (and carefully hiding the modern technology), the bulk of the renovation had to do with the interior design.

Laurika, too, was meticulous about preserving historical detailing. She discovered fi replaces, brass ironmongery and stained-glass windows, all of which were retained. Offices, meeting areas and conference rooms were separated with frameless glass, making for a sense of openness and light, and leaving lines of sight uninterrupted. She chose plain white for the walls to create a neutral canvas for what she calls an “eclectic mix” of Belgian and

South African design. After she had thoroughly researched contemporary Belgian design, pieces by the likes of Muller Van Severen, Vincent Van Duysen and Nortstudio were imported. These were combined with pieces by local stars such as Dokter and Misses, and Tonic Design. Other items, such as tables and carpets, were custom-designed for the spaces, and feature motifs picking up on the architectural arches that recur throughout the house. The bespoke lights were designed in collaboration with Eduard Claassen. Laurika says she introduced a bit of local flavour in the colours too, using dusty yellow, pink and blue-green to brighten up the interiors. A combination of Belgian and South African artworks continues the cultural dialogue. The final result is a rich, soulful space that is beautifully suited to its new purpose.

Looking for more on local architecture? Take a look at the Inoar Lifestyle Centre in Pretoria.

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Home Grown: Dagutat Science https://visi.co.za/home-grown-dagutat-science/ Tue, 02 Nov 2021 06:00:00 +0000 https://visi.co.za/?p=603620 W Design Architecture Studio’s Johan Wentzel and Grete van As have created a sophisticated building that combines elements of factory and laboratory to house the world’s first soil-less-grown truffle project.

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WORDS Celeste Jacobs


W Design Architecture Studio’s Johan Wentzel and Grete van As have created a sophisticated building that combines elements of factory and laboratory to house the world’s first soil-less-grown truffle project.

Truffles are one of the world’s most desired delicacies. These rare finds are notoriously difficult to grow, and even harder to store – but that didn’t stop W Design Architecture Studio from confidently taking on the renovation of an industrial space in which Dagutat Science wished to realise its ambition to do so. In the organisation’s new building, Johan Wentzel and Grete van As have successfully created an environment that fosters growth.

“Dagutat Science produces edible mushrooms that are used as biological treatment in agriculture to deal with various diseases. It is the first company in the world to cultivate truffles in a moss chamber,” says Grete. “A few years ago, Dagutat Science bought an old factory building in Koedoespoort, Pretoria and asked us to refurbish it. We were inspired by their products and their approach to sustainable farming; this triggered our design concept.”

As she explains, Koedoespoort – located just east of Pretoria’s CBD – was originally surveyed and set out as a non-noxious industrial area. The site includes commercial and industrial properties – most of them, Johan says, “characterised by a uniquely industrial saw-tooth roof aesthetic”. He adds that the area is a dynamic, production-driven precinct with little concern for the streetscape or the “spirit of place”.

This is the backdrop for the Dagutat Science project, which required the renovation of a decommissioned small-arms ammunition factory. The change in the building’s purpose was a true 180-degree turnaround, when you think about it – so it’s no wonder that, as Johan explains, the conceptual idea for the project was inspired by Dagutat Science’s focus on creating “conditions for life”. “If we view the city as a living, breathing organism, then this project serves as the ‘urban acupuncture needle’ that can revitalise the whole by healing a part,” he says.

And indeed, a sense of life is now evident from the moment one arrives in Eland Street, where the building is situated, Johan says, because the very first point of contact for any Dagutat Science visitor driving through the street is a new forest of lavender trees – representing grace, calmness and, most importantly, life.

The layout and design of the building itself was a considered process – after all, it needed to house not only a fully functional laboratory, but also a test kitchen, and every process that takes place between growth and cooking. “The new laboratory pods are seen as ‘floating and light’ units – not touching the solid structure directly, but holding inside them the secrets to life,” says Johan. “Behind the protective veil of the new steel screen – or peridium, in reference to fungi’s protective outer layer – the elevated unfinished concrete office building houses a boardroom with a Zeiss microscope, to illustrate and visualise the minuscule scale at which Dagutat Science operates to make its huge impact on the world. The test kitchen on the lower level is fitted for experimental cooking based on the company’s latest development of cultivated Mustérion Craft Truffles – Winter Black and Winter White.”

Dagutat Science

In addition, Johan says, the updated design is a nod to the notion of permanence. “Architecture is a mixture of nostalgia and extreme anticipation. While the primary existing structure was retained, almost as a skeleton or a frame, we made room for things that matter by removing everything that doesn’t.” In line with this principle, all the building’s 1970s construction was clearly differentiated from the 2019 updates via choices of materials, connections and detailing.

“Buildings should be a reflection of an era, in a said instant,” says Johan – and it’s clear that this unique new creative space located in the heart of an industrial park is precisely that.

Looking for more architectural inspiration? Read more about W Design Architecture Sudio’s projects here.

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Africa’s Second Tallest Building: Zanzibar’s Domino Tower https://visi.co.za/africas-second-tallest-building-zanzibars-domino-tower/ Tue, 07 Sep 2021 06:00:00 +0000 https://visi.co.za/?p=601250 Plans for Zanzibar’s Domino Tower has been revealed to potentially be Africa’s second tallest building developed by Dubia-based firm xCassia.

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WORDS Michaela Stehr IMAGES courtesy of xCassia


Plans for Zanzibar’s Domino Tower has been revealed to potentially be Africa’s second tallest building developed by Dubia-based firm xCassia.

The spiralled 70-storey tower is inspired by domino pieces and will be erected on a man-made island in an archipelago 160 kilometres away from the capital Dars es Salaam (and 15 kilometres from UNESCO’s World Heritage site of Stone Town).

Playing host to Africa’s latest luxury hotel, it will also feature 500 residential units, an observation deck, entertainment section, wedding chapel, a golf course, retail facilities and a spa.

Plans for Domino Tower (located in Zanzibar) has been revealed to potentially be Africa’s second tallest building developed by Dubia-based firm xCassia.
The shape of stacked dominos inspired the design of the project.

“First sketched in Paris in 2009 after my late father, two sons and I played a round of dominos, I dreamed of building this project for over a decade. Between its innate mathematical order and geometries found in nature, its pure lines and proportions that evoke growth, progress and freedom, it had all the bearings of an icon anyone could remember and draw on a paper napkin. All it lacked was the right visionary investor and site to make it come true,” said founder and design director of xCassia, Jean-Paul Cassia.

The build is said to take four years to complete from commencement.

(h/t) designboom.com.

Looking for more architectural inspiration? Take a look at SAOTA’s La Reserve concept design which has been shortlisted for WAF 2021 Award.

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Bold Contemporary Johannesburg Home https://visi.co.za/contemporary-johannesburg-home/ Sun, 27 Jun 2021 06:00:00 +0000 https://visi.co.za/?p=584599 At the top of a leafy street sits a remarkably fresh and bold contemporary home, untamed and unburdened by a need to colour within the lines.

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WORDS Nkuli Nhleko PRODUCTION Annemarie Meinjtes IMAGES Dook


At the top of a leafy street sits a remarkably fresh and bold contemporary home, untamed and unburdened by a need to colour within the lines.

Arrive at this house for the first time, and it is difficult not to have your curiosity piqued by the monolithic façade of clay brick pavers set behind a pink right-angled triangle. Bold and unapologetic of its avant-garde grandeur, it provides an inkling of an entrance. “We’ve nicknamed this house the ‘shape-sorter house’,” says architect Gregory Katz. “Our conceptual journey began with the idea of a cube as an envelope.” Behind this elaborate geometric structure sits an unassuming constricted stretch of entryway leading to an understated front door. Step through it and you’re welcomed into a bright, spacious and airy home flooded with natural light.

Gregory describes the play of light created by the asymmetric windows as the gift that keeps on giving. The space is open and barrier-free, with each area flowing seamlessly into the next. Natural light sweeps through two stately half-moon cutouts on the ground floor. These wide half-cylinder openings frame views of the entire garden, breaking the barrier between indoors and outdoors. Much like the assertive façade, the interior boasts its own kind of confidence. It is a consciously eclectic mix of brightly coloured shapes, with a clean and minimalist aesthetic that serves as a canvas to showcase the homeowners’ green thumb and quirky art collection.

“The house has Bauhaus features but is more post-modernist in character, emulating an unconventional, less serious, more playful standpoint on design principles,” says Gregory. All of the spaces meet in unison at the bottom of a diamond-shaped double-volume skylight that ties the upper and lower levels together. An impressive collection of hanging plants soaks up the sunlight above the balustrade, peering down to the lower level.

bold contemporary home
There is a consistency in the inconsistent positioning and scale of the window openings.

Climb the staircase clad in forest-green PVC floor mats, and you’re met by an eccentric, oversized, luminous-pink security gate. Every inch of this home is given its moment in the sun, with all the door frames painted an exquisite pastel pink, the column a gleaming luminous yellow, and the double-height void a jewel-tone teal. The colour scheme serves to affirm Gregory’s passion for experimentation. “The bedrock of my design philosophy is to explore materiality and deploy materials in unexpected and uncommon ways,” he says. “We strive to move away from generic design.”

Set in a glass box and slightly elevated from the bedroom, the master bathroom is as much a statement as the rest of the house. A mix of emerald-green and white tiles clads most of the wet area, accented by sleek matte-black mixers and paired with an opulent brass-plated basin that gives the bathroom an air of glamour and luxury.

“The success of the house was largely due to our open-minded and creative client’s willingness to experiment,” says Gregory. And you certainly get a strong sense that the home is a shared vision between the designer and the client’s lifestyle, resulting in a brave and bold collaboration.

See more projects by Gregory Katz at gregorykatz.co.za.

Looking for more architectural inspiration? Looking for more architectural inspiration? Sign up to our weekly newsletter, here, or take a look at the Uxolo Apartments in Cape Town.

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Plettenberg Bay Home https://visi.co.za/plettenberg-bay-home/ Wed, 21 Apr 2021 06:00:00 +0000 https://visi.co.za/?p=595940 A rare find on the shores of Plett is transformed into a place of wonder with infinite views of sky and ocean.

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WORDS Adele de Lange IMAGES Dook PRODUCTION Annemarie Meintjes


A rare find on the shores of Plett is transformed into a place of wonder with infinite views of sky and ocean.

With breathtaking beaches, pristine nature reserves and adventure-packed amenities, it’s no surprise that Plettenberg Bay is one of the most popular holiday destinations in the country. And it’s where architects Johan Wentzel and Grete van As of W Design Architecture Studio set out to create a private haven of tranquillity for their clients – a place where the natural beauty of the bay would be an undeniable focal point throughout the house.

“For us, architecture is not about the physical building; it’s about the spirit that creates the space,” Johan explains. “The building is just a sheltered platform from which you experience the world – space and place should be perceived by the spirit.” With direct beach access and views stretching across the bay and towards Robberg Nature Reserve for as far as the eye can see, the site is a gem. “We designed the house with absolute focus on the natural world outside – the ocean, the waves, Robberg, the bay, the wind and the limitless sky,” Johan says.

These key design features are evident the minute you enter the sheltered inner courtyard through a dramatic steel door. “It’s like crossing a portal into another world,” Grete explains. A dense canopy of water pear trees casts dappled sunlight over the courtyard and walkway that leads to the main living area, where floor-to-ceiling glazed doors slide away to let the endless sights and sounds of ocean and sky envelop your senses.

READ MORE: A Marine-Meets-Modern Beach House in Yzerfontein

The beautifully crafted steel-and-wood stairwell both connects and separates various spaces vertically to give everyone exactly what they need: the teenagers, an area to bunk in downstairs, with quick access to the beach; communal spaces in the middle for shared family time; and the master suite tucked away upstairs for well-deserved quiet time.

Wrapping around the top floor, a semi-permeable aluminium screen creates privacy from the street while allowing natural light to filter into the house.

Outside, sleek aluminium cladding, smooth concrete and rugged face brick create a juxtaposition in texture and form that is carried through to within, turning into clever privacy screens that blur the edges between interior and exterior spaces. Inside, the off-shutter concrete, black face brick and natural white oak provide a subtle monochrome backdrop to the main feature of the house – the view. With impeccable attention to detail, both the construction elements and the architecture allow the wonder of the natural context to take centre stage. “We were thankful to local contractors SGB Construction and their team of artisans and sub-contractors for their dedication, patience and enthusiasm to get the details right,” Grete recalls.

READ MORE: Influencers: Grete van SA & Johan Wentzel

Interior designer Adéle van der Merwe ensured that the central design concept was carried through into the final touches. Furnishings in neutral tones complement the architectural style, with a subtle mixture of warm and intimate, playful and practical setting the tone as one room flows into the next.

“I take inspiration from my clients’ way of living, so the interiors become an intuitive reflection of their lifestyle,” she explains. With understated simplicity, the bold use of materials and textures in their natural form adds a splash of glamour to this easy-going family home, in which there’s infinite room to breathe, reset and deep-dive into the rich bounty of Mother Nature.

Looking for more architectural inspiration? Check out this house located in the tranquil beachfront village of Buffelsbaai.

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Jürgen Kieslich x Die argitekte and VIA TV https://visi.co.za/jurgen-kieslich-x-die-argitekte-and-via-tv/ Thu, 01 Apr 2021 06:00:59 +0000 https://visi.co.za/?p=595473 From BCom to BSc – African studies, archaeology and psychology – Jürgen Kieslich finally arrived at the architecture department. Here he shares more on how he uses his past learnings to create buildings that consider the earth and our connection to it.

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WORDS Celeste Jacobs


From BCom to BSc – African studies, archaeology and psychology – Jürgen Kieslich finally arrived at the architecture department. Here he shares more on how he uses his past learnings to create buildings that consider the earth and our connection to it.

What previous project are you particularly proud of and why

Off the top of my head, there’s Studios on Park in Stellenbosch, and Studio Vijf in particular, where we did 62 prefabricated, modular boarding rooms and stacked them on top of each other to get the building completed in four months. This was a remarkable achievement and we had an incredible team in Hodevco and Remey. It set a new tone for things to come in the area, you’ll notice a distinct difference in the buildings prior to 2013 and after 2014.

On a more humble scale, we took elements of this and prefabricated a house to achieve a faster and cheaper build in Woodstock. That was back in 2015, I think, and I recall it because I just recently went back there to take pictures and the clients had just sold the house, a remarkably quick sale!

jürgen kieslich

Can you tell us more about how you’re a part of the VIA TV series, Die argitekte, and what it is about?

I was handling the renovation with a small team for the most amazing clients, Izelle and her husband Charl, last year, and they had lots on their hands with COVID-19, work and life. They chose to leave things in my hands and we had the most amazingly fun time with the building and transformed it on a tight budget. Izelle was so impressed she asked the Thank You Kindly Bobby team to contact me.

They were the most remarkable crew and even though I’m not Afrikaans and nervous in front of a TV camera, they made it come together with a client’s house we did in Llandudno, where Etienne Hanekom and I collaborated on it.

What inspired you to become an architect?

While I was working, during my B Comm days and hating auditing, I realised I couldn’t wait to get back to renovating my first flat I’d bought. I’d work until late at night, building kitchens and tiling before heading home. The love of creating beautiful spaces made me realise I was doing the wrong thing.

Whose work influenced you or helped foster your love for architecture?

Probably the first architect I fell in love with was Charles Correa, particularly his Kanchanjunga Apartments in Mumbai India. The sections with double volume areas and balconies to die for made me want to do something like that. Also his Gandhi Memorial museum based on a traditional Indian village I found remarkable.

Later, after visiting an important University of Cape Town architect, Julian Elliot at his own house in Newlands, I knew without a doubt that that was the most beautiful residential building I’d ever seen until that point. A space so beautiful because it was so humble and generous beyond words. It got me hooked on residential architecture and I’m still there!

How would you describe your philosophy and approach to architecture?

We strive to create architecture that feels settled in its context, drawing inspiration from South Africa’s awe-invoking natural environments, her history, and her people.

Our aim is to design spaces that resonate with a sense of place through the considered use of materials, craftsmanship, and the dialogue between indoor and out. Often, the space left untouched is more important than the space occupied. Honest simplicity harmonising the site, its occupants and the Earth is what makes magic happen.

Embracing a minimalist philosophy, we work with what’s cherished and let go of all that’s not. Consuming fewer resources and less space, we tread more lightly on the Earth. Letting go of the unnecessary provides time and energy for the things that are important and loved, and allows for something new to emerge. Embedded in this letting go are values of humbleness, honesty and humility – that there is such a thing as enough – all of which are important ethical principles that take work and courage.

These principles are often sorely missing in our modern world of consumption which mostly measures happiness and success by what a person can buy.

As cities and life get more frenetic, we need to remember our connection to the earth, to landscape-time, to the rising and setting sun.

What drives you to continue working in the field?

A desire to do what little good I can with each home and client that comes my way.

Has it changed what inspired you to start?

Yes, it has changed, initially I’d put every green gadget known to man to make the building “responsible” but with time I’m realising things like flexibility of the plan, keeping things simple and using humble materials sparingly is much more satisfying and productive.

What are you looking forward to next?

Etienne and I are working on a secret project that’s keeping us both very busy. Hopefully, come winter we can tell you more! Working on our own house is super exciting and a new project is due to start in Woodstock, that promises to be a delightful puzzle to crack.

If you missed Die argitekte, you’re in luck and can still watch the repeat on VIA TV (channel 147) from Mondays to Thursday at 16:30.

Love this series? Check out our interview with Jane Visser who also features on Die argitekte.

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Salvazione School by Local Studio https://visi.co.za/salvazione-school-by-local-studio/ Fri, 08 Jan 2021 06:00:39 +0000 https://visi.co.za/?p=593734 Architecture firm Local Studio’s pioneering approach to redeveloping downtown Joburg has come to the historic suburb of Mayfair, with a striking school designed for a close-knit community.

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WORDS Garreth van Niekerk IMAGES Dave Southwood


Architecture firm Local Studio’s pioneering approach to redeveloping downtown Joburg has come to the historic suburb of Mayfair, with a striking school designed for a close-knit community.

The historic suburb of Mayfair, west of the Johannesburg CBD, has recently become home to a beautifully designed educational sanctuary for the children of Slovo Park, the suburb’s embattled informal settlement.

The area is known for high levels of crime and poor basic services, so the Salvazione School – designed by pioneering inner-city architects Local Studio – is a ray of light for the community, and a visual burst of much-needed colour and fun.

Salvazione School by Local Studio
The yellow slide is the building’s most attention-grabbing feature.

The project is not terribly concerned with a strategy of connecting new architecture to the rest of the suburb’s heritage-grade buildings. Rather, Salvazione School’s double-storey structure, double-vaulted zinc roofs and colourful, Mondrian-esque façade demand Mayfair’s attention. This way of working is part of Local Studio’s approach to creating architectural solutions in neglected areas: the strategy is to make a bold statement that “announces” to a place that change is on the horizon.

READ MORE: Thabo Mbeki Presidential Library

“The school had to be noticed to be taken seriously,” says Local Studio founder Thomas Chapman. “We set out to create something striking to support the programme, and to make it known that there is something going on here, among these typically unkind environments. We believe the projects should stand out in these sorts of areas. Essentially, the building is four main classrooms and ablutions, so it really could’ve been something quite boring. But we wanted the area to know that something good was coming.”

The building’s striking features are quickly outdone by its most attention-grabbing element: a sunshine-yellow slide that emerges from its upper level, on which you can slide straight down into the schoolyard. And the focus on play continues on the rear façade, which has been turned into a climbing wall for break-time fun. “We wanted to create a magical place for kids, for whom this could become an escape,” says Thomas.

READ MORE: Sustainable Architecture: Green School South Africa

The project came about through the philanthropic outreach of the Italtile and Ceramic Foundation, which, Thomas says, has been working across the country to uplift communities. “We do a lot of work for CTM and Italtile – big building-supplies companies that have an amazing foundation that donates millions a year to recreational and educational projects in rural areas.”

Rural projects are quickly becoming part of Local Studio’s language too. Despite being celebrated around the globe for their remarkable interventions in the fabric of downtown Joburg – such as the game-changing Hillbrow Counselling Centre – the firm is extending the philosophies applied in their urban developments to the rest of the country. Today, more than a third of Local Studio’s work is rolling out in rural environments – and it’s also become the focus of Thomas’s academic work.

“We had been hired to look at these projects because of our urban experience,” Thomas says. “Now we are focusing on the craft of architecture again, with clients who are giving us free rein, so we are beginning to apply principles that we would use in low-cost housing, to more high-budget projects. The work has been informing my PhD, in which I’m exploring new ways of defining public spaces by looking at models from rural areas.”

As can be seen in Mayfair’s Salvazione School, this is the start of a new era for the Local Studio group, as well as for the communities they work with, as they aim to forge humane local architecture that puts people first.


To see more of Local Studio’s work, visit localstudio.co.za.

Looking for more architectural inspiration? Sign up to our weekly newsletter, here.

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Thabo Mbeki Presidential Library by Adjaye Associates https://visi.co.za/thabo-mbeki-presidential-library-by-adjaye-associates/ Thu, 26 Nov 2020 06:00:26 +0000 https://visi.co.za/?p=592770 Designed by Adjaye Associates, the Thabo Mbeki Presidential Library in Riviera, Johannesburg is a space that aims to preserve and distribute African knowledge and history.

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WORDS Cheri Morris IMAGES AND VIDEO courtesy of Adjaye Associates


Designed by Adjaye Associates, the Thabo Mbeki Presidential Library in Riviera, Johannesburg is a space that aims to preserve and distribute African knowledge and history.

The architecture is inspired by granary structures, which traditionally allow for the systematisation of feeding, planting and harvesting cycles. According to Adjaye Associates, the design concept is “a metaphor for knowledge-based nourishment”.

Not only will the Thabo Mbeki Presidential Library exist to preserve and distribute African history and intellect, but also to make visible the knowledge of ancient and contemporary Africa through both form and programme.

“The architecture of the Library taps into the collective memory of the continent through the establishment of a new historical centre for African consciousness in which knowledge, education and sustenance are nurtured in the representation and intelligence of the continent,” says Sir David Adjaye OBE, Founder and Principal at Adjaye Associates.

The 5 400m² multifunctional space will host a museum, temporary exhibition space, research centre, auditorium, women’s empowerment centre, reading room, digital experience space and an archive centre.

The granary stores guided the overall building concept, with Adjaye Associates using architecture as a tool to reimagine storage and sustenance. The centre is made up of eight cylindrical forms, each of which feature domes with apertures that let light in, create a particular ambience for each of the spaces within.

Inside, the chambers are connected by a horizontal “indoor den” that runs the entire length of the building. Apart from making use of rooftop solar panels and geothermal heating, the project also made use of locally sourced compressed mud and timber, and local stone terrazzo flooring, which sees the overall carbon footprint of the building reduced.

Construction on the project is set to begin during the course of 2021. MMA Design Studio will be the local architecture firm working on the project.

See more projects by Adjaye Associates here and read VISI’s interview with Sir David Adjaye, here.

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Italian Country Home by Simone Subissati Architects https://visi.co.za/border-crossing-house-by-simone-subissati-architects/ Mon, 16 Nov 2020 06:00:06 +0000 https://visi.co.za/?p=592427 Border Crossing House by Simone Subissati Architects is a private residence that brings together the orthography of traditional constructions and experimentations of the Italian radical avant-garde.

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WORDS Cheri Morris PHOTOS Alessandro Magi Galluzzi SHORT FILM Federica Biondi


Simone Subissati Architects is behind the design of Border Crossing House, a private residence perched on the hills in Italy’s Marche region, dividing city and countryside.

The design of the home, located in Polverigi, Ancona, is inspired by the surrounding environment, taking cues from the landscape. Fenceless and boundary-breaking, the home features a variety of entry-exit points, each different in shape and function, with private living spaces appearing as one with the hilly surrounds.

Simone Subissati Architects

The main body of the building is constructed with iron and painted with an anti-rust primer. While the ground floor is dedicated to the living area, the bedrooms are located on the upper floor, where, instead of simple windows, visual devices called “diaphragms” make for further connection to the undulating scenes beyond.

READ MORE: Italian Holiday Home

“I imagined a space that would feel as if it was inherited,” says Simone. “I wanted it to be the least opulent it could be: it is meant to feel as if it had always been there… So essential that you can almost think of it as a temporary place, as if it were an outdoor park. A light, flexible space that, as if it was there already, could now be reclaimed.”

Rustico, a poetic short film by Federica Biondi, explores the home’s unique luxury; a visual storytelling of architecture driven by conceptual perspective and the search for uninhibited space.


To see more of Simone Subissati’s projects, visit simonesubissati.it.

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West Coast Fossil Park https://visi.co.za/west-coast-fossil-park/ Thu, 12 Nov 2020 06:00:24 +0000 https://visi.co.za/?p=592403 At the West Coast Fossil Park outside Cape Town, architect Jo Noero has used the past to design a future we can share with the natural world.

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WORDS AND IMAGES Paris Brummer


At the West Coast Fossil Park outside Cape Town, architect Jo Noero has used the past to design a future we can share with the natural world.

As an architectural photographer, I always appreciate a project that encourages a symbiotic relationship between a built structure and its surrounding environment. This oscillation between permanence and impermanence reaffirms my belief that we can sustain a world shared with nature. And the West Coast Fossil Park is just such a project.

About an hour and a half from Cape Town lies a rich fossil site, world renowned for its exceptionally well-preserved fossil faunal remains, which date back 5.2 million years. The park was created after phosphate mining in the area unearthed fossil deposits including the likes of saber-toothed cats, short-necked giraffes and African bears – all of which roamed the then lush, subtropical West Coast.

West Coast Fossil Park
The exhibition amphitheatre exterior, dug into the earth to complement the sloping landscape.

Tasked with creating a structure that encompassed the temporality of the natural environment and celebrated the discoveries of a changing world, renowned South African architect Jo Noero and his practice used this duality to form the basis for their design. Complementing the sloping geological landscape, the buildings have been dug into the earth while extending out beyond the line of the slope and facing outwards onto the dig sites to the west.

Through their layered design, the buildings echo the action of “cutting” into the site analogous with mining operations. The vision is that over time, the buildings will form a part of the physical site so that its placement will blur the sharp distinction between building and landscape.

The architecture also celebrates the use of natural light, free-flowing forms and natural earthy tones. The additions made to the park include an interactive educational centre, exhibition amphitheatre, restaurant and courtyard. A notable feature includes the large, thick wall – which also acts as seating – that outlines the full length of the walkway. The wall gives a nod to the estuarial history of the site, as the fossil bed area would have once been filled with water. Noero notes: “This presence of absence is very important in sites such as this one, as the past is so palpably present that one needs to make markers that try to remember it.”

West Coast Fossil Park
The exhibition amphitheatre and atrium with current exhibition designed and curated by Jo-Anne Duggan.

Also worth taking note of is the park’s winding entranceway, which memorialises an important stretch of stratigraphy damaged during past mining operations. The “bend” in its design both acknowledges this and implies a preferred route when entering the courtyard. The space offers a “pause” to visitors, who can rest here before continuing on to their journey through the park. The architecture gently guides you from the top of the site down through the exhibition amphitheatre – its atrium bathed in ambient light – and ending at the fossil dig sites. Recently nominated as one of the V&A Waterfront’s 100 Beautiful Things, the Fossil Park’s mix of built and natural environments makes it a wonderful educational, architectural and tourist destination for both children and adults alike.

For more information, visit fossilpark.org.za.

Looking for more architectural or travel inspiration? Take a look at the Ashia Cheetah Sanctuary.

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