South Africa’s most awarded interior architect, Tristan Du Plessis, and Grammy-award-winning DJ Black Coffee have bagged Best Suite at this year’s AHEAD MEA Awards for their collaboration on the penthouse suite at Hallmark House, Johannesburg.

Tristan’s core commitment to multidisciplinary collaboration and Black Coffee’s desire to apply his creativity to unexplored mediums saw Hallmark House’s crown jewel a fertile site for the birth of the creative duo.

“Stretching myself creatively in a different sphere was an amazing challenge, and co-creating with Tristan was an incredible first foray into the world of design. With the suite as a tangible manifestation of the South African dream realised, I couldn’t be prouder that we have won this award. It reiterates my belief that all dreams are possible for the African child,” says Black Coffee.

READ MORE: Working The Room: Tristan Du Plessis

The result? A music-inspired, two-bedroom penthouse complete with marble-ensconced CDJs, art in unexpected applications and a myriad of textures, including hand-picked viola marble, charred solid wood panels and slick gold. Bespoke hand-crafted furniture by the best local and international designers is emboldened by artwork from Nelson Makomo, flooring by MOOOI x African ginger and custom soft furnishings by designer MaXhosa. It is truly a liveable exhibition of South African talent and creativity. It’s also got a gym, cinema room and two open-plan living spaces.

Considering their competition – LUX* Grand Baie Resort & Residences, Mango House Seychelles and The Dubai Edition, UAE, to name a few – the award is especially confirming of the champion design hub existing and growing at home:

“Collaborating with Nathi on this suite was an amazing experience and we went into it with the intention of celebrating South African creativity. So this award is an amazing validation of the immense talent of the creatives we worked with to bring the suite to life and, it goes far beyond what we expected from this collaboration. We are immensely grateful to be recognised on a global stage and to be in good company,” says Tristan.

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Renowned architect Sir David Adjaye takes VISI through the design thinking behind Hallmark House, his first major project in Southern Africa.

Ghanaian-British architect Sir David Adjaye is the designer behind some of the world’s most iconic buildings, including the much-talked about $540 million Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture in Washington, DC, the biggest project undertaken by Adjaye Associates thus far.

What has us really excited, however, is his current project in Johannesburg. Situated in Maboneng, Hallmark House (which we recently featured here) is being redeveloped into a luxurious residential building and retail space. We caught up with the acclaimed architect to talk about the building’s design, architecture in South Africa, and the importance of sustainability.

How do you feel the design of this building works in a South African context?
Johannesburg is a city born of incredible division, and its architecture reflects that. But it is also a city undergoing massive change, and very vibrant creative and artistic communities are emerging in the inner city; the city is reinventing itself for the 21st century. This project is very much part of the plan to create urban infrastructure that reflects and supports that. I saw this as a transformative opportunity to combine an African aesthetic with a contemporary vision, and also to show that the relics of the old mode of the city had the capacity to adapt and to change. It was very important to me to show that this building could address changing lifestyles, and take a more fluid approach to the way we inhabit cities. The building has a long history, having been used in the 1970s as a diamond polishing facility.

How have you incorporated the original structure into the new design?
Hallmark House is one of the signature icons of the industrial heritage of Johannesburg; it really reflects a belief in modernity to
create light-filled industrial spaces. It has this incredibly versatile structure that we wanted to reveal, not disguise. So the raw structure, which we’ve sandblasted and cleaned, is exposed throughout the building, in the living spaces as well as the retail spaces. Paired with the newer, smooth finishes, the frame gives a distinct experience of the layers of history contained in this building.

How does sustainability play a role in the design?
My approach here has very much been one of responsiveness, so the project engages the local climate in an organic way, using passive strategies. For instance, the brisesoleil, a key new feature of the facade, mitigates heat gain. We’ve also stepped the facade back, creating new balconies and allowing for natural cross-ventilation.

What do you admire about architecture in South Africa?
Most cities have division, but it’s implied. South Africa, sadly, is one of the few countries in the world that has a specific spatial architecture that is born from division. To undo that division requires a radical change in the operating mode from which you see the city. You have to be prepared to create new overlaps that do not make immediate visual sense, but actually make sense as an integration project. I admire that there has been a real concerted effort to refocus with architecture in the country. The laissez-faire default position is to accept certain status quos and picturesque views, because that is a comfortable position. South Africa, more than anywhere else, has had to challenge these positions because it really needs to invent new practices to overcome its history. If it doesn’t, that paralysis will persist. You may create laws, but architecture is the ultimate arbiter of our psyche.

Don’t forget to read our Q&A with Sir David, where he also discusses other Adjaye Associates projects, such as the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture. You can also explore the interiors of Hallmark House here.

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The collaboration between urban developer Jonathan Liebmann of Propertuity and celebrated architect Sir David Adjaye of Adjaye Associates is setting new standards for modern city living in Joburg.

The 1970s building, located in Joburg’s urban regeneration epicentre, Maboneng, has been transformed into a modern mixed-use residential and hotel development with Propertuity driving the development, Adjaye Associates behind the architecture and Aimee Henning of Malica Design designing the interiors.

Propertuity explained the vision, which aligned with David’s interest in context and history: to integrate retail, lifestyle, architecture and design into mixed-use spaces that celebrate art and urbanism, while combining residential and hotel living seamlessly with leisure and business spaces.

“I saw this project as an opportunity to help transform the city and move it beyond the incredible division that too often characterises it, as well as an opportunity to combine an African aesthetic with a contemporary vision,’ says Sir David. “It was very important to me to show that this building could address changing lifestyles. It was about taking one building and rehabilitating it, transforming it into an urban community that can truly address the changing, fluid nature of city life.”

As the building’s 66 m-high silhouette is one of the icons of Joburg’s industrial heritage, David felt strongly that he wanted to “reveal, not disguise its raw structure”. So this was sandblasted, cleaned and exposed as a feature throughout. Over time the planter boxes that wrap around the building’s perimeter on each floor, will form a vertical garden, adding much-needed greenery to the city. The private terraces also connect residents, or guests, with each other – the wooden gates between each terrace can be left open to encourage neighbourliness and interaction.

The 46 hotel rooms occupy floors four and five, while floors six to 15 are residential apartments ranging from 30 to 600 square metres in size. The interior’s attention to detail and focus on local design offers layered, sophisticated and inviting spaces. A rotating exhibition will be on display, curated by Hazard Gallery, as well as Nirox Art Foundation’s permanent collection.

Social areas serve both the building’s residents and guests. On the rooftop there’s a bar, dipping pool, restaurant, spa and gym; on the ground floor, a jazz bar and speakeasy for evening entertainment. A restaurant, coffee shop, conferencing facilities and serviced offices complete the well-rounded offering.

For more information, visit propertuity.co.za.

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A 1970s building known as Hallmark House in Joburg’s Maboneng precinct is being transformed by architect David Adjaye into a luxury hotel and apartment block, complete with plant-covered balconies.

Adjaye Associates believe that the modular building makes it a perfect candidate for a redesign and transformation into a residential space. Once used as a diamond polishing facility, this 66m-high building will soon boast trees on every floor, a hotel, shops, housing and community facilities.

The aim behind the project is to “combine an African aesthetic with a contemporary vision,” says Adjaye. Plans are set for the building to be completed in May 2016.

For more information, visit adjaye.com.

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