OVERALL HERITAGE: JOINT WINNER | REFURBISHMENTS: JOINT WINNER
Grain Silo, V&A Waterfront
The final design is a museum of nearly 10,000m 2
including 6,000m 2 of exhibition space that makes up
80 galleries dedicated to promoting contemporary
art from Africa. The structure also includes a rooftop
sculpture garden, education centre, conservation labs, a
bookshop, restaurant, and bar as well as the Silo Hotel.
Developer/Owner: V&A Waterfront
Project Manager: Mace Management Services
Lead Design Architect: Heatherwick Studio
Executive Architect: VDMMA
Hotel Fit Out Architect: Rick Brown Associates
Museum Fit Out Architect: Jacobs Parker
Quantity Surveyor: MLC Quantity Surveyors
Civil & Structural: Sutherland Engineers
Fire & Electrical: SolutionStation
Mechanical/Wet Services and Façade: Arup
Lift Consultant: Solutions for Elevating
Heritage Consultant:
Nicolas Baumann; David Worth
EMP Consultant: Ecosense
Health and Safety Consultant: Eco-Safety
Acoustic Consultant: SRL South Africa
Disability Consultant: Disability Solutions
Independent Commissioning Agent:
Matrix Consulting Services
Landscape Architect (Roof): Planning Partners
Land Surveyors: David Hellig & Abrahamse
Town Planner: Neil Schwartz Town Planning
Main Contractor: WBHO Construction
An integral part of the history of Cape Town’s
harbour, the once utilitarian Grain Silo has been
transformed into the showpiece of the V&A Waterfront’s
Silo District. The Grain Silo was the tallest building in
Sub- Saharan Africa upon completion in 1924. It was
decommissioned in 2001.
The Silo consisted of a number of buildings with two
main sections; the elevator tower - in which The Silo Hotel
is located - housed the mechanical bulk handling of grain.
The circular storage silos (the storage annex), now houses
the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary African Art.
After the Grain Silo was decommissioned, its owners,
the V&A Waterfront, approached London based architects,
Heatherwick Studio, to develop ideas for adapting the
Silo and its site.
Described as part deconstruction, part construction
and part archaeology - rather than resorting to wholesale
demolition and without completely destroying the
authenticity of the original building, Heatherwick Studio
developed a concept to make the building compelling from
the inside by carving out an atrium, like a vaulted cathedral,
to form the building’s heart.
The exterior of the building was altered with 2 major
changes. Firstly, the magnolia paint was stripped away
to reveal the original concrete of the silos, with all of the
character of the original construction techniques and
the particular patina created by years of weathering and
repairs. Secondly, the original windows were removed
and replaced with larger ‘pillowed’ multifaceted windows
on top of the silos.
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SAPOA Awards