Architect and Builder December 2019 | Page 63

views can be enjoyed of Table Mountain, Signal Hill, Greenpoint and Cape Town’s CBD. One of the biggest challenges from the outset was the underpinning of the existing 5-storey building, which was a significant and ingenious structural undertaking by Aurecon. While the building was underpinned, excavation of the basement and demolition of the internals on the existing floors took place. Concurrently the construction of four new floors commenced on top of the existing structure. The Docklands Cohesive Aesthetic The aesthetic and character of the building was designed with the broader context in mind and to respond accordingly with a building that enhances the character of the area and not to detract from it. The use of similar materials and colours of neighbouring buildings created a sensitive response that formed a cohesion within the surrounding urban fabric, much in the same way that it is believed the residents will become an integral part of the neighbourhood. 63