THE BARRACKS , CAPE TOWN CBD
The Lutheran Church Block in Cape Town is one of the oldest and best preserved city blocks in the country . The challenge of allowing the city to evolve and respond to the demands of modern times , coupled with the desire to conserve heritage and preserve ties to our past is what makes this project most interesting . At the start of the 21st century , Augoustides brothers Mike and Casey negotiated to buy the sections of the subdivided property from the various different owners . It was a lengthy process of almost a decade to consolidate all the pieces back into the single portion left by Martin Melck to his daughter in 1781 . At this point , however , much of the original eighteenth century warehouse had been gradually eroded by innumerable ad hoc alterations over time . It looked quite different to the original warehouse that was built by Melck , originally used to store grain and wine , and soon after used as a Military Depot and Barracks .
Mike and Casey wanted to develop the property for commercial purposes and realising that it was a very special building , approached Gabriel Fagan Architects and Steve Townsend for guidance – both provided a wealth of much needed knowledge and expertise . Gawie Fagan a highly respected heritage specialist architect was the pro bono architect for the Lutheran Church for many years and was passionate about the conservation of this block . Visual Impact Assessments and Heritage Impact Assessments were done , and one night he came up with a brilliant concept of how to allow old and new to co-exist successfully .
First on the list was to regain heritage significance by rehabilitating and restoring the historic warehouse , which through years of neglect and ad hoc alterations had been severely degraded . The exterior façades along Strand & Bree are being returned to their best known form by referencing an 1880 ’ s photograph from the Cape Archives of the view up Strand Street from the corner of Bree Street . For the interior , all modern interventions such as toilets , stair cases , partition walls etc are being removed from the original footprint of the warehouse , and relocated in the area of the old alleyway next to the Church property . All authentic heritage fabric is being retained ,
restored and showcased . The several new roofs built during the twentieth century over the historic building , have been removed and replaced with a new concrete slab covering the entire site to integrate the disparate parts of the building complex structurally and visually . The main entrance to the building is being created on Bree with an arcade slicing through the building to link up with the Church courtyard . All the fabric from this slice is being salvaged and used to re-instate a part previously demolished . The result is a considerable increase in and accessibility to the significance of the historic structure , long hidden from view .
Next was the impact of additions and how they could be accommodated . Taking into account line of site views , the development envelope was set back from Strand Street to preserve the signature views of the Lutheran Church and 18th century streetscape . The new modern structure is designed to float above the parapet line with a vertical separation so that there is no confusion between old and new . The visually ‘ light ’ glazing skin and sloping façade of the new component were chosen to accentuate the disconnection with the rectilinear form of the historic , visually ‘ heavy ’ masonry structure below . The result is an exciting experience of an 18th century block from the street with the modern component above blending in with the modern townscape .
The name of the project was chosen as ‘ The Barracks ’ in reference to its history of use as a military barracks , and the intended use of the new component for accommodation .
Sadly Gawie Fagan passed away in September , but his legacy will live on through this project and countless others which have all contributed positively to the Cape .
View up Strand Street 1800 ’ s
Church and surrounds
16 Project Watch