PROJECTWATCH
PROPOSED, CURRENT AND FUTURE PROJECTS FROM SOUTH AFRICA AND ABROAD
ROSEBANK FIRESTATION
PROJECTVIEW
THE SILO HOTEL
In
2013,
the
V&A
Waterfront
announced its R500 million philanthropic
undertaking
in
the
conversion of the historic Grain
Silo
complex
Museum
of
into
the
Zeitz
Contemporary
Art
Africa. More than a year into the
ambitious redevelopment of this
heritage landmark, an exclusive
5,500m2, 28-key hotel, managed
and
operated
by
The
Royal
Portfolio, has been announced.
The Silo is an exclusive hotel in all
aspects,
including
its
special
location atop the Museum with
360º mountain and sea views.
Renowned
industrial
designer
Thomas Heatherwick of Heatherwick
Studio,
London,
is
the
architect for the reimagining of the
Grain Silo complex, which combines both the museum and the
hotel above it.
From the outside, the greatest
visible change to the Grain Silo’s
monumental structure will be the
addition of pillowed glazing panels,
inserted into the existing geometry
of the upper floors, which will
bulge outward as if gently inflated.
The new Rosebank Firestation development will provide 8,000m² of sectional
title offices at this well positioned site, just
three hundred metres away from the
Rosebank Gautrain station. The new offices
sensitively float behind the old fire station
building and are set back from the street
to celebrate the prominence of the existing
art deco building. The terracing offices are
broken up into 2 storey blocks, the same
height as the old building and a modest
acknowledgement of its scale. Plaster
bands in the old brickwork are echoed in a
thickening of the floor slabs of the new
building and the horizontality of the art deco
style is carried through in the uninterrupted
lines of the new design.
In developing the central concept, the
architects investigated the transformative
effects that a fire has on building materials,
both in colour and textural contrast. The
dramatic black, red and yellow colours used
in accent areas of the interior heighten the
awareness of the new office building’s
relationship with its historical neighbour.
Externally, the building elements of the
façades appear as planes of black coal - a
stark effect that is interrupted by shards
of glowing light and colour peeking through
like embers shining through cracks in a
burning coal. Strong (massive) elements
are in contrast with the delicate glass
façades and floating office floors. The new
building serves to enhance and celebrate
the nostalgic memory of the historical fire
station but also creates a vibrant,
contemporary and unique landmark
building. www.firestation.co.za
Client: ARC Properties
Architect: ARC Architects
Heritage Architect: HP Architects
Quantity Surveyor:
Bain & Heyns Quantity Surveyors
Engineer: Gerrard Consulting
Mechanical Engineer:
C3 Climate Control Consulting Engineers
Electrical Engineer: One Zero
Completion: Expected End of 2016
By night, this will transform the
building into a glowing lantern or
beacon in the harbour.
Suite sizes range from Luxury
Suites at 41m2 with full height 5.5m
glazing to the 120m2 double storey
Family Suites, the 132m2 Royal
Suites and the Penthouse which
extends up to 211m2.
14
Project Watch