Architect and Builder June/July 2018 | Page 15

220 LOOP, CAPE TOWN Since 2000 there’s been an uninterrupted long-term trend of people moving back into the Cape Town city centre. Young developers, Warren Adler and Andre Krige of UrbanOn, cleverly identi- fied three commercial office floors in an otherwise residential block - right at the top of Bree Street, located in the new epicentre of Cape Town's young professional and creative scene. They approached Robert Silke & Partners as architects for the conversion. Robert Silke pioneered residential conversions in the Cape Town CBD, going back to Mutual Heights in 2002 - the transformation of Old Mutual's iconic Art Deco former head office in Darling Street into 178 elegant city centre apartments. "Great cities are places of chance encounter – where great ideas become great careers and businesses, where strangers become friends, and places where boys meet girls. What excites me about 220 Loop is that you have boutique retail, restaurants, bars and night clubs all within walking distance. You have A-grade national retail in the form of the Garden Centre and Lifestyles on Kloof. You have the choice of Cape Town CBD or Kloof Street CBD, and some of the city’s best restaurants, within walking Project Watch distance. There’s no need to even own a car. It’s probably one of the best residential locations in the city," enthuses Silke. UrbanOnBree comprises 45 one- bedroomed apartments and studios, finished in Scandinavian whites, charcoals and light oak, and is expected to be complete by the end of 2018. The vast majority of units are sold, with a handful of north-facing studios still available. Client: UrbanOn Architect: Robert Silke & Partners Quantity Surveyor: Smith&Co Project Manager: Africa Commercial Properties Structural Engineer: L+H Consulting Engineers Electrical Engineer: Mapule Mechanical Engineer: Airselect Wet Services: Benatar Consulting Fire Consultant: David Ronaasen XA Consultant: Heretoday Town Planner: D&S Planning Studio Interior Designer: Robert Silke & Partners Main Contractor: R+N 15