The existing parking floors of the Media Quarter were removed to make way for the new building and as a result the architects needed to accommodate parking for both the residential units as well as the offices in the Media Quarter building .
The client brief was to provide as many studios and 1-bedroom units as possible , with 2-bedroom units for the desirable corner units . Penthouses were requested for the top floor at a higher spec with larger and superior outdoor spaces .
Design Concept The zoning scheme allowed for 100 % coverage of the site up to 10m in height . From 10 to 25m in height the building needed to be offset by 5m from the erf boundary . Due to the steep incline of the site the architects were able to introduce two heights creating a natural location for the 8th floor penthouses which each have panoramic views of the Cape Town skyline from the individual roof decks .
The depth of the site did not allow for a courtyard concept , meaning the residential units would be placed back-to-back to a central passage with daylight entry into the units from the outward facing façades only . It was important to still create natural light into the core of the building which was achieved by adding one large and one small
42 The Quarter