Architect and Builder Nov 2021 | Page 16

PROJECTWATCH

PROPOSED , CURRENT AND FUTURE PROJECTS FROM SOUTH AFRICA AND ABROAD
PROJECTVIEW
THE MARLO , ATLANTIC SEABOARD
A new luxury residential development is currently under construction on Cape Town ’ s Atlantic Seaboard . The site was once an English battery and tunnel system designed to house troops and part of Cape Town ’ s fortified military defence system on the slopes of Signal Hill . The Sea Point battery was a large coastal defence emplacement built during the Anglo-Russian war ( 1889 ) in response to a need to fortify the colonies . By 1922 the battery was considered redundant and sold off by the Department of Defence . New life has now been breathed into this forgotten historical relic , and The Marlo is a fusion of history and modern living , with the contemporary building incorporating the historic battery cellar beneath it . The cellar , featuring original brick walls and vaulted ceilings that once housed troop bunkers , is now the Marlo ’ s Residence Club and features a board room , workstations , a wine cellar , and private gym . Designed by Gordon Hart Architects , The Marlo is a four-storey boutique development situated between High Level Road and Ocean View Drive in Battery Crescent , on what is one of the last possible prime building sites on the Atlantic Seaboard . Featuring only 20 premium apartments that range in size from 33m 2 studios to one , two and three bedroom apartments - with the largest boasting a 432m 2 footprint .
GODS WINDOW SKYWALK , MPUMALANGA
The project fosters regional tourism for the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency located at God ’ s Window , a popular panoramic viewing site which sits elevated on the Drakensberg escarpment within the Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve , along the Panorama Tourist Route .
Boogertman + Partners and Zutari formed part of the Motsamayi , ( part of the Thebe Tourism Group ) professional team and were the eventual winners of the Gods Window Skywalk RFP facilitated by the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Authority .
Design workshops were facilitated to elicit ideas on possible income generating opportunities that would be of maximum benefit to the communities . Both these and alternate architectural responses to them were then shared with the four communities for input , approval and buy-in . These then formed the basis of the RFP Submission .
The design of the site is based on seven lenses identified in workshops by the professional team as essential touchstones to make the project more desirable , visible and feasible :
• Circular economy
• Community inclusivity
• Connection & mobility
• Storytelling as a design concept
• Environment & ecology principles
• Catering for ‘ Future Tourists ’
• A sustainable business & operational model The unique experience of journeying through the site and taking in the views brings a sense of peace that has a subliminal undertone . Historical findings tell stories of a heritage of indigenous inhabitants that once lived with the land and found rest , meditation , and expression here and the surrounding Blyde River Canyon Reserve . These undertones are intended to be revealed and retained through three principles that strive to :
16 Project Watch