Harmonising the best of both worlds – transforming an old grain silo into a new hotel – is an amazing project just a short distance from Cape Town’ s V & A Waterfront.

Aptly named the Silo Hotel is located in the grain elevator portion of the building from where grain was once lifted.

“ It occupies six floors and is a two-part structure made up of the elevator tower and the actual storage silos,” says Gyproc’ s regional technical and specifications manager, Janet Thompson.

Historically, the grain silo building was the tallest building in sub-Saharan Africa measuring 57m when it was opened in 1924 and decommissioned in 2001. The 5 500m 2 structure required careful building renovations to retain its cultural significance and original features.“ The project was as much deconstruction as it was construction, because parts of its original structure were chipped away to reveal new spaces,” Thompson shares.

To support the structure and retain its character, developers sought light-weight yet high-strength walls and ceiling material that have visual appeal while adding practical value.

“ The main considerations were acoustics, aesthetics and moisture and fire requirements,” Thompson elaborates. To this effect 15 different types of plasterboard systems were specified, based on their sustainability, acoustic, fire rating and thermal properties.

“ These components are necessary in a luxury establishment like Silo Hotel, where privacy within rooms, safety and comfort of guests, aesthetic appeal and reduced maintenance become important considerations. Gyproc Rigitone and Isover Energylite is installed in the spa ceiling as well as in the Library and private restaurant areas,” she says. For the hotel room ceilings, they used a Gyproc Rhinoboard. The ceiling was skimmed with Cretestone and triple bulkheads were installed.

The rooftop comprises a bar, restaurant and pool with 360 ° views of Cape Town, Table Mountain, along with views of Greenpoint Stadium, Robben Island, V & A Waterfront and Cape Town harbour.

Ceiling the deal

Revealing new spaces while maintaining the structure presented different challenges that Gyproc was able to overcome.

“ A heritage site and a building of this magnitude is accompanied by some engineering and construction challenges,” she explains. Owing to the unique architecture of the hotel, the rooms are more spacious vertically than horizontally.“ Working at height with skimming Gyproc Cretestone and installing triple bulkheads proved labour intensive and demanding, however an outstanding result was achieved. The contractor, Scheltema worked at a height of up to five metres. This resulted in slower installation and significant safety considerations when erecting scaffolding and ensuring the use of safety harnesses.

“ All the hotel walls and ceilings are skimmed with Gyproc’ s, Cretestone which was sealed creating an individually phenomenal appearance,” Thompson says. The team also found the installation of triple stepped ceiling bulkheads throughout the suites and bulkheads around the air conditioning demanding.“ Frequent discussions were held with myself, Scheltema and the architects throughout the process to optimise each design phase,” she adds.

For acoustic comfort, Gyproc Acoustic Rigitone plasterboard was expertly installed by Scheltema in the ceilings of the study, library and private restaurant allowing for quiet discretion on the sixth-floor mezzanine level.

In addition, for thermal comfort Isover EnergyLite Acoustic Insulation was installed in the ceiling.“ On this sixth floor, a hidden 60-minute fire rated ceiling was required using Gyproc FireStop Boards, installed above the Rigitone and 200mm of Isover Energylite as exceptional acoustic ratings were required. Scheltema exceeded the 63bD rating required. This level of complexity made for an arduous nonetheless exceptional installation,” she explains.

“ Scheltema together with Gyproc through our technical site support rose to the occasion throughout all the challenges delivering a quality installation, on time and within budget,” Thompson beams.

The Silo Hotel

To successfully finish off the project, Thompson believes that a combination of eclectic and contemporary interior features is balanced by the stark industrial style of the architecture with aspects of classic glamour where required.

“ There were no standard room details as the rooms are individually furnished by the hotel operator from Royal Portfolio, Liz Biden, so all rooms are bespoke.” The hotel has 25 individually decorated rooms made up of two royal suites, one penthouse, seven deluxe superior suites, four family suites, six superior suites, one luxury room and four silo rooms.

According to the developer, Mark Noble, installing the right materials contributed hugely towards the outcome of transforming the old silo building into a sustainable architectural and artistic glory.“ The result is an interior space that’ s safe and comfortable, meeting the complex installation requirements while remaining structurally sound and aesthetically beautiful,” Noble concludes.

JUNE 2018 13

SA Roofing June 2018 // Issue 101 | Page 15

Harmonising the best of both worlds – transforming an old grain silo into a new hotel – is an amazing project just a short distance from Cape Town’ s V & A Waterfront.