DHK Architects - Special Report

SPECIAL REPORT>DHK ARCHITECTS

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At night, the 15 on Orange Hotel becomes a striking and contemporary architectural structure through the innovative use of lighting design.

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Ideally situated in Cape Town, the 15 on Orange Hotel has splendid views of Table Mountain in the background.

With hotels and universities being on opposite ends of

the architectural spectrum, it required dhk Architects to

approach the Taj Palace, 15 on Orange and the Life

Sciences Building with very different architectural

designs. Being active across the full range of architec-

ture, this practice has experience in the creation of new

buildings as well as the refurbishment and restoration

of existing structures. It has undertaken projects such as

hotels, public and institutional buildings, eco-sensitive

and sustainable buildings and educational develop-

ments, among others, making this practice the perfect

choice for these different projects.

“The three projects are so vastly different from each

another. They posed different challenges. The Taj Palace

is a seamless marriage of a new contemporary high

rise city building with two gorgeous heritage buildings

that had to be restored and refurbished and converted

into a luxury grand hotel. The owners of 15 on Orange

Hotel wanted to make an ‘off the wall’ hotel statement,

differentiating the establishment from all other hotels

in Cape Town and even throughout South Africa. This

hotel is a huge design statement. Finally, the Life

Sciences Building at the University of Western Cape

is an educational building and has its own challenges. It

has been designed and built to inspire individuals,

student communities and researchers. We are told

that it has been enthusiastically received by all. The

university wanted this building to place them on the

map and herald a new international acceptance,

symbolising excellence in education and research,”

says Derick Henstra, founder, dhk Architects.

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Profile and philosophy

This dynamic company, which competes success-

fully at the top level of the profession, provides the

highest standards of design and professionalism

throughout all phases of its service, from under-

standing the client’s brief through to delivering a com-

pleted building. For the partners at dhk Architects, it

involves adding value to their clients’ developments.

It’s about correctly interpreting the clients’ require-

ments and designing solutions that integrate these

requirements with the appropriate architectural re-

sponses. In addition, it entails incorporating inter-

national design influences, technical developments,

sustainability, economic realities and the interde-

pendence between architecture and the urban design

framework in which the buildings exist.

dhk Architects’ reputation for innovative, yet cost effi-

cient design, has grown into award winning and interna-

tional recognition. “Architecture is a most challenging

profession. It is so complex and so incredibly interesting.

There is never a dull moment. It is my passion and I

wouldn’t know what other profession I could do. As

most of the world’s great architects are over 70, it is a

profession that you go on practicing for ever. I started

in this business as I was headstrong and determined

to do my own thing,” says Henstra.

The old and the new – 15 on Orange Hotel

The vision of the client, New City Development (pty) Ltd,

for the 15 on Orange 5 star hotel was to create a striking,

iconic and contemporary architectural building. The

building had to become an urban marker, responding

sympathetically to its surrounding environment whilst

maintaining dignity in a sensitive historic context.

This 108 key African Pride flagship hotel, valued at

R250-million, is ideally situated at Orange Street, a

key and very visible spot in the Cape Town City. With

all the magnificent views that Cape Town has to offer,

this hotel has views across the Michaelis gardens,

Table Mountain, Lions Head, Signal Hill, Grays Pass and

the Upper City.

Built on the former Nederduits Gereformeerde Kerk

Synard Hall site, the hotel maintains key elements of

the façade of the previous apartheid era structure,

whilst giving consideration to the merits of the existing

building. The building is an expression of its era and

for some people it embodies certain aspects of the

country’s cultural heritage. Major efforts were dedi-

cated to the architectural retention of the most dom-

inant façade on Grays Pass. From an historic and urban

impact point of view, great effort went into limiting

A view of the interior structure which is transformed by a light-filled and contemporary multi-volume atrium.

Guests can enjoy drinks or dinner at the trendy and stylish bars and restaurants available at the hotel.

Western Province Tileworks cc covers a large section of the tiling industry and has been involved in some of the major fast track, Residential, Offices Blocks, Shopping Malls and Hotels in the Western Cape.

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Western Province Tileworks cc (Formaly known as Model Tilers ) has been in the wall & floor, granite, marble and porcelain tiling in the building industry for the last 36 years and is known for their commitment and expertise on the tiling side of the contract and with the Architect & professional teams. We have over the years been committed to deliver a quality product to the satisfaction of the main contractor and their clients.

ENS HOUSE – CAPE TOWN CENTRAL

Members of Western Province Tileworks CC will ensure that goods and services are supplied to meet their intended purposes and in accordance with the requirements of the various codes, standards and practices to meet the requirements our of clients. We are committed to service excellence and guarantee quality workmanship on time all the time.

SOME OF OUR PROJECTS TO DATE : Sun International Hotel – The Table Bay Protea Hotel The President - Seapoint Canalwalk Shopping Centre – Century City Breakwater Parking - V&A Waterfront Newlands Rugby Railway Stand - Newlands BOE Offices /Clocktower Mall – V&A Waterfront Arabella Sheraton Grand Hotel – Cape Town Old Mutual Offices / Business School - Pinelands Sable Square Shopping Centre – Century City UWC Lab Block / Learning Centre - Bellville Standard Bank Head Office - Cape Town Cape Quarters Shopping Centre - Greenpoint Claremont Central Offices - Claremont CTICC – Cape Town ENS Offices – Cape Town Pick n’ Pay – Kenilworth Pick n’ Pay – Gardens Villa Italia – Century City Mutual Heights Apartments – Cape Town

V&A WATERFRONT

SERVICE EXCELLENCE

Western Province Tileworks cc, formally known as Model Tilers, has been in the building industry for 36 years, providing clients with wall & floor, granite, marble and porcelain tiling solutions. Known for their commitment and expertise, Western Province Tileworks cc is committed to delivering a quality product that holds up to main contractor’s and client’s standards.

Western Province Tileworks cc covers a large section of the tiling industry and has been involved in developments in the Western Cape such as residential projects, offices blocks, shopping Malls and hotels, among others.

Members of Western Province Tileworks CC ensure that goods and services are supplied to meet their intended purposes. In addition, members ensure that all services and goods are in accordance with various codes, standards, requirements and practices, in order to meet client’s requirements. Members work on the tiling side of each contract, together with working with the architect and professional team that are present. Western Province Tileworks CC is committed to service excellence and guarantees quality workmanship on time, all the time.


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V&A WATERFRONT

SERVICE EXCELLENCE


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V&A WATERFRONT

SERVICE EXCELLENCE

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the revised profile of the extended building envelope

and its impact on the view of Table Mountain from the

top of Long Street, whilst still maintaining the memory

of the old building.

The original entrance portico with its stained glass

windows, being an iconic element and secretive bar-

rier to a solemn hall at the centre of the old building,

was demolished. This opened the way to exposing

the building to the street and the memory of the in-

ternalised hall being re-interpreted in the form of a

light-filled atrium.

The closed street edges along Orange Street and Grays

Pass have been reactivated with the addition of retail

shopping and restaurant opportunities. These new

active edges are softened and animated with the inser-

tion of landscaping in the form of plants and trees.

The discreet original entrance at lower ground level on

Grays Pass is maintained for the Porte Cochere drop-

off and hotel security area. From this point, two re-

furbished lifts take guests to the reception area on

the first floor.

At the reception area, guests enter into the spirit of

the hotel’s structure, which is transformed by the

imposition of a vast, light filled and contemporary multi-

volume atrium, surrounded at its foot by tiered res-

taurants bars and lounges. The immense atrium’s

glazed height opens out towards the outside terrace

from where guests can enjoy views of the Cape Town

city, Lions Head and Signal Hill. Whilst responding to

the original axis of the hotel building, it also affords

passersby dramatic views into the interior area.

The strong sense of opulence and verticality can be

experienced in the three panoramic lifts, which take

hotel guests to the surrounding access walkways

and rooms at the upper levels of the atrium. The hotel

rooms, outfitted to the highest quality and standards

and of varying types and suite sizes, are arranged in

single and double banked configuration around the

atrium.

The hotel offers a spa, gym, wellness centre and pool

deck. Also available are sectional title apartments.

The apartments range in size, in simplex and duplex

configuration, and are all finished to exacting stand-

ards of luxury. These apartments inhabit the light-

weight upper two floors which are set back to provide

ample sun terraces with spectacular views, whilst

reducing the mass of the upper levels, in accordance

with heritage indicators that govern the hotel devel-

opment.

The glass and aluminum hotel additions respond in

a contemporary manner to the retained historical

elements, specific orientation, views, room privacy

and the requirements of greater transparency for all

public areas within the hotel.

Whilst keeping important elements of the existing

historic building, the whole hotel is transformed by

the imposition of the vast, light-filled atrium and the

addition of contemporary architectural elements. The

hotel makes for a new and transparent Cape Town

focal point, breathing life into this key junction.

The first of many – Taj Palace

The Taj Palace Hotel, located in the historic core of

Cape Town at the entrance to the St George’s Mall,

is the first of many luxury hotels to be opened by the

Taj Group in South Africa. The client, Good Hope Pal-

ace Hotels (Pty) Ltd, wanted a 175 key luxury hotel for

the Taj Group, valued at R450-million.

The recently completed development entailed a par-

tial demolition, a refurbishment, the construction of

infill elements, the construction of a contemporary

A view showcasing the celebration of the synthesis between the historic fabric of the site and the contemporary interventions of the hotel.

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tower to accommodate 175 rooms and the preserva-

tion of two important historic buildings, namely the

Old Reserve Bank building and the Temple Cham-

bers building.

It was imperative to retain and carefully restore as much

as possible of the two historic buildings that host the

grand public spaces of the new hotel. The contemporary

interventions on the site, in the form of an infill building

on St George’s Mall and the new tower that rises out

of the centre of the city block, house the back of house

spaces and the hotel rooms.

The equal integration of the old and the new created

a challenge for dhk Architects. It was imperative to

celebrate the synthesis between the historic fabric

and the contemporary interventions on the hotel site.

This was done by creating a building that maintains

and echoes the architecture of elegance and the

beautiful craftsmanship embodied in the historic

buildings, whilst engaging with the purpose of the

buildings as a ‘place’ for the people.

The Taj Cape Town, showcasing a combination of

rich history and stylish contemporary architecture,

offers a diverse variety of cuisine and culinary expe-

riences including an Indian specialty restaurant, a

relaxed and casual all-day dining restaurant and a

champagne and oyster bar. The magnificent ban-

queting and meeting rooms combine the elegance

of a historical era with state-of-the-art technology. A

full Jiva Grande Spa and a fitness centre are also

available to guests. In addition, the Taj Palace is also

home to Heritage Rooms and Suites, Tower Rooms

and Suites, The Presidential Suite and the Taj Club.

These exquisite rooms offer guests old world quality

complemented by lavish amenities and contemporary

features.

A view of the new Taj Palace Hotel situated in the historic core of Cape Town.

Architecture is a ‘science’ – University of Western Cape Life Sciences building

The term ‘science’ refers to, in its broadest sense, any

systematic knowledge base or prescriptive practice

that is capable of resulting in a prediction or predictable

type of outcome. Science also refers to a highly skilled

technique or practice. Architecture, a highly-skilled

practice, is a science in it self. It is the art and science

of designing buildings and other physical structures,

predicting the outcome, in terms of function and ap-

pearance, of a particular structure. Many believe that,

basically, architecture is a science first and then an art.

The new Life Sciences Building located on the Uni-

versity of Western Cape’s West Campus adjacent to

Ring Road and flanked by Modderdam Road, is intend-

ed to place the university on the global map as a centre

for teaching excellence and a research entity. By inte-

grating six departments into a single development,

this in turn allows for the facilitation of collaboration,

promoting inter-departmental and trans-disciplinary

research. The building is positioned as a pivotal and

iconic element of the urban planning of the university,

as an embodiment of social and environmental scien-

tific research in Africa. This cutting-edge institutional

research laboratory is a symbol of the university’s

commitment to science, technology, innovation, devel-

opment and research, with the aim of reducing poverty

and promoting social and environmental responsibility.

The main objective of the positioning and the design of

the Life Sciences building was to create a landmark

that announces the University of the Western Cape’s

presence, forming the most significant element of

the new science precinct.

The Life Sciences Building has been securely inte-

grated into the existing campus framework from all

aspects. Six different departments are housed with-

in the macro zoning of the building. Two major com-

ponents of the building are placed on either side of

a social nucleus, comprising the entry lobby and

gathering space, oversailed by a vast canopy which

is supported by tree-like columns. This gathering

space forms the main focus and the link between the

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major components of the university, namely the labora-

tory building, the interactive learning centre, cafeteria

and auditorium.

The general layout of the rectilinear and orthogonal

laboratory building is designed around a zone that

stretches along the length of the site that fronts directly

onto Modderdam Road. The intention was to create

direct relationships between the support spaces on

the south side, research and laboratory spaces in

the centre and write-up spaces and cellular offices

situated on the north side. Two service cores form

the fulcrum for breakout areas. These are interac-

tion spaces that act as vertical transportation for

both people and services while forming easily inter-

changeable laboratories and service spaces, permit-

ting adaptability and flexibility throughout the gen-

eral plan. The cores interact with tea kitchens and

extend out to balconies that are intended to facilitate

informal meetings. The cores are the vertical elements

that break the longitudinal façade, with vertical accents

culminating in glass boxes that house the hot water

plant which is linked to the solar water system.

In addition to being the centre for academic teaching,

the learning centre is available for conferences as well

as being a venue for various gatherings, presentations

and functions. The centre houses a state-of-the-art

auditorium, a collaborative computer lab and resource

centre, seminar and tutorial rooms and a cafeteria open-

ing onto the gathering space. The development incorpo-

rates both instruction and research facilities with shared

classrooms, laboratories, faculty facilities and amenities

to accommodate an estimated 800 students and re-

searchers.

This six storey laboratory block is split vertically into

instruction facilities on the lower two levels, with re-

search and development (R&D) labs housed on the

upper levels. The block is divided into three modules

which are linked by service cores, providing public

and service access and security filters for the various

R&D labs. The laboratories themselves are designed

to assimilate the users’ requirements into predomi-

nantly generic flexible and adaptable solutions that

ensure short, medium & long term sustainability for

the client where different departments can wax and

wane as the needs arise. The laboratories are planned

This landmark has great presence within

Cape Town and is positioned well as a

pivotal and iconic educational entity.

along a horizontal stratification which facilitates a

direct relationship and interface between the cellular

senior researcher’s offices with open-plan write-up

areas to the north, with research taking place in labo-

ratories and their support spaces to the south. This

horizontal stratification is created through virtual

corridors traversing the length of the building, providing

orientation and external expression through the bay

windows at the ends.

Entry to the Life Sciences building is from the eastern

forecourt via the entrance lobby. This gasket-like

glazed entrance lobby joins the laboratory and learning

centre, providing orientation and access to the various

facilities and leads into the gathering space.

The design philosophy of this building focuses on

energy efficiency, environmental responsibility, resource

efficient design and a commitment to sustainability.

The orientation of the building reduces solar gain within

the building and encourages natural ventilation

throughout the building.

The use of grey water for the landscaping has been

fully implemented and coordinated in the design.

The green areas and gardens are landscaped with

indigenous vegetation and trees and the landscaping

has been taken onto the roof of the Learning Centre

as a scaling strategy and as an environmental thermal

consideration.

The gardens are integrated into a landscaping plan

that responds directly to the local environmental

conditions by encouraging bio-diversity, protecting bio-

mass nutrients, using permeable surfaces to minimise

run-off, increasing retention of groundwater levels and

adopting indigenous water-wise plants. Through life

cycle costing, resource and environmental management

and the adoption of cost effective strategies, namely

optimisation of the thermal envelope, waste heat

reclamation, harvesting of rainwater and grey water

recycling, this building strives to limit its carbon

footprint. <

View of the exterior façade.

www.fgwilson.co.za

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DHK Architects - Special Report