HERBERT PRINS COLOSSEUM MEMORIAL 2024 AWARDS
Awards Nominees
RE-IMAGINING THE PLANETARIUM AS THE WITS ANGLO- AMERICAN DIGITAL DOME
Kate Otten Architects
Braamfontein, Johannesburg
The copper-domed Wits Planetarium with its slender columned portico is a recognisable and well-known landmark on Yale Road on the East Campus of the University of the Witwatersrand. The Planetarium was completed in 1960 and was notable for its extraordinary Zeiss planetarium projector.
For over 60 years, the Planetarium, the largest in sub-Saharan Africa, has had a significant impact on the University and the broader community, with many thousands of visitors having experienced the projected celestial wonders. A high-profile Centenary project for Wits was to transform the Planetarium, into a fully interactive digital system.
The newly named Wits Anglo American Digital Dome project aims to create a visualization laboratory within this iconic landmark. This will broaden its role well beyond astronomy, re-imagine its potential on a 21st Century campus, and enable unparalleled community engagement. The vision was to transform the Planetarium into a cutting-edge digital facility, while building on its proud history as a unique science engagement venue. Modernizing the Planetarium to a full-dome, real-time, interactive digital system to broaden this offering beyond astronomy, and re-imagine its important role.
Kate Otten Architects (KOA) were appointed by the University of the Witwatersrand in 2021 as the architects for the adaptive re-use of the Planetarium. Noting the heritage importance and sensitivity of this building KOA appointed William Martinson as their specialist Heritage architect.
BACK TO THE START
Dook for Visi
W design architecture studio
Waterkloof, Pretoria
The project involves the renovation of House Carpenter-Kling, a 1970s home designed by Alan Konya, located in Waterkloof, a prestigious Pretoria suburb. Although the house is not classified as a heritage site, it holds significant architectural value within the "Pretoria Architecture" tradition. When the new owners acquired the house in 2018, they aimed to preserve its original character while updating it for contemporary living.
The renovation, guided by the phrase "back to the start," focused on restoring the core design elements of the home without adding new spaces or functions. Key goals included improving natural light and internal circulation while retaining the original structure. Dark spaces were brightened by plastering certain walls, and new, clean plasterwork with shadowlines was introduced to complement the existing design.
The home’s floating concrete roofs, replacing the old wooden pergola, and reinterpreted support columns exemplify the successful blend of modernist roots with contemporary design. The project showcases the “familiarity of the new,” as the renovations highlight and refine the original architectural ideas. This approach respects the use of natural materials like wood, stone, and brick, as championed by Konya, to create a timeless, honest design fit for modern living.
ODE TO OAK
Rebel Base Collective
Auckland Park, Johannesburg
HERITAGE RE-CRAFTED
Our aim was to create a refined piece of architecture that would adorn the northern façade of The Country Club Johannesburg, Auckland Park, clubhouse patio. A piece, that not only addressed all the club’s practical needs but also the challenges posed by its heritage, both structurally and socially.
The roofs undulating form creates an open, light and voluminous space that is also intimate. This hovers above and tucks behind the existing nautical, art-deco handrail in a junctural marriage between the existing and the proposed. The roof’s deep overhangs allow for the space to be fully shaded during summer and baked in sunlight during Johannesburg’s chilly winter months, making the patio a pleasant year-round experience.
The rounded perforated-ceiling surface also allows for optimal acoustic performance by absorbing and diffusing noise. The clear story windows allow light into the open space whilst creating framed views to the sky and into the canopy of the grand old oak tree, which is further celebrated through a semi-circular cut out in the eastern-most vault. The soft tapered profile of the vaults allows the building’s roofline to merge into the sky and carries the eye out to the northern forest.
All built parts of the project have been carefully detailed and composed to create spatial conversations between the old and new, the technologically advanced and hand-made and the past and future presence of this, historically prominent, Johannesburg institution.
This manifests in a bold, yet soft structure which frames views into the original Edwardian, nods to the old Art-deco extension of the restaurant’s interior, unfolds itself into the hero oak tree and rolling lawns whilst the weighty utilitarian concrete base of the reflecting and trickling water feature allows the roof to float.
TRADITIONAL TSWANA HOUSING
Savage+Dodd Architects, Moralo Designs, Visual Communications
It was financed by a grant administered by the Department of Building Function Analysis, School of Architecture, Lund University, Sweden. The report was published by the Swedish Council for Building Research. The original publication was produced by using solely black colour for printing text, photos and sketches – the technology available and affordable at the time.
However, thirty-six years following the printing, it was considered relevant that the publication be re-issued applying modern digital technology and in colour – to fully reflect the beauty of Tswana traditional houses and homes. Further, with modernization rapidly consuming what is traditionally Tswana houses and homes, the book’s value became of even higher importance – as a historical document.
The content and text remain the same as in the original publication. The only changes introduced to the new version is the inclusion of the Foreword and Conclusions 2020. The photos are produced from scanned colour slides taken during the field study of the research project in 1984. Where considered ideal, the original black-and-white photos are retained.
The work with the second edition was inspired and encouraged by Sithabile Mathe, a Botswana Architect, and Heather Dodd, a South African Architect. They wrote the Foreword and Conclusions. The author, Viera Larsson, is grateful and thanks them for their most valuable input. Anita Larsson has passed away in 2015.
WINDYBROW- RANDLORD HEARITAGE HOUSE RESTORATION
Hillbrow, Johannesburg
By KMH Architects
The Randlord Heritage House, a venerable institution in Hillbrow, Johannesburg, proudly celebrates its 130th anniversary this year. Constructed in 1895 by Theodore Reunert, an early South African mining engineer, this historic building began its life as a family home before transitioning through various roles, including that of a nurse’s residence. Its rich history earned it the designation of a national monument in 1996.
Over the past two decades, Windybrow has gained prominence as an arts center, initially serving as a traditional theater complex that reflected the cultural and artistic trends of its time. In 1993, the Windybrow Theatre embraced the spirit of the new democratic era by transforming into a dynamic cultural center. The theater building, a later addition to the property, underwent a comprehensive capital works program starting in 2010. This initiative aimed to preserve the heritage status of both the Heritage House and the Theatre, involving significant renovation and reconfiguration efforts.
In March 2014, the Market Theatre Foundation took on the role of overseeing the Windybrow Theatre, ensuring the careful management of ongoing assessments and preservation tasks. KMH Architects, renowned for their expertise in heritage restoration, began their work on the Heritage House in August 2014. Their restoration project unfolded in two phases: the first phase involved securing the house to prevent further damage while planning the restoration, and the second phase focused on the actual restoration work.
Today, the revitalized Heritage House serves as a vibrant space for rehearsals, play readings, meetings, and exhibitions, reflecting its continued commitment to cultural enrichment and heritage preservation.
FLOWER HALL TEST AND EXAMINATION CENTRE
Savage+Dodd Architects
West Campus University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg
The Flower Hall at the University of the Witwatersrand was used as an exams venue. Designed by
Fleming & Cooke in 1969, it was part of the Showgrounds designed to house flower displays of the
Wits Agricultural Society at the annual Rand Easter Show.
It was constructed as an industrial ‘shed’ with four modules. These correspond to a structural system
of four sections of a barrel roof supported on a steel arched member following the plan of the building with splayed walls at these junctions. South facing roof lights sit between each segment of
roof continuing down vertically into side windows at each bay. The building was innovative in
relation to its structure and original services that supported its functionality as an exhibition building.
A new structure was built within the envelope of the building. Two new floor plates, one full floor
and a mezzanine, were inserted into the buildings’s volume. The buildings functional area for seating
is effectively doubled.
An infill building – the ‘north lobby’ connects the Flower Hall to the Goldfields building and houses
the circulation elements connecting the two buildings.
A ‘south’ lobby was inserted into the first bay of the Flower Hall with staircases leading to the new
floors. This area also contains toilet facilities.
The steel glass curtain wall to the south façade was replaced with a new glazed curtain wall. New services are provided to support the use of the building in an energy efficient way.
In relation to the concept of adaptive re-use, the life of buildings is extended by changing and adapting them to other contemporary uses. The significance of the building is maintained through minimizing the impact of change on the physical fabric of the building through balancing heritage requirements and the requirements of a contemporary working environment.
NEW LINK BUILDING FOR THE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE & PLANNING AND
THE SCHOOL OF CONSTRUCTION ECONOMICS & MANAGEMENT, THE
UNIVERSITY OF THE WITWATERSRAND
LEMONpebble Architects & Urban Designers and SRS Architects
East Campus University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg
The projects aim was to create a new extension for the University of Witwatersrand, School of Architecture and Planning and the School of Construction and Economic Management that connects the two school physically in the hopes of encouraging collaborative engagement for the Build Environment Environment Faculty.
Through the design of a ‘Built Environment Precinct’, the building breaks the silos in which the two schools were operating. The creation of a link building with outdoor, landscaped courtyards that connect new spaces with old has created a gateway to the larger campus through universally accessible routes.
The new intervention resolves complex circulation and compliance issues of the existing building. The L-shaped building consists of double-volume public levels on the lower floors, that engage with the outside through large shopfront windows, whilst the upper levels accommodate offices, seminar room and a more robust, continuous, and sustainable use of existing spaces. The building creates new expanded circulation spaces that offer students and staff space to relax in, meet, socialise, work and re-imagine as they see fit.
The Link Building takes cues from and pays homage to the Heritage John Moffat building and Annex building, maintaining its own Architectural identity through its subtle detailing, planning and material choices.
MOD HOUSE
Rebel Base Collective
Westcliff, Johannesburg
This project saw us converting an uninspired and overly added to 1930’s Small and Schaerer house atop of the Parkview ridge into an inspired and conversational contemporary piece of architecture. The house had excellent bones but its original craft had been erased with blocky add-ons and ad-hoc repair solutions.
For MOD House our aim was to revive the old modernist house into an open, bright and timeless home with all the conveniences of modern-day life. To do this we have exploited the original proportions of the building and coupled it with a series of additions that work with the existing to create an elegant conversation between the old and the new.
The new modern additions do not seek to blend into the old but rather add something contemporary that clips onto it. We have opened the house in a way that gives you multiple cross views between the southern courtyard and the endless views to the north. Although the entertainment area is open it can also be closed to create more intimate spaces through a series of stacking steel framed glass doors.
A series of sculptural skylights have been used throughout the design to add a sense of volume and light to the spaces of hierarchical importance, such as the stairwell, the main entrance, and the connection from the house to the pool. We have also used it to bring light into the main walk-in closet and the main suite’s shower.
The main house is connected to the pool area with an elegant, slender pavilion that sits to the south of the lengthy rim flow pool. The 5m cantilever of the cast concrete hovers above the landscape in a dramatic transition between the house and the undulating koppies of Northern Johannesburg.
AFRIKAANS HOER MEISIESKOOL GEDENKSENTRUM
Mathews + Associates Architects
Clydesdale, Pretoria
The Afrikaans Hoër Meisieskool Pretoria's original hall, completed in 1927, was the first Afrikaans secondary school in the old Transvaal Province, playing a significant role in the development of Afrikaans as an academic language. By the 1950s, the hall became too small, leading to the construction of a new hall in 1960. Over time, the original hall was repurposed into a library, which led to alterations that disconnected the space from its intended design. The main entrance was closed, and various additions and clutter obscured the architectural integrity of the space.
A restoration project aimed to return the hall to its former glory, timed to coincide with Afrikaans’ centenary as an official language in 2025. The project focused on clearing clutter, restoring the original architectural features, and enhancing the hall’s main axis, which culminates in a stained-glass window. Modern updates such as LED lighting and integrated air conditioning were discreetly added. Following the Burra Charter principles, the hall was revitalized as the Gedenksentrum, a multifunctional space serving as a staffroom, function venue, and gallery for important school artefacts. The refurbishment honors both the historical and contemporary significance of the space, fitting the school’s motto, "Ek sien haar wen" (I see her win).
HERITAGE WALKWAY, CONSERVATION OF STONE BUS SHELTER & STONE RETAINING WALL
Michael Hart Architects
Houghton Estate, Johannesburg
The project is located in Houghton Estate, Johannesburg, along Louis Botha Avenue near Berea. The site features a historic stone retaining wall (early 1900s), a 1932 stone bus shelter built over a water chlorination chamber, and two stone staircases. The Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA) initiated road upgrades as part of the Rea Vaya Bus Rapid Transit system, but the narrow stretch along Louis Botha Avenue lacked space for both a dedicated bus lane and pedestrian sidewalk.
Architect Michael Hart designed an innovative pedestrian bridge running parallel to the road, preserving the heritage structures, including the retaining wall, bus shelter, and staircases. The bridge curves along the wall, offering views of the stonework and Houghton Drive. Its concrete pylons are stylized as trees, with a steel slatted canopy filtering sunlight, while purple-blue lighting at night symbolizes Jacaranda trees.
Ntsika Architects restored the bus shelter, replacing damaged stonework, timber eaves, and adding new windows and a steel stairway. The shelter now serves as a security station, enhancing safety. Gapp Architects designed the surrounding public space, improving pedestrian connectivity and adding historical displays by Tsika Heritage Consultants. The site has been awarded Blue Plaque status, recognizing its historical significance.
HOUSE LE ROUX -MARAIS
Earthworld Architects
Waterkloof Ridge, Pretoria
As we honor South Africa’s architectural heritage, Earthworld Architects & Interiors proudly highlights a pioneering project by Anthony Carden (Tony) Doherty from 1967, a time coinciding with the Minitoria and Pretoria Art Museum. Doherty’s introduction of aluminium-framed doors and windows was a bold move that set a new standard in modern architecture.
Doherty’s innovative use of aluminium framing allowed for expansive glass panels, integrating indoor and outdoor spaces and significantly enhancing both aesthetic and functionality. His design philosophy, rooted in modernist ideals, blended harmoniously with South Africa’s unique context, creating a lasting architectural impact.
In a testament to this legacy, Earthworld Architects & Interiors recently completed a meticulous renovation of Doherty’s masterpiece. The residence was carefully disassembled, serviced, and reassembled to honor the original 1967 design. During this process, new travertine floors were installed, which complement the preserved Kiaat parquet flooring and mimic the existing gravestone granite strip inlay floors. This careful attention to detail ensures that the renovation maintains the authenticity of the original materials while enhancing the home’s historical integrity.
This project not only preserves but also celebrates the architectural advancements of Tony Doherty, showcasing a seamless integration of past and present. Earthworld Architects & Interiors remains committed to honoring architectural heritage through thoughtful restoration and innovation.
APEX STUDIOS
GASS Architecture Studios
Braamfontein, Johannesburg
As the first recipient of the SAPOA Student Accommodation Award, Apex Studios reflects the
contribution to well-designed and executed urban architecture that GASS aims to produce, and
we are proud to set a standard for this building typology. Apex studios form part of the new
national THRIVE Student Living Portfolio of buildings and promotes a student living experience
with a variety of support and communal spaces and offerings.
CONTEXT, SITE INFORMATION & BACKGROUND
This particular site is in a bustling part of Johannesburg and in close proximity to the main WITS
university campus. This site is well situated only 300 meters from the entrance to WITS university
main campus (Yale Road entrance) which equates to a comfortable 5 minute walk. The site is
located alongside the M1 De Villiers Graaf Motorway to the west, with two other major roads that
run past the site – Jorrisen Street (to the north) and De Korte Street (to the east).
The site is centrally located and close to lifestyle amenities such as shops, food outlets, petrol
station and places of cultural interest (galleries, entertainment areas). The surrounding area is
predominately mixed-use developments consisting of various educational institutions, corporate
buildings and multiple student accommodation residences
NORTH LODGE
SOUTHERN CENTRE FOR INEQUALITY STUDIES
Savage+Dodd Architects
University of Witwatersrand Management Campus, Johannesburg
North Lodge, declared a National Monument in 1982, is located on the Management Campus of the University of the Witwatersrand in Parktown.
Previously used as a Warden and Student residence, the building has been restored and repurposed to house the Southern Centre for Inequality Studies.
North Lodge was built in 1905 for Mr Henry S. Wilson, a produce merchant. Unlike his neighbours on the Parktown Ridge, Henry Wilson was not a ‘Randlord’. He was known as the ‘Oats King’ having made his fortune during the Anglo-Boer War by importing and supplying horse feed to the British Army. This fodder was imported from Central America and mixed into it were the seeds of blackjack, khakibos and cosmos, the legacy of which lives on in these alien invader species in South Africa.
The house is an exuberant eclectic collection of styles fashionable in the Edwardian era. It has been described as an architectural fantasy reminiscent of a French Chateaux on the Loire or baronial castle.
The house is entered from a large curved colonnaded “loggia” - verandah space into a double-volume reception hall which is lit from above by stained glass windows. This space forms the ‘hub’ of the house off which the rooms are accessed. The ground floor of the house consisted of a series of formal rooms; serviced by the kitchen and scullery to the back of the house. The ground floor rooms are all wood panelled with pressed board ceilings, decorative mouldings and feature fireplaces. These elements were extensively refurbished and restored, including the detailing of a new solid balustrade to the hall space.
Repurposing a heritage asset into a building that is fit for purpose as a modern office environment is challenging on many levels. Services such as networking and wifi had to be retrofitted in a way that did not affect the existing features and finishes, particularly the wall panelling and wallpaper.
As a contemporary office space, the colours selected for the carpets and walls were carefully chosen to speak to the past yet provide a contemporary feel. These finishes were located to enhance the spatial reading of the staircase and circulation areas.
The re-use of a house with a deep colonial legacy for an institute dealing with inequality studies provides an interesting narrative within the current decolonization debate as to how buildings can be flexible to change and maintain their value within a new context.
HERITAGE HOUSE REVIVAL
Sergio Chinelli Architects
Saxonworld, Johannesburg
In order to undertake a successful, heritage project one needs to first understand the history and context in which the building exists…Saxonwold has a rich and distinctive history… Saxonwold formed part of the Braamfontein farm which was owned by Hermann Eckstein. His intentions were to mine for precious minerals but when he failed in this endeavor, he decided to use the land as a timber plantation and in 1891 called the area Sachsenwald.
At the beginning of the World War One it was anglicized and called Saxonwold. In 1903, Wernher Beit & Co donated 200 acres of this land to the JHB city council which they then used to create Zoo lake, JHB Zoo and the SA National Museum of Military history. In 1925, the balance of the land was used to
create the residential township of Saxonwold as we know it today. The streets in Saxonwold were laid out to view the Rand Regiments Memorial (Now known as the Ango-Boer War Memorial) and homeowners were instructed not to impede the view. The beautiful streets in Saxonwold were lined with Jacaranda trees and all have anglo-Saxon names that end in “Wold”… Source “Wikipedia”.
This heritage house was therefore designed and built two years after the township was conceived making it amongst the oldest houses to be built in Saxonwold. This rich history will now be preserved and can be celebrated thanks to the efforts of the client and the professional team to painstakingly preserve this beautiful charismatic heritage home. A special thanks to the Saxonwold Residents Association and PHRAG for their continued efforts in preserving the heritage buildings of Saxonwold.
KHANYISA
Rebel Base Collective
Waverly, Johannesburg
Our addition to the St Mary’s campus envisages the future of education. By deviating from the traditional forms and formats of schools we have expanded a new way of creating educational spaces. We focused on a contextual approach to the building, interpreting different languages of architecture throughout the school into our design to create a sense of coherence with the new building.
The development was planned along the two main campus axial lines of the Junior and Senior Schools, and that of the visitor parking and drop-off parking areas, making it a nexus and entrance point to the school. This intersection splits the building into four parts to be moved through rather than be arrived at, allowing intimate in-between spaces for breakaways from classes and for pupils to inhabit at break and after school.
Our aim was to create a space that allows for moments of incidental learning which extends beyond the classroom space. The building is designed to prompt engagement and discussion among peers and give teachers “other” spaces to explore education in a more playful and accessible way that supplement the value of a traditional classroom space. We have dealt with the sustainability of the building in a more lateral approach by deviating from systems as the driver and rather looking at the experiential impact of the more intuitive connection of humans to nature by creating a continuous concept of connection between systems and nature.
MARKET THEATRE REFURBISHMENT
Offiice 24-7 ARCHITECTURE
Newtown, Johannesburg
These interior spaces have over the last years undergone many renovations. The heritage methodology for these interior spaces was to remove unnecessary internal walls and expose and reinforce the original structural ordering system where possible. A large component of the work was to remove interior layers from the last 45 years that were serving no functional or heritage purpose.
At the Barney Simon Theatre two bands on either side of the black box theatre were added to allow for stage wings and sound lobbies. Five new doorway openings were constructed to allow for a variety of seating configurations while still allowing audience and actor access and complying with fire escape requirements. A new lightweight aluminium rostrum system allows for easy reconfigurations and excess components are housed in a new directly adjacent storage room. A rearrangement of the actors changing rooms and bathrooms allows for more efficient planning and a usable rehearsal room framed by the heritage arched window.
At the Ground Floor we removed the 1983 restaurant and kitchen in order to open-up this area, expose the original columns and to form a large flexible event space, bar and cabaret venue. The front canopy, the foyer and the bar also received an interior upgrade. A smaller serving kitchen straddles the event space and the bar.
CCJ AUCKLAND PARK FITNESS CENTRE
Rebel Base Collective
Auckland Park, Johannesburg
The re-imagined gym sits within the spirit of the original buildings, not disrupting the old proportions and clipping itself into the Art Deco and Edwardian features. The aim was to create a destination state of the art facility which fits into the legacy of The Country Club Johannesburg.
The front garden of the gym has been enclosed with a modern addition that both respects the existing façade whilst also breathing some much-needed life into the current gym facility. The extension is made constructed of two planes of cast concrete flat roofs, one connects underneath the existing top windows and heritage breeze blocks the other just beneath the gutter line of the existing roof, to allow maximum natural light and volume. Rough timber shuttered concrete walls, house a water garden, like the patio, with glazed curtain wall along the entrance.
The existing internal walls have been demolished to create an expansive open plan with a clear view and access from one end of the building to the other. This allows for the west facade to open onto a view of the pool and panoramic views of the breath-taking club grounds to the North. This was previously a visually inaccessible male change room.
The men’s change room has been relocated to create a single ablution block. The woman’s change-room upgrades the dated one into an elegant and effortless space. The change rooms have been reconfigured with plush finishes whilst fitting within the existing external, heritage design features. The change rooms have a sense of warmth and are a unique functional offering, with a real care in the detailing that even extends to the custom, hand drawn Joburg skyline wallpapers.
This building has views over the new Padel courts which are connected to the gym, pool and patio via a sculpted paved pathway that borders the new winding indigenous gardens. This path replaces an old road with a new piece of landscape that integrates and challenges the old heritage of the club.
THE ROYAL THAI EMBASSY
Author: Braam de Villiers, Emma Hurst
The building’s origins showed signs of previously being an aristocratic dwelling built in the beginning of the 20th century. The original features include a grand timber staircase, numerous ornate fireplaces, built-in classical joinery, and a grand room with exposed detailed trusses.
The design approach was to peal back the layers of add-ons and identify, preserve, and restore precious heritage fabric, such as fireplaces, brass ironmongery, picture rails, doors, louvres, joinery, and timber floors. At the same time new additions of a visa consulate area and staff kitchen had to be effortlessly stitched into the existing. The new additions aesthetic is distinctively modern to show the juxtaposition between the new and old.
The main brief was to modernize the entire building from an energy-efficiency and building-services perspective, with the introduction and upgrade of artificial lighting, mechanical ventilation, and IT-infrastructure. The building used to function as a residence for many years before the current occupants required contemporary offices for the embassy and consulate staff. A new layout was introduced, with certain parts of the building envelope opened to allow natural light from the existing courtyards into the interior of the building. The old building fabric served as a neutral, timeless canvas onto which a collective mix of new and refurbished furniture, cabinetry, light fixtures, and art was layered to create a contrasting modern interior fit out.
A custom timber tree pergola was added to the main existing courtyard to allow for additional public space, with symbolic Thai patterns onto the hanging panels creating a sense of ownership to the building’s current ownership.
The project’s end result is a sensitive fusion of opposites: a marriage between old and new, between an old home and a contemporary office, and has become a flagship of what a 21st century embassy in South Africa should embody.
NEW SS MENDI MEMORIAL
Mayat Hart Architects
Avalon Cemetry, Soweto
The SS Mendi, a World War 1 troopship carrying members of the South African Native Labour Contingent to the front in Europe, was tragically sunk in the English Chanel in February 1917. Over 600 men lost their lives in the icy waters making it South Africa’s largest maritime tragedy to date. To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the tragedy the City of Johannesburg decided to upgrade and expand its existing memorial, a modest wall listing the names of those who had lost their lives. The making of a memorial is never a simple act of concretising memory or honouring lost lives.
A memorial is always a political and emotionally charged structure. The creation of the new extended SS Mendi memorial attempts to navigate this difficult terrain. The memorial is sited at a high point in Avalon Cemetery, one of the largest graveyards in South Africa. From here it has sweeping 180 degree views south across the sea of graves. The first decision when designing the new memorial was to retain and honour the existing memorial wall as a sign of respect to both it and its vision. It is not a grand construction, built by community members in the 1990s out of a combination of face brick and sandstone blocks. The new memorial, in turn, takes its material language from the existing. A palette of face brick, honed granite and off-shutter concrete are used. While common construction materials, they were chosen because of their contextual appropriateness and durability. In addition to this their intentionally intricate use, especially in the integrated narrative artwork, required hands-on, precise and labour-intensive construction. This made the act of building the memorial in itself a form of homage.
Conceptually the memorial is seen as a physical and spatial experience rather than the traditional memorial as an object. While the memorial can be seen as a hypothetical ship navigating the landscape of the cemetery, it is designed to be a space that is inhabited and used. The memorial is made up of a large raised platform connecting the original memorial wall with new brickwork panels and niches, housing built-in seating and display panels that explain the often-forgotten history of the South Africa Native Labour Contingent as well as the SS Mendi. This is topped by a slender off-shutter concrete pergola. The pergola creates a sense of enclosure and separation for the visitor to the monument while also framing and focusing views of the cemetery. The use and occupation of the memorial, be it for commemorative functions, school visits or as a backdrop to funeral services allows it to become a living site of memory, interpreted and re-imagined by its users.
THE RESTORATION OF MERTON KEEP
Embassy of France
Mayat Hart Architects
Merton Keep is a historic Victorian mansion located in Eastwood, Pretoria. The building was constructed in 1895 on the outskirts of the town for the successful and prominent businessman (and founder of Five Roses Tea) TW Beckett. The house was originally part of an extensive estate that made up most of the surrounding suburb of Eastwood. During the Anglo Boer South African War the building was commandeered as a field hospital by British forces and, after the Beckett family sold the property, was converted into apartments. The building was once again altered in the 1950’s when it became the French Embassy in South Africa, initially acting as the embassy building and later being used as the official residence of the ambassador. Since the relocation of the embassy the building and site have been undergoing incremental restoration with the latest project, completed in 2022, being the reconstruction of the original Victorian entrance tower and original Victorian veranda roofs both, demolished in the 1950’s or earlier.
While of great heritage value and cultural significance in the context of Pretoria, the building had been substantially changed in its nearly 130 year history including having its original Kirkness face brick and sandstone finish plastered over and painted. Archival research at the initiation of the project produced limited documentary evidence of what the tower and verandas looked like beyond a few grainy photographs. A creative conservation approach to the restoration had to be taken, one which was termed a ‘conceptual restoration’. With it being impossible to perfectly restore the building to what it was originally the approach aims to restore it conceptually. Overall forms were faithfully recreated while modern
materials, such as laser cut steel, were used to reinterpret lost architectural details.
The interior of the tower, where no record of even its original function exists, was seen as an opportunity to creatively reflect on the buildings history. The height of the multi volume room, which will in future be used as part of the expanded living space of the adjacent suite, was celebrated though a decorative lantern which plays with light and shadow through the passage of the sun during the day while becoming a glowing beacon at night. Although the lantern is reminiscent of the historic decorative treatment of tall volumes and spaces in classical or Islamic architecture, the custom rose patterned screen of the lantern was designed to speak to both the reinstated rose garden outside as well as TW Beckett and his famous tea brand. The restoration work aims to show that conservation can be both playful, cost effective and respectful if it is approached as much as a critical creative act as that of simple repair or reinstatement.
CRESTHILL
Location of Cresthill : Hillbrow
15 Pietersen St, Hillbrow, Johannesburg, 2001
Cresthill, a 14-storey apartment building located in Hillbrow was designed by Harold Le Roith &
Partners in 1955. Le Roith graduated from the University of the Witwatersrand in 1935. He was one
of the first group of architects influenced by Martienssen at Wits. He started his practice in 1935 and
ran a successful commercial practice designing hundreds of buildings in Johannesburg.
They were known for their innovative modernist approach to structures, in particular the exploration
of ‘thin’ slabs and cantilevering slabs. In Cresthill, this is given expression in the concrete
cantilevering balconies and walkways which taper to extremely thin fine edges.
The Johannesburg Housing Company (JHC), a social housing company, acquired the building in 2000
from the City of Johannesburg as part of the ‘Bad Buildings Programme’. However, it took 6 years for
the acquisition process and all legal processes to be concluded. During this period the building was
hijacked and illegally occupied. The building deteriorated, and in 2006 JHC finally concluded the
purchase of the building for a sum of R1 and took control of the building. At the time of this
refurbishment, the building was in a dire condition. The fabric of the building; steel curtain walling to
the walkways and the staircase was rotten and the building had no functioning services. The lift core
had 4 floors of rotting refuse in it. The objective of the upgrade was to bring the building back into
functional use as social housing whilst maintaining the architectural character and intentions of the
aesthetic. Had this not been done, the building most certainly would have deteriorated beyond the
point of retrieval. The project was by no means a ‘restoration’ and the budgets precluded the
replacement of certain elements such as the exterior stairwell glazing with the same materials.
In 2018, the JHC took the decision to once again revamp the building. In response to a situation of
overcrowding where units had been subdivided, a decision was taken to reconfiguration the internal
layouts of the units to make separate bedroom areas.
In addition, the entire balcony façade onto Twist Street composed of asbestos panelling was to be
removed and replaced. The elevation treatment of each balcony module is a careful composition of
balcony balustrade screen, zigzag steel balustrade and vertical screen expressing the modular
composition of the unit modules. The elevational colour treatment was the subject of a series of
compositional studies by Le Roith. It was these studies together with photos of the building from the
Le Roith Archive that informed the replacement panelling and colour palette. The building
refurbishment was completed in 2019/2020. The building stands within the
Consent from Client to inspect the work
Consent for the work to be visited has been given by Elize Stroebel CEO Johannesburg Housing
Company. Note as this is a building occupied by families who call it home , there are sensitivities to
visiting the building and this must be arranged with the Client.
