A 2023 CIFA Awards Round Up
In celebration of the Cape’s most impressive projects between 2021 and 2022, The Cape Institute for Architecture (CIFA) held their biennial awards ceremony on Wednesday, 4th October 2023. CIFA highly values and prioritises the advocacy for better environments, the preservation of heritage buildings, and commitment to sustainability in the architectural sector, and the winning projects ticked all these boxes. From brilliantly built residences in the mountains to recreational spaces in educational and mixed-use projects, this year’s victors represent the most noteworthy contributions in the Cape’s architectural arena. Rounding up the projects that stood out and impressed, we spoke to the CIFA Awards Judges for 2023 to highlight the essence of these examples of excellence that are leading the industry to a brilliantly-built future.
COMMENDATIONS
ELEMENTAL HOUSE BY ARCHITECTURE COOP
Elemental House is modest and conservative in character and scale, adopting a subservient role to the impressive surroundings. Roof edges are slim and exposed, and large glazing elements further highlight the structural frame while allowing views through the house from the North and onto the Atlantic. The house sits calmly present, part of the landscape. The slatted roof and shutters give the house a fine texture and delicacy, creating dappled light to soften the building form and integrate it into the landscape. A conscious approach combined with the tectonic celebration of structure and detailing is a reminder of what can be achieved with a humble palette and good design.
REHABILITATION OF THE OLD BARN AND STABLES, CLARA’S BARN RESTAURANT BY URBAN CONCEPTS
om the delicacy of the detailing to the resolution and execution of the protection of the river stone floors, the energy and conscientiousness that has gone into this work is self-evident as a labour of love. The work has included the initial mapping of the heritage resources, the identification of design informants, and the conceptualisation of solutions related to these. The strategy of juxtaposing contemporary against old has been successful inside the old buildings. Although contemporary, the new detailing has drawn its inspiration from the old, resulting in a recognisable syntax between the two that makes this a project of quality.
HOUSE LLANDUDNO BY BOMAX ARCHITECTS
At House Llandudno, one is met by contemporary architecture, a form of cleancut concrete tapered structure that captures uninterrupted views of the ocean from the living spaces. The living room flows out towards a rim-flow pool and a roof garden which create a two-part division into the main house and an annex, whilst creating a great breakdown of scale between the two parts of the house. A sense of minimalism is picked up as one journeys through the spaces, from the materiality of the house and how it sits within its landscape. The immediate links between inside and outside create a great sense of a play with scale, which is experienced throughout the whole house.
35 LOWER LONG BY DHK ARCHITECTS
Positioning itself as an anchoring point within the edge of Cape Town’s skyline, this 86-metre glass building is separated into two parts. However, when viewing it from across the street one cannot easily distinguish where parking ends and where office space begins. The use of glass cladding was done well enough to deter the eye from separating the two. The building expresses a diversion from the straight edges of a glazed façade and instead the edges are carefully chamfered. Evident in the building is a play of light that makes one forget that the building is West-facing, and the building’s response to the site’s climatic conditions is well considered.
14C PETER CLOETE AVENUE BY METROPOLIS DESIGN
This project manages to turn the disadvantages of a South-facing site into a triumphant resolution. Suffused with natural light, the dwelling manages to combine a satisfying sense of traditional domestic bliss with the sensory stimulation of a modern ‘inside-outside’ concept, dictated by beautiful views and enchanting natural surroundings. Great visual effect is created by hiding the single and double garage doors invisibly in scorched wood panelling. In terms of design decisions, a sense of calm rationality pervades. Perhaps the most striking and successful feature of this building is the light touch with which constructional concrete is handled, surely the most subtle sort of architectural sleight of hand.
ST CYPRIAN’S SCHOOL MULTI-PURPOSE HALL AND AQUATIC CENTRE BY MEYER & ASSOCIATES
The new Aquatic Centre at St Cyprian’s School is an elegantly unobtrusive addition to a densely occupied school campus in the centre of Cape Town. Meyer & Associates managed to insert a vast structure between heritage buildings, existing trees, and public spaces on the campus in such a way that one is surprised by the generosity of the internal volumes. Access to the building is a continuation of the vaulted red facebrick arcade framing the adjoining building, so that it is the urban space that carries the campus’s identity. Internally, a double-layered sports hall is revealed, with a swimming pool below and a multi-purpose court above. The inherited architectural language and functional requirements of the space create a poetic and subtle articulation of the building’s qualities.
UPPER ALBERT BY SAOTA
Expressed as an elevated building, the generously proportioned linear form is arranged over four levels. The lower levels form a podium that raises the pavilion of the upper two levels up to maximise the view and connects the interior to outdoor terraces. A landscaped roof creates a ‘garden in the sky’. The Brutalist expression of construction and form on both the exterior and interior is rich in colour and texture. Distinctively pigmented cast concrete screens on the façade reference terracotta breeze blocks that are remnant of the former house on the plot, and thresholds between inside and outside lead to lush green courtyards and terraces with expansive views. The pleasure taken in the architectural experimentation is palpable.
KLIPHUIS, CAPENSIS WINES BY SLEE & CO. ARCHITECTS
Kliphuis is a fabulous hospitality pavilion for Capensis Wines. The building takes its visual and material clues from the surrounding topography of the grand Banhoek mountainscape, fynbos, and viticulture. Here, the architecture doesn’t aim to compete with its environment, but rather quietly optimises the use of every advantage offered. Ochre coloured stone was harvested on the farm, and building work was finished in the same ‘hand crafted’ and rustic manner as found with a pre-existing informal terrace. Kliphuis is a simply captivating project, characterised principally by a respect for its natural environment, and a restrained design ethos. The architectural language is sophisticated, and displays a sensitive balance between organic/rustic and modern minimalist design typologies, applied consistently with a delightfully light touch.
20 VINEYARD ROAD, CLAREMONT BY MSA MICHELE SANDILANDS ARCHITECTS
Situated on a small plot in Claremont, 20 Vineyard Road presents a concise, well considered approach to urban complexity in the city. The building mass is held to the existing block by way of a clay brick service core, wrapping the generous staircase and punctuated for light, air, and texture. The structure is set back so that there is no emphasis on the envelope or façade, thereby offering a sectionlike quality to the overall building. Sandiland’s intentions of public celebration are evident in the close attention to detail in the foyer, the stairwell, and the beautiful roof garden.
BLOCK HOUSE BY SOLVATION ARCHITECTS
A juxtaposition of boxes and scale offers delightful moments found within the Block House. This contemporary design offered a great sense of home and an opportunity for entertainment with spaces that open to the outdoors. With a courtyard that portioned itself as the heart of the house, there also seems to be a sequence of movements in and around the house. The vast opening windows allow one to wander into the greater mountains surrounding the site’s location. The house offers a great play of materiality between the stone and plastered walls, together with the consistent play of boxes experienced on different planes.
AWARDS
THE NEX – INDAWO YETHU BY HOPE CAPE TOWN BY CHARLOTTE CHAMBERLAIN & NICOLA IRVING ARCHITECTS
The Nex Hope Community Centre, located in Cape Town, is a social sanctuary deeply considerate of its emergent urban context. Unassuming structures placed along an urban spine allow for a hierarchy of access and privacy, while continuity between the rounded amphitheatre and gallery in the library offers an intriguing spatial device that speaks to the intention of shared knowledge and community. Despite modest use of material and scale, CCNIA have managed to achieve beautiful spaces filled with light and generous volumes through simple gestures such as tilting roofs up to allow for clerestories, articulating ceilings with timber battens, and off-setting material differences in skirtings and plinths. Clay bricks, straw-bale construction, lime plaster, and linseed-based floors all contribute to a rich textural palette that is as familiar as it is welcoming.
OLD CAPE QUARTER BY DHK ARCHITECTS
This mixed-use development executes all the basic urban design strategies relevant to this precinct, retaining the old buildings and façades that hold the street edge and that maintain a scale and style that relates and contributes positively to the precinct. The new building is contemporary but borrows appropriate clues to its appearance from the older buildings. It is fragmented into smaller forms so that the building reads as a group of buildings instead of a monolith. The slight misalignment of certain windows breaks the possible monotony of the resultant elevations. The use of colour is equally well manipulated to both demarcate use types and to reflect the old and new. The different warm, bold colours of the base buildings relate to the fashion of those in the adjacent streets. In contrast to this exuberance, the upper building is quietly reserved in white and relies on its fragmentation, black shutters, and balustrades for articulation. Finally, the public internal courtyard is a gift to Cape Town, incorporating neighbourliness.
CONRADIE SOCIAL HOUSING PHASE 1BY DHK ARCHITECTS AND JAKUPA ARCHITECTS & URBAN DESIGNERS
The first phase of this new high-density living project, for people with diverse incomes, is commended for its functional aptness, design pragmatism, and generosity of spirit. It features red brick four-storey perimeter housing blocks, set in pleasantly landscaped grounds for open air activities. As an interesting contrast to the new buildings, the site also features older structures from the first half of the 20th century. The blocks are separated by ‘streets’, with parking right around every block. Here, the architectural scale and spatial effect strikes one as more urban district/suburb than housing estate, and a congenial even-handedness in the distribution of smaller, medium, and larger units caters to a hierarchy of public, semi-public, and private functions. No visual or other coding differentiation is made to indicate the exact income level of residents, ensuring mixed housing of a democratic kind. This kind of integration may well become a benchmark for projected socially integrated urban environments planned across South Africa.
MOUNTAIN HOUSE BY CHRIS VAN NIEKERK
With a brief to design a holiday home, Chris van Niekerk created a welcoming house with its U-shaped form, nestled within the landscape of the Cape Town mountains. Sand-blasted reinforced concrete and a lime-plastered brickwork finish make up the main structure, while the floors continue the same tone as the walls with a sandstone floor finish. The spaces flow into each other effortlessly, opening onto unique views, while the structural interlocking form of the building is embraced by its landscaping. The varying heights in response to the slope of the site relate well to the capturing of the view, the flow from one space to another, and the organic link between the house and its surroundings. Overall, attention to detail was executed thoughtfully and subtly, giving the building a play of tectonics, using similar tones and textures of materiality to embody the atmosphere.
242 HANGKLIP BY GASS ARCHITECTURE STUDIOS
This small residential alteration to a stone cottage preserves and enhances the character and typology of the existing through subtle contemporary additions. Set back from Hangklip Road, the single storey cottage is nestled in-between vegetation and hidden on approach from the street. A glazed walkway adds to the length of the street-facing stone façade, creating new circulation in order to increase the spatial area. The crafted architectural expression of the new additions supports the prominence of the massing and materiality of the original stone cottage. Spatial thresholds and material connections between old and new are considered and carefully detailed. New window openings are punched into the thick stone masonry façade and edged with a thin protruding steel reveal to define the juncture, making the project’s sensible and sensitive approach a delight.
NEW BEACH BUNGALOW ON CLIFTON 4TH BEACH BY JANE VISSER ARCHITECTS
A new house situated on the large boulders of Clifton 4th beach overlooks the Atlantic Ocean. Through skillful 3D problem solving the architects included three levels comprising of a ground level for living (indoor and outdoor), first level with 3 en-suite bedrooms, and a basement garage level. A staircase links the levels and orientates one back to the ocean view upon arrival on each level. The dwelling sits comfortably on the small plot, and the construction is expressed in the carefully crafted finishes and meticulous detailing thereof. The result is testament to the architect, specialist artisans and builder’s commitment to master their craft and deliver a project that is exceptionally detailed and refined, yet robust enough to withstand the harsh coastal environment.
LOCAL BREWERY & CO – BREWERY, TAPROOM, AND WORKSPACE BY KEVIN FELLINGHAM ARCHITECTS
Kevin Fellingham’s approach to The Foundation (LOCAL) brewery in Woodstock manages to achieve a sense of inclusivity and conviviality through well considered architectural finesse. The utilitarian aesthetic of this industrial building is celebrated in elements such as the cast concrete bar counter, plywood furniture, and exposed services. Yet the spaces are cleverly choreographed to create opportunities for pause, conversation, or observation in this theatre of social engagement. The co-working space offers a collection of aediculae playful mobile pods on oversized castors that can be moved around the space as needed, presenting an innovative approach to multifunctional workspaces. Overall, there is a palimpsest of design decisions that collectively contribute to a rich spatial experience. It is evident that Fellingham has managed to capture the genius loci of this space.
DUNE HOUSE BY KLG ARCHITECTS
Sensitive to the environment and its landscape, Dune House sits between the ocean and a sloping dune on gum-pole posts, allowing a continued flow of windswept sand on the dune from below. The house welcomes you in from the street with an elevated arm stretched out towards the street on a gabion wall anchor point. A glimpse of an introduction to the house is offered by a guest pod that diverts from the walkway, separated from the main house, and gives off the feeling of walking along a coastline wooden deck filled with pockets of discovery. The staggered plan strategically allows for function and environmental response, and the considered response to the external conditions is beautifully replicated internally, providing undisturbed views of both the mountains and the sea.
BAKERY @ LA MOTTE BY MALHERBE RUST ARCHITECTS
With one of the last remaining working watermills in the country in close proximity, the new Bakery @ La Motte links appropriately into the mill, flour, and bread narrative of the estate. The addition of a new bakery and seating area linked to the Jonkershuis has been exceptionally well handled. The concept of making the footprint of the new building correlate to a typically historical transformation of Cape Dutch buildings into an ‘H’ shape has made the scale of the addition and the resultant courtyard spaces between the old and new seem just right. This rigor has been taken through to the height of the building which is restricted to the thatched eave with positive effect. The building’s translucency allows views through to the Jonkershuis from across the lawns, and the consistently careful detailing, both inside and outside the building, reflects the clipped simplicity of the ‘werf’ complex as a whole.
RIVER RETREAT, CAMPS BAY BY MARK THOMAS ARCHITECTS
A variously sloped site, heavily wooded, with a perennial mountain stream running diagonally through it, this unique project overcomes all possible hurdles with great aplomb. The street entrance offers no clue as to the nature of the difficult terrain as entry is gained via an informal open-air, off-street parking area, and a short walk across a bridge descends gently towards the front entrance. A tower, with an egg-shaped footprint, is set at a slight tangent to the main house, containing bedroom spaces on two levels. Access to the tower is gained via mini bridges through a transparent, fully glazed passage section, an interior design conceit, elaborating wittily on the external garden bridge idiom. The house extends to naturally shaded seating areas behind it and across the stream. The sophisticated spatial articulation throughout the entire building and terrain is characterised by a playful sense of expectation and surprise; beyond doubt an architectural success.
RESTORATION OF BEIT MIDRASH MORASHA SYNAGOGUE BY METROPOLIS DESIGN
The Beit Midrash Morasha Synagogue was severely damaged by a fire in 2018. From the devastating loss of collective memory, the work of rebuilding faced the combined challenges of fulfilling the Jewish halachic regulatory requirements, a community’s affection for their original building, a reassessment of the building’s functionality, and the more secular controls of heritage committees and municipal restrictions. The primary move to de-emphasise the cruciform plan of the original 1925 Dutch Reformed Church by inserting an octagonal roof, which introduces more specific Jewish symbolism into the synagogue, was executed masterfully. The roof disassociates from the building, hovering over it and bringing in an ethereal light that culminates at its crown with a floating Star of David motif that creates a play of light and shadow depending on the time of day. Overall, it is an excellent example of how a damaged building can be conserved as well as renewed.
WILLOWS PRIMARY SCHOOL BY NEIL FRANKS ARCHITECTURE
Willows Primary School displays a hard protective edge to the surrounding areas with selective glimpses into the school grounds. The placement of larger components such as the hall on the South East corner of the site was used to position the facility as a beacon in a neighbourhood where positive landmarks are in short supply. On the East side the school opens up towards the sports field, also accessible to the community. The materials used are hardwearing, cost effective, and low maintenance. The scale of the brickwork façade of the hall successfully conveys a sense of unity to the community from a distance, while up-close special attention to the detailing around doors, windows, and screens convey a sense of care and devotion. Additionally, the use of a single colour combination to complement and accent the building is another example of the level of consideration used by Neil Franks Architecture in their response to the brief and context.
SUNSET HOUSE BY OPEN CITY ARCHITECTS
The design draws inspiration from the legacy of modernist houses in Stellenbosch, referencing popular ideologies of modernist architecture such as the use of pilotis and horizontal proportions in the glazing. Diagrammatically the plan is an L-shape with the living room leg deviating from its axis to maximise the Northern aspect and take advantage of the views. The ground storey houses the public functions such as living, dining and kitchen areas in what is perceived as negative space, while the more private activities have been incorporated into the elongated floating structure which becomes the dominant form. It is clear that there was a great amount of delight experienced during the seven years from inception to completion – the importance of which is often underestimated and neglected. Every built work of architecture conceals a confluence of experiences which Sunset House will longingly recall for the brother and sister collaboration for many years to come.
CALLING ACADEMY ADDITIONS, STELLENBOSCH BY SALT ARCHITECTS
The brief for Calling Academy required much needed additional accommodation on an existing site, realised with a shoestring budget. A prominent continuous concrete-block screen as the Eastern façade announces the new addition to the Stellenbosch campus. Positioned between the original school building and the sports field, the permeable screen creates a circulation spine dappled in varying patterns of light alongside the new additions, all tucked under a large tiled terracotta-coloured roof. The roof deepens at the Southern end of the building to create a generous verandah overlooking the sport field and scenic surroundings. The spatial configuration of the programme is adaptable and functionality overlaps in areas to ensure spaces are utilised at all times. The architectural articulation of pliable indoor and outdoor spaces, undulating roof volumes, and the innovative use of a restricted palette of raw materials create a sense of generosity and resourcefulness, enriching the learning environment to contribute to the Academy’s commitment to deliver excellent education in an inspiring setting.
ATHLONE WASTEWATER PLANT CONTROL CENTRE AND BLOWER HOUSE COMPLEX BY SALT ARCHITECTS
This project displays great design confidence, architectural character, and material integrity. It is as streamlined in its approach to dealing matter-of-factly with its function as it is delightful in its nifty architectural and material solutions to the brief. The largest part of the structure is underground in the form of wastewater holding tanks. The main Blower House, featuring laboratories, a control room, and services, is linked elegantly to an adjacent electrical services building. Although the architectural language here is sober both in terms of spatial footprint disposition and in elevation aesthetics, delight is more specifically evidenced by the choice of materials used. Pre-existing structures on the site, a stately group of pumphouses from the 1940s, and another set of 1970s concrete brutalist structures, are referenced subtly in the new structure, using red and brown face brick and rough cast concrete. The building’s initial impression of exterior sobriety belies the ergonomically beautiful interior spaces. It is a building not only satisfying to look at but delightful to be in and work in.
THE RESCUE RESTORATION OF THE HISTORIC TOWN CENTRE OF WUPPERTHAL BY TV3 ARCHITECTS AND TOWN PLANNERS
On 30 December 2018, a fire swept through Wupperthal, destroying more than 50 homes and much of the historic town centre. The rebuilding and restoration of the damaged central core or ‘werf’ is considered to be an excellent example of restoration methodology with principles including the careful retention of as much original fabric as possible and the retention of newer layers of building where these had achieved significance in their own right. The removal of other additions was limited only to those where it could be convincingly argued that their removal would benefit the sense of place by re-establishing stylistic consistency. In addition, the sourcing and use of materials compatible with the old, and the replacement of damaged elements with others that were not replicas, but which are distinguishable as contributing to the story and record of the building’s authenticity, is commendable.
