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Cape Town is now available in the C-guide
After its launch as a web platform and app for mobile devices in December 2019, and with the aim of promoting knowledge and recognition of the most significant architectural works, the guide continues to consolidate its position as a network of outstanding contemporary architecture around the world, including cities such as London, Sydney, Paris, Barcelona, Amsterdam, Chicago, Dubai, São Paulo, Córdoba and Shanghai.
With the addition of Cape Town, the C-guide now proposes a journey through its more than 2,000 projects, inviting us to discover the didactic value of experiencing architecture, either on site and using the app as a travel tool, or at home, surfing the web to be momentarily transported to places such as this great South African metropolis, a city with great socio-economic contrasts that are reflected in its architecture.
The guide includes remarkable single family homes such as the Porter house by Salta Architects or the OVD525 by Three14Architects, as well as social projects aimed at the most disadvantaged sectors of society, such as the Empower Shack project by Urban Think Tank, an innovative project based on a replicable housing prototype that is having a major impact on improving the living conditions of its users.
Informal urban fabric (#informal urban fabric) is an important part of the city and some of the city’s best contemporary architectural works have been designed to act as catalysts for the regeneration of these neighbourhoods, providing them with community services as well as contributing to the creation of identity. Some examples of such projects are the Inkwenkwezi and Ususazo schools, both designed by Wolff Architects.
South Africa’s fascinating recent history is reflected in its architecture, with projects aimed at building a diverse society, leaving behind the racial segregation of the apartheid system (#post-apartheid). Projects such as the Guga’s Thebe Cultural Village or the Zip Zap Circus School address this through culture, while other works such as the Prestwich Street Memorial or the Robben Island Museum do so through the recovery of collective memory. The housing project in District Six, aimed at recovering the memory of the anti-apartheid resistance in this historic site, is particularly significant in this area.
One of the most important urban projects in recent years is the urban regeneration of the Victoria & Albert Waterfront, with the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA) at the heart of the project. Designed by Heatherwick Studio and rated CCC, the project redesigns an existing old silo, making full use of its spatial and sculptural features. In addition to this there are other public spaces that form part of this urban project, such as the Battery Park and the Watershed business incubator, both of which are open to the public.
Tags: Architecture, Design | 2 years ago | Written by: Cosentino
