dhk architects

Thank you Leading Architecture + Design for featuring Brookfield at Royal in your December 2024/January 2025 issue.

Our sister company, dhk Interior Design, is hiring. They are dreaming of a cool, calm, collected, clear-thinking, problem-solving, deadline-managing, team-leading, client-calming, process-driving, installation specialist whose superpower is turning inspired interior designs into flawless reality. They will go weak at the knees for a methodical mind with an impressive portfolio. They will swoon for someone with equal passion for logistics and creativity. If your sense of humour matches your client service, that'll seal the deal. You’ll be our perfect fit with your experience in Hospitality, Retail and Commercial projects as Project Manager or Installations Expert. See more details here: https://lnkd.in/dZnQJaY2

Spotted at Whatiftheworld gallery in Cape Town's City Centre. A drawing of the Norval Foundation by artist John Phalane. The self-taught artist uses layers of colour pencil and ballpoint pen to create vivid geographical drawings and architectural impressions. According to the gallery, much of John’s work is inspired by the routes he travelled as a driver for the Inanda Club in Johannesburg where he worked for sixteen years. Completed in 2018, the Norval Foundation is located in the Steenberg area on the slopes of the Constantiaberg Mountain in Cape Town and is surrounded by vineyards. It was envisioned as a modern pavilion for art, set against a dramatic mountain and vineyard landscape. It is a pure expression of form; a bold rectangular mass, delineating its heavy walled enclosure and light over-sailing roof. #Architecture #UrbanDesign #InteriorDesign #DesignExcellence

Remember the recent Lego build which appeared on our feed? We asked if you could guess which of our mixed-use redevelopments it represented. Now we're ready to reveal more details about this ongoing hospitality project. City Park occupies an entire block between Longmarket, Church, Bree and Loop Streets in the centre of Cape Town’s City Bowl. The building is surrounded by vibrant streets with a rich history. The earliest records of the site show the city block consisting of boarding houses, school, a stable and a retail shop. In 1969, the City of Cape Town constructed the building to serve as a car park with the City Engineering offices above. In 1983, it was converted and opened as City Park Hospital, becoming the oldest private hospital in Cape Town. In 2001, the hospital was renamed in tribute to South Africa’s most famous surgeon, Christiaan Barnard, who pioneered the heart transplant procedure. The facility was vacated in 2016 when the hospital relocated to Cape Town’s Foreshore. It has remained empty from then.   In 2017, Rabie Property Group and Ingenuity Property Investment acquired the building in a joint venture with plans for a mixed-use redevelopment. That same year, we participated in a design competition, which we won, and were then granted the opportunity to refurbish City Park. In 2023, Ingenuity Property Investment partnered with Kasada Capital Management to create a new hotel as part of the ongoing mixed-use redevelopment, set to revitalise the entire precinct. Stay tuned for more details, including our response to the brief and design process. Cover image: Johann Jordaan #Architecture #UrbanDesign #InteriorDesign #DesignExcellence

Good news! The Bellville Public Realm Strategy, which Our Future Cities was proud to support—led by dhk architects and Guy Briggs —is now shaping real change. The City of Cape Town is inviting public comment on the proposed pedestrianisation of South Street, a key intervention identified in the strategy to enhance walkability, create a safer public realm, and unlock value for all—especially for the thousands of commuters, informal traders, and businesses that rely on Bellville’s transport hub daily. With Bellville Public Transport Interchange (PTI) handling 130,000 passengers during the morning peak alone, it is one of Cape Town’s most vital transport nodes. Improving the public realm here is about more than just aesthetics—it’s about ensuring a safer, more accessible, and economically vibrant space that benefits everyone who moves through and works in Bellville CBD. Public participation is key—have your say here: https://lnkd.in/dY-XYrHA #publicspace #publicrealm #capetown #urbandesign #bellville

Huge thanks to SCAPE Magazine for featuring our projects, The Rubik (https://lnkd.in/d9Vy6Qd7) and the award-winning Cape Grace, A Fairmont Managed Hotel, in your 2024/2025 Coffee Table Edition. We modestly agree with your statement that the collection is a “benchmark for brilliance and a measure of the year’s most remarkable and standout new projects”. Visit the Scape Magazine website to read the full 2024/2025 Coffee Table Edition. https://lnkd.in/dmF6SVCm

As design technology has evolved over the years, we've also progressed as a studio to embrace these advances. This transformation hasn't been by chance. Like everything we do at dhk, it's been intentional. Keeping us at the forefront of digital transformation in architecture is a skilled building information modelling (BIM) team located in our two offices in Johannesburg and Cape Town. Led by BIM Lead and dhk Associate Kershlen Moodley, the team is made up of three BIM Managers and two BIM Coordinators deployed across all teams and projects in the studio, helping project teams stay on track while improving their overall project experience. With support from dhk management, Kershlen has watched the team grow from strength to strength, overcoming complex architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) challenges in the ever-evolving world of BIM. He's pleased with their progress and excited for what lies ahead as we expand our project portfolio locally and abroad. Read the full story here: https://lnkd.in/d-v9EKzr

While reviewing our portfolio, we realised several of our developments are marking their tenth anniversary this year, a milestone that reflects our journey of growth. Among these is Bridge Park in Century City, Cape Town, developed through a joint venture between Rabie Property Group and Growthpoint Properties. The two buildings, Bridge Park West and Bridge Park East, occupy a central position within the mixed-use Bridgeways Precinct. Each four-storey building is positioned on a podium, with a recessed façade at ground level, providing shade to the fully glazed ground floor. A full height glazed setback in the façade articulates the main entrance. The aluminium panelled facade of the office floors is punctuated with vertical glazing, providing ample daylight to the workspaces and views throughout the building. Each building encloses a landscaped courtyard, bringing nature into the fabric of the building and providing outdoor breakaway places for staff. In 2015, Bridge Park was awarded a 5-Star Green Star Office rating v1 Design rating by the Green Building Council of South Africa, recognising its sustainable design principles. #Architecture #UrbanDesign #InteriorDesign #DesignExcellence

Thank you SCAPE Magazine for featuring Cape Grace, A Fairmont Managed Hotel in your 2024/2025 Coffee Table Edition. The project to refurbish the Cape Grace, located at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town, is close to our hearts as a collaboration between the interior design team at our sister company dhk Interior Design – who implemented a design conceived by 1508 London – and our architectural design team. The project's success was recognised when our client, Kasada Capital Management, received the Best Refurbishment Award for Cape Grace Hotel at the Africa Property Investment (API) Awards last September. Visit the Scape Magazine website to read the full 2024/2025 Coffee Table Edition. https://lnkd.in/dmF6SVCm #Architecture #UrbanDesign #InteriorDesign #DesignExcellence

Today we're highlighting Sable Park, a commercial development we designed for Rabie Property Group in Century City, Cape Town, in 2018. Located at the southern edge of the thriving Bridgeways Precinct, it’s one of several dhk-designed buildings in the area. The development’s composition was inspired by shuffling multiple forms that operate independently while relating to their immediate context.   On an abstract level, the spaces are duplicated, and the volumes are inverted. This simple application was the singular method to the complexity of the resultant macro-articulation which forms a setting for a series of tableaux with an iconic mountain backdrop. In effect, this complex was set out in scenes that take inspiration from aspects of cinematography and film. Visit our project page for more details. https://lnkd.in/dWBzDgSM #Architecture #UrbanDesign #InteriorDesign #DesignExcellence