preface‍

The Cape Town central business district (CBD) has undergone a remarkable transformation over the last few decades. The downtown area, once abandoned and neglected, is often cited as a success story of inner-city renewal. It has emerged from the “crime and grime” scenario of the late 1990s. Where previously streets would empty out after dark, now, residents and visitors come out to play as the sun sets.

As the city’s fortunes have evolved, so too has the skyline. And, as we look back through time from then to now, we see our own evolution as a multidisciplinary studio deeply embedded in the city's fabric. Our designs have consistently responded to the changing urban context, shaping the city’s form with buildings that reflect dhk’s ongoing story.

Today, the studio is one of the largest and leading architectural studios in Africa and continues to make its mark on the Cape Town CBD, where the story began. Overall, nine partners lead dhk’s team across two offices, supported by directors, senior associates and associates along with the production, technical, communications and administrative support teams. Co-founders Derick Henstra and Peter Fehrsen remain actively involved in the studio’s daily production. ‍

historical context‍

The story starts in the late 1990s. Cape Town's Central City was characterised by a cycle of derelict buildings losing value in a depressed commercial property market, leading to capital and customer flight, eroding rates base and rising crime, grime, poverty and homelessness. Recognising the emergency, a collaboration of public, private and professional institutions formed the Cape Town Partnership (CTP) in July 1999 and the Cape Town Central City Improvement District (CCID) a year later.

 With the CTP looking at the long-term development strategy, the CCID's mandate was to support the City of Cape Town and South African Police Service as a service provider to improve security, maintain public spaces and, later, to care for people on the streets. Their work over the past 24 years has paid off: downtown Cape Town is generally considered to be the safest, cleanest and the most commercially successful CBD in the country. According to the CCID, in 2005, the total value of property in the CBD was just over R6 billion. Two decades later, this valuation is more than R44 billion. The CCID’s State of Cape Town Central City Report published in 2024 highlighted that in 2023 alone, the value of property investment in the Cape Town CBD was conservatively estimated to be worth R7.28 billion.

While city managers were making plans to reshape the city, across town, the leaders of two architectural practices were making plans to reshape their shared destiny. In 1998, Derick Henstra Architects merged with KCvR Architects to form dhk Architects. The merger consolidated the two practices into a dynamic studio with a growing portfolio of award-winning buildings and spaces that embody the energy of a rapidly evolving city. dhk stands as both a witness to and participant in the CBD's successful revitalisation.

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