evolution period (2000-2010)

mediterranean shipping co. (msc) building

The first project following the merger was the Mediterranean Shipping Co. Building. Completed in 2001, it remains a highly visible landmark in the Foreshore. “The Mediterranean Shipping Company wanted to make a statement with their building, and we did it. The materiality of it was interesting,” quips Derick, commenting on the marble and steel façades. “It’s a building of its time.”

other notable projects‍

At the time the CBD was experiencing a significant resurgence. Developers were watching the regeneration and clean-up process underway and expressing confidence in the Cape Town opportunity.

This vote of confidence for the city and the studio started an upward trajectory for both. The Taj Hotel and Mandela Rhodes Place were striking expressions of this confidence. dhk was commissioned to design both, completing them in 2010 and 2008 respectively, representing the first tall buildings in the studio’s early portfolio.
The Taj is an expression of the studio’s expertise in adaptive reuse, which introduces contemporary additions to existing historical buildings.

The adaptive reuse approach became a cornerstone of dhk’s philosophy to design buildings that respond to their surroundings, along with the core principle of creating active street frontages to engage with passing foot traffic. The Capital 15 on Orange hotel on the corner of Orange Street and Grey's Pass is a significant project in dhk's history that reflects these design approaches. The project was completed in 2009. The building was originally the Dutch Reformed Synod Hall. Key elements of the original structure were retained, including the original façade.

The hotel features a vast internal atrium, or galleria, which is the glue that holds the whole building together, encasing its various functional parts. The atrium also marks the meeting place between the remaining parts of the original hall and the new addition. “Our clients wanted a luxury hotel. Heritage wanted us to retain certain elements of the former building,” Derick recalls. “It was like carving away at a piece of wood. We also built a beautiful penthouse on top. It's absolutely one of our favourite buildings.”

In 2010, Cape Town hosted the first African FIFA World Cup event, showcasing the city as an event destination to be reckoned with. In parallel, dhk’s reputation was growing too. Between 2002 and 2016, the studio completed several projects that have since become recognisable Cape Town landmarks, including the reconstruction of the Mount Nelson Hotel, new buildings at 115 Buitengracht replacing a police building and ORO Africa at 170 Buitengracht Street. Later projects include the Icon Building on Hans Strijdom Avenue, the Triangle House office conversion, in 2016, to the Radisson Blu Hotel and Residence (now the Pullman hotel) on Riebeek Street, and, as part of a consortium, the design and interiors of the renowned Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC).

lifestyle on kloof

In the years to follow, the success of the Cape Town CBD began to have a knock-on effect, attracting more and more business and leisure visitors, and raising the game for commercial developers in the city and the urban edges beyond.

For dhk, a similar key shift came with the expansion into a new sector: shopping centres. The first in this sector was Lifestyle on Kloof, the popular retail centre on Kloof Street. This project set the stage for the studio’s future retail developments across South Africa, including Baywest Mall (Gqeberha), Dainfern Square (Johannesburg), Newtown Junction (Johannesburg), Eikestad Mall (Stellenbosch) and Melrose Arch Piazza (Johannesburg).

“This is a special building to me,” says Derick. “It was the first small shopping centre in the street. The steelwork in the front and pedestrianised colonnade helps to activate the street, with people walking under the balconies, rather than on the pavement alongside. There are also lovely offices on top with views.”

the district and woodstock regeneration

Cape Town’s commercial tentacles began to stretch even further, as developers started to extend their ambitions beyond the CBD’s boundaries. For dhk, this was a catalyst for the studio’s commissions in Woodstock, including The District, which was completed in 2008, and The Boulevard, completed in 2009.

Located at 41 Sir Lowry Road, The District is best known as the home of Ogilvy South Africa, the local representation of the global creative group. The District was seen as a catalyst to regeneration in Woodstock, which influenced the design.

Derick notes, “The building picked up the rhythm of the street; it wasn’t one massive, big block. It has a lot of scale. It also has an industrial look with glass and steel; the stairwell and brickwork were very 'Woodstockie' industrial.”

“It was incredibly well done,” he adds. “The inner building façades look down over a beautiful piazza inside, which reflects our thinking about prioritising and bringing life to public spaces.”

the boulevard

Not far from The District is The Boulevard, a two-hectare site facing the Eastern Boulevard at the entrance to Cape Town. This project was an additional contributor to the revitalisation of Woodstock’s business environment.

The clients needed a distinct office park that would accommodate various tenants in the building located on a prominent site alongside the N2 highway. dhk’s scope included the masterplan, architectural guidelines, basement parking levels and three of the seven buildings in the scheme. The contemporary buildings are designed to surround a central piazza and feature striking faceted glass façades, external columns and flush glazing.

“This was a breakthrough building for us,” says Derick. “We’d never done anything like this. This was our first real foray into transparent glazed buildings, which was a strategy to make the most of the magnificent views over the harbour, city and mountains. Wherever you are, you have a view.”

The buildings feature exposed concrete, granites and stainless steel, creating a presence which is mitigated by the design treatment, as Derick explains: “The thing that's successful in my view is that the buildings are huge in scale, but we have lots of verticality in terms of walkways, balconies and a courtyard to break that down. Because they're set back a little, the scale doesn’t feel intimidating. At The Boulevard, you can see everything – it's not exclusionary.”

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