Observatory is one of Cape Town's oldest suburbs, rich in history and rich in potential. It has a history as a light industrial manufacturing centre, though this character has changed over the years. Most recently, the area has attracted substantial interest, thanks to its central inner-city location, strong strategic and local transport links and distinctive character. This is evident from the extensive development currently underway, particularly in the area between Lower Main Road and the railway line, north of Station Road.

Our client on this project had explored development opportunities for several properties in the area. With further development on the cards, the client wanted to explore the relationships between these various properties and other existing and proposed developments in the area. We were appointed to prepare an urban design study to inform expansion of the St Michael's Road Precinct in Observatory.

The resulting St Michael's Road Precinct Urban Design Framework established a lever to drive growth and boost resilience in this important economic urban node. We examined the sites around the lower end of St Michael's Road and adjacent streets to create a precinct in which the buildings complement one another and generate greater value as a whole. The framework proposed several interventions for the spatial structure, vehicular and pedestrian movement, public space and landscape network, public realm and solutions to create active edges.

The urban design framework defined a vision for the public realm at a precinct-scale, and its recommendations highlighted opportunities to guide the evolution of the architectural proposals for the various sites the client owned.

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