Construction World December 2021

ARCHITECTS

use, scale and material i ty to address thei r part icular pos i t ion on the s i te. For the res ident ial component of apartments and hotel accommodat ion, Vivid Archi tects took clues f rom the t imeless and recogni sable des ign ethos of the Amsterdam canal edge row house archi tecture to f ront onto the whar f that defines the water facing elevat ion of the development . I t interpreted thi s in a stripped down and contemporar y manner wi th elegant thin façade vert ical i ty further accentuated by combining natural and painted face brick to ensure colour variat ion and elevat ional interest . As one approaches Sable ci rcle, the archi tects wanted a bui lding that l i teral ly swept you around i t wi th i ts sleek flowing flush glazed façade that would speak of high end of fice space wi th a great corporate ident i ty and views back to Table Mountain. To of fset thi s , Vivid Archi tects created a thi rd bui lding typology of Whar f style warehouse bui ldings that accommodates smal l of fice studios that f ront onto Conference Lane and form the focal corner entrance to the hotel porte cochere drop of f. The Bridgewater construct ion process was a unique experience, as any current bui lding contract , due to the interrupt ion of the Covid pandemic hard lockdown in march 2020. The construct ion status was up to 2 nd floor slab in some areas , when the s i te was abandoned for three months . As such there was an agreed extens ion of t ime negot iated between cl ient and contractor to the mutual ‘benefi t ’ of both part ies . Through thi s experience, wi th i ts many chal lenges , the qual i ty of the outcome was not for fei ted and the end resul t i s a project to be proud of for cl ient , contractor, and consul tants . The ent i re Bridgewater construct ion s i te was bui l t s imul taneously wi th the new Ratanga Park , sharing a s i te and a main contractor, and as such the envi ronmental impact of the bui ld was mi t igated by the rigorous and detai led re-working of the Ratanga canal system which was drained for the durat ion of the project . The canal system was ful ly rehabi l i tated wi th al l major and sens i t ive vegetat ion protected or sens i t ively moved. Thi s process i s ongoing and wi l l benefi t the greater Cape Town as a major publ ic faci l i ty once completed. Bridgewater and Ratanga Park of fer sens i t ively and managed des igned publ ic spaces and faci l i t ies , of fering truly urban and natural envi ronments s ide by s ide in a unique sett ing that wi l l contribute mass ively to both Centur y Ci ty and Cape Town as a whole. 

BRIDGEWATER

V ivid Archi tects des igned Bridgewater as an ent i re ci ty block , and i t i s ver y exci t ing to see the conceptual thinking behind the Bridgewater development coming to real i ty. The bui lding acts as a wonder ful inter face and trans i t ion between the urban neighbourhood of Centur y Ci ty Square and the extraordinar y natural envi ronment of the newly re- imagined mixed use Ratanga Precinct , new park and rehabi l i tated waterbody. The development connects Bridgeways wi th the new Ratanga Park via a t imber clad footbridge, and creates a defined publ ic whar f edge to the redes igned waterway system that emulates the memor y of old Amsterdam canal -s ide row houses and walkways . Bridgewater was des igned to al low seamless connect ivi ty and pedestrian access in, around and through the development . The ‘ci ty block’ development was intent ional ly des igned as a number of individual bui ldings wi th thei r own unique language and personal i ty al l l inked and uni fied around an internal central publ ic square or court . Thi s court acts as a wonder ful fi l ter for pedestrian movement l inking the many bui ldings of the overal l Bridgeways precinct to the newly des igned Ratanga Park and water f ront . The mixed use nature of thi s development wi l l ensure al l day act ivi ty and l i fe beyond the 9-5 working day. The use of tact i le and warm materials was intent ional to create a place for people to feel comfortable to work , l ive, and play. There are three predominant bui ldings or typologies that make up the Bridgewater development , including 80 hotel beds , 122 apartments , three separate Of fice bui ldings wi th over 350 parking bays . They each play thei r own ver y important unique role in des ign,

PROJECT INFORMATION

• Company entering: Vivid Architects • Project start date: November 2019 • Project end date: September 2021 • Client: Rabie Property Group • Main Contractor: WBHO • Architect: Vivid Architects • Principal Agent: Vivid Architects

• Quantity Surveyor: B&L QS • Consulting Engineer: Zutari

74 20 th Best Project Awards 2021