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newsflash:

 

dhk scoops two prestigious SAPOA Excellence Awards:

24 May 2010

dhk Architects’ vision of urban re-invention and rejuvenation was rewarded with not one but two prestigious SAPOA Excellence Awards at the 2010 SAPOA Convention held from 12 to 14 May at Sun City.

The two developments epitomise the values and philosophy of the SAPOA Excellence Awards, as expressed by SAPOA’s John Truter.

“Whilst SAPOA is sensitive to the need for developments to be attractive, it wishes to emphasise that this recognition is not based solely on architectural appeal, but rather on an holistic approach in that developments need to be economically viable, satisfy the needs of both the investor and user, be aesthetically appealing and enhance the locality in which they are situated,” Truter said in a statement. “In acknowledging excellence in property development, we must deepen our appreciation and understanding of the urban challenge and the opportunities that exist for solving problems, thereby enriching the quality of life in our cities and urban areas.”
dhk claimed first place in the mixed use category with its innovative 15 on Orange development, which features 12 sectional title apartments, a five-star hotel and 2500m˛ of retail space, and joint first for its AAA-graded Boulevard Office Park development in the office category.

The 15 on Orange development (with client, the Newcity Group) has created a new landmark on Cape Town’s Orange Street and Greys Pass. With its vast airy glass atrium and sleek contemporary edges, the development reflects the vibrant energy of the City of Cape Town and allows the passersby to access the interior without entering the building. The relationship between indoors and outdoors is expanded through the extensive use of glass, and through the three panoramic lifts that transport guests to the rooms and surrounding access walkways at the upper levels of the atrium.

True to the positioning of the building, the spaces, from the conference area to the apartments, offer sweeping views across the Michaelis gardens towards Table Mountain, Lions Head, Signal Hill, and the Upper City.

“Our focus is on designing fit-for-purpose developments on time and on budget, while creating spaces that reflect contemporary design in keeping with international trends and which adhere to conservation and sustainability practices,” said Derick Henstra, Chairman of dhk Architects. “15 on Orange combines all of these elements to create an urban hotel that honours the natural environment and the existing components to recreate an imposing landmark.”

Boulevard Office Park (with client, Faircape Property Developers), is an AAA grade office park development providing 36,000m˛ of prestigious office space with nearly 1,900 parking bays on the periphery of the Cape Town CBD. It was awarded joint first place in the office category of the SAPOA Excellence Awards.  Fellow architects, Peerutin and Rennie Schurr Adendorff, were design partners in this development.

Recognising the need for flexibility, dhk has not created one monolithic structure for the office development. “We have broken up the space required into seven individual buildings that range in size from an intimate 3 200m˛ to a larger 8 500m˛. One building is flexible enough to accommodate users of up to 16 000m˛ if required,” said Henstra.

Again the use of glass allows office workers to feel connected to the external environment allowing panoramic views of the surrounding vistas and provides an excellent quality of natural light to the office space. Pedestrian use is encouraged by minimising vehicle visibility in the public realm and the creation of paved piazza spaces with defined edges, benches and good lighting. At the same time, parking options have been maximized. The super basement provides five parking bays per 100m˛, making it one of the highest parking ratios in Cape Town.

“The developer saw the opportunity to create a unique, commercially viable working environment, desirable because of its position and architecture, which would stimulate further quality development and regeneration in the area whilst being a valuable addition to their portfolio of achievements,” said Henstra.

Through these two developments and others like them, dhk Architects is committed to urban re-invention and rejuvenation that balances the needs of conservation and sustainability, while meeting the needs of investors.

 

 

DHK ARCHITECTS - REDEFINING URBAN LIFESTYLES AND SHAPING THE CITIES OF TOMORROW

May 2010:

dhk Architects have been responsible for the design of more than twelve prestigious projects in the past twenty four months that are not only redefining cities such as Cape Town, but their team of talented architects are revitalising and reshaping the skylines of other international destinations from the tropical island of the Seychelles to Africa’s ancient intellectual capital of Timbuktu in Mali. 

Despite the global recession the company continues to build its reputation as a practice with strong design capabilities, technical skills and a vision that is focused on providing designs that blends heritage with innovation, functionality and the application of sustainable practices to create new precincts, living spaces and mixed-use urban developments, bringing with it new life to old streets and neighbourhoods. 

As a full-service architectural firm that incorporates both interior design and urban design under its dhk { } thinkspace and dhk Urban Concepts brands respectively, the collective dhk Group is changing the view both inside and out.
Some of the diverse projects the company has delivered in the space of the past two years include:

 And whilst picking up not one, but two prestigious SAPOA Excellence Awards recently for its visionary urban re-invention and rejuvenation work on 15 on Orange (with client, the Newcity Group) and Boulevard Office Park in Woodstock (a design partnership with Peerutin Architects and Rennie Schurr Adendorff Architects) this growing Cape-based practice  is not resting on any laurels.   With a promising order book and several other projects on the go in places like Mogliano in Italy to its joint-venture partnership on the Cape Town Station Revitalisation Project , dhk Architects is steadily shaping the structures and the living spaces of the cities we will live and work in tomorrow.