The Axis apartment block occupies a prominent corner position in Century City, Cape Town and was designed to capitalise on enviable views of Table Mountain and the Atlantic Ocean. The design was conceived as a monolith with indentations and cut-outs to add surprise and interest to the form. Designed for Rabie Property Group, it comprises 85 luxury residential apartments and penthouses, supplemented with small-scale commercial and retail space at ground level.
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The compact form of the building wraps around itself and rises gradually to its full 11storey height. Consequently, most apartments are oriented towards views of Cape Town and the mountain. Visual ‘gashes’ add interest to the façade. The unique doughnut-shaped structure includes sheltered walkway spaces that offer glimpses of the city and offer a sense of connection with the outside world. The rising form cuts away, creating dynamic terraces and activity at differing heights, culminating in generous penthouse units.
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A deep fissure at the heart of the building creates a contrasting negative space as the building form wraps around itself. This deep 30m x 13m space acts as alight chasm that catches the north light and delivers it through the whole building to the lowest floors. At the base is a courtyard made up of a white-painted face brick fenestration that creates an alternate world inside the building. The rustic textured nature of this area was intentionally designed to complement the smooth, sleek external cladding. A series of transparent glazed commercial and public spaces surround the courtyard. The courtyard spills out onto landscaped gardens, offering 360-degree views and connecting the internal areas to the outside environment. Inside the courtyard, a highly reflective aluminum material wraps the bottom escape staircase, emulating a mirror, and challenging residents to look up.
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Each apartment was meticulously designed to optimise views and light and to provide generous spaces that extend to ample external terraces. Axis was a welcome addition to the vibrant, mixed-use Bridgeways Precinct in Century City when it was completed in 2018. Other developments in the area include commercial twin developments Sable Park and Bridge Park, which we also designed. Click to read more about these projects.

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Dave Southwood + Wieland Gleich - Photographers