Robert Silke\u2019s radical transformation

There’s been a fair amount of hype about what’s going to be the tallest or largest building in Cape Town over the past few years, but little is made of the re-inventions of current spaces into glorious citychanging landmarks. Take, for example, Robert Silke’s transformation of Cape Town's Foreshore with his new Onyx development for John Rabie's Signatura.

Silke explains, “Johnny Rabie has this sixth sense for what’s going to be the next big thing – he saw the opportunity in the area, found the ideal property, and didn’t have to wait for approval. In partnership with Nedbank, the property’s owner, we could get into the project very quickly. Instead of a new development, we made a new building out of an old one. That’s incredibly hard architecturally, but it has brought new life to the Foreshore.”

Careful surgical intervention to the façade of the existing building on the Cape Town Foreshore - particularly a sculptural white aluminium curved balcony offset against the existing black façade - helped edit a corporate 'black glass box' into an elegant apartment hotel.

He adds, “The brief was to make something aspirational and beautiful and give it a genuine joy and frivolity. And there was a budget available to do it.” Silke set about the delivery of something different – to transform the office building into a luxury cruise liner.

“The trick here has been to edit a corporate ‘black glass box’ into an apartment hotel – something that inspires fantasy and the joy of living in one of the world’s great harbour cities. This happened by careful surgical intervention (to the façade, especially) so as to create opportunities for futuristic and sculptural white aluminium curved balcony features, off-set against the existing black façade. The crisp aluminium detailing evokes the experience of a luxury yacht. We didn’t even think we had the skills and expertise in South Africa to pull this off. It’s more like an iPhone than a building – a piece of product design. I think that’s perhaps one of the reasons it captured the public’s imagination.”

The outcomes of commercial design are currently quite predictable in South Africa (“at its lowest ebb” as Silke explains), and yet it’s no secret consumers and investors are yearning for something more bespoke – creating a shift to smaller scale individualised design, not just in property but in products too. The challenge is delivering something sustainable, authentic and of high quality. “In a world so caught up in sustainability, recycling a building through thoughtful conversion is probably the greenest act a property development can do – more than any regulation or bylaw can demand. But to do it with style, well, that's a whole other thing,” adds David Cohen of Signatura.

Silke continues, “Run by Newmark Hotels, the hotel component of the development is not another subset of a large chain. It’s a ‘one-off’ and for that reason the materials inside make use of real wood and marble. In a generation where we are looking for differentiation and value, Onyx delivers, with some apartments offering expansive views and wooden decks.”

The crisp aluminium detailing and futuristic aesthetics evoke the experience of a luxury yacht, a design that captures to the joy of living in one of the world’s great harbour cities.

Design maven Michael Chandler, of Chandler House, explains, “Robert’s work is visionary and yet deeply nostalgic at the same time – romantic and poetic. I wish the rest of the city would wake up and follow in his footsteps, but I think it’s very hard to get it right and it is something that Robert is so good at. The Onyx presents as a glamorous sailing ship, full of happy travellers ready for a voyage of adventure.”

The development’s clients range from European and African billionaires through to neighbouring Naspers employees. Interestingly, there are many residents who do not use a parking bay, a growing trend in a world of rising vehicle and parking costs with Uber as a popular alternative. City dwellers, entrepreneurs and employees have access to Woolworths and Virgin Active and enjoy the benefits of hotel facilities, with use of both the hotel pool and bar, as well as access to room service.

“What has been rewarding to see is that the base of residents and hotel guests is totally diverse, which is exactly what we are seeking to achieve in the city. It’s a real sign the city is growing up,” Silke concludes.

The hotel component of the development is run by Newmark Hotels as a ‘one off’. Materials inside make use of real wood and marble.