Bl ue print
Clifton Terraces apartments on Victoria Road, Cape Town, designed by SAOTA, makes a striking but sensitively integrated architectural statement in the area’s distinctive cliffside setting.
Step up Phot og r aphy: A dam L e tch & Nie l Vo sl oo
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lifton Terraces recedes from the street in a series of stepped, articulated terraces that follow the site’s natural contours, boasting panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean and local landmarks such as Table Mountain and Clifton’s series of sheltered beaches. Clifton Terraces accommodates ten apartments, including four levels of side-by-side simplexes, plus a level of duplexes above them and a pair of fivelevel penthouses set back behind private gardens. Parking is accommodated on three levels: one basement, one at street level and one above. The reception area includes a large-scale site-specific artwork by top-tier artist Marcus Neustetter, which imparts a unique sense of place and adds a layer of creative engagement with the development’s setting. A central spine of greenery divides the tiered levels vertically, allowing each side of the building to pivot independently of the other as the levels step back, making for a dynamic architectural expression of the building’s form. The site, which occupies a prime elevated position on Lion’s Head, consolidated three adjacent properties, two facing the street and one landlocked site behind it. Its position was considered sensitive in terms of the grain of its natural and architectural context, the scenic drive along Victoria Road and, perhaps most of all, consideration for the views and privacy of neighbouring properties. Behind the site is a protected green belt of public space just below the
scenic drive along Kloof Road, with views that were imperative to preserve. SAOTA actively engaged with the city and the building’s neighbours, analysing the impact of the development on the outlook of each of their properties and ensuring that their lateral views across the front of the building would be unaffected. In most instances, SAOTA managed to improve them. The building’s raked-back terraces and articulated form has its genesis in these considerations, ultimately transforming multiple constraints into the basis of an authentic, highly motivated design solution. The plinth of the building contributes to the public domain. From a pedestrian perspective at street level, the building’s proportions have been carefully integrated with the existing streetscape, harmonising with the scale of the adjacent buildings. The plinth’s sandstone finish is a nod to the natural colour and texture of the decomposing granite boulder that protrudes from the basement onto the sidewalk, preserving the historical and geological character of the scenic thoroughfare. (The fact that the boulder was decomposing meant significant feats of engineering were required to preserve it.) Continued next page//
14 Leading Architecture + Design DECEMBER 2021/JANUARY 2022
