4 minute read
Tradition of change
PHOTOGRAPHY MARKUS JORDAAN
The Old Granary building in Buitenkant Street, Cape Town, dating back to 1813, has been restored and upgraded for its new tenants, the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation (D<LF).
The Old Granary in Buitenkant Street, Cape Town, dates back to 1813 and is considered one of the city’s most historically significant architectural landmarks. Nevertheless, before the City of Cape Town’s decision to restore it, the building had been vacant for 20 years and was in a dilapidated state. In 2016, work began to restore and upgrade the heritage building specifically for its new tenants, the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation (D<LF), an organisation dedicated to continuing the legacy of its founders.
Over its long history of more than 200 years, the Old Granary has served many functions. As well as its original purpose as the town granary, the building has also been used as a women’s prison, a magistrate’s court, a customs house and the offices of the Public Works Department. The city’s plan was to convert the structure into office space for the D<LF, which would include a peace centre, an archive centre and a museum.
An important part of the significance of the building complex is the fact that it probably is one of the only (if not the only) remaining examples of an “unrestored” architectural complex with changes spanning over 200 years. GAPP Architects and Urban Designers followed a “building-as-document” approach in their restoration of the building. Rather than sacrifice the idiosyncratic insertions and the chaotic layering of fabric that they uncovered in the name of restoration, they chose instead to preserve the historic record of the building’s previous uses.
This attitude was driven by one of the universal guiding principles for the restoration of old buildings, which is to do as little as possible to the building but as much as is required. The exceptions to this rule were the introduction of a new lift and external walkway in order to comply with disabled access and fire regulations. These interventions have visually been expressed as contemporary in order to clearly separate its appearance from the original fabric. It was a deliberate design strategy to always express new interventions in contemporary black material, either glass or steel, in order to distinguish it from the original and to emphasise the contrast between the old and the new.
GAPP Architects and Urban Designers followed a “building-asdocument” approach in their restoration, revealing the chaotic layering of fabric that they uncovered and preserving the historic record of the building’s previous uses.
The original design concept of two internal courtyards with a ‘figure of eight’ circulation route along the perimeter proved to be successful in integrating the later buildings with the historic core.
Restoration work to specific artefacts of recognised architectural and aesthetic merit was carried out according to the degree of “alertness” and reconstruction work on the older historic part of the building. Very few interventions were made in the historical core of the building, other than painting and restoration.
The architects took a strict preservationist approach to the exterior façade of the historic core and Longmarket Street wing, most notably on the decorative pediment and flanking parapet sculptures. But in other areas, they decided to demonstrate the complex architectural layering by keeping later additions over ‘original’ features. For example, the matchboard ceiling and skylight (probably late 19th/early 20th century) in the first floor of the south-east wing of the building were not removed in favour of the early 19th century yellowwood ceiling it probably conceals. Some of the less significant buildings and more intrusive later additions within the complex were demolished.
All substantial interventions are limited to the internal courtyards and spaces, but nevertheless respect the historical character, scale and visual cohesion of the building, without being literal copies. Larger-scale internal remodelling and limited demolition of less significant buildings within the complex were done in order to meet the functional requirements of the tenant. The relatively modest accommodation requirements provided an opportunity to remove some of the more intrusive later additions and still stay within the existing envelope of the building. A “loose fit” approach to tenant fit-out was followed, which, in turn, permitted a design approach that made it easy to meet the heritage design indicators.
The original design concept of two internal courtyards with a “figure of eight” circulation route along the perimeter proved to be successful in integrating the later buildings with the historic core. Through the use of consistent design language and meticulous detailing of transparent architectural elements as neutral expressions of the functional requirements, the previously fragmented elements were blended into one cohesive building complex.
Through the use of consistent design language and meticulous detailing of transparent architectural elements as neutral expressions of the functional requirements, the previously fragmented elements were blended into one cohesive building complex.
The addition of a newly contemporary layer of fabric reflects the new use of the building, specifically in reference to the important role the D<LF played in the transition of South Africa. The D<LF’s ongoing contribution to the historical narrative of the building becomes both a catalyst for the historical preservation of the building, and for its continued legacy – adding another layer to the building’s ongoing narrative in the architectural and social history of the city.
