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Longkloof catalyst 32 on Kloof by dhk is a hybrid of heritage and contemporary architecture. PHOTOGRAPHY DAVE SOUTHWOOD
To increase the building height, a two-storey orthogonal addition was added above the heritage masonry building, providing a clear distinction between old and new.
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on Kloof, a heritage building situated along popular Kloof Street in Cape Town, has undergone a metamorphosis. Originally constructed in 1922 by prominent architecture firm Parker & Forsyth for the United Tobacco Companies Limited (UTC), the building once housed the company’s administration department. Transformed by multidisciplinary design studio dhk Architects, 32 on Kloof’s rich history has been respected via a contemporary aesthetic that references, rather than replicates, its existing heritage. UTC, a South African subsidiary
of the United Kingdom’s Imperial Tobacco Company and the United States’ American Tobacco Company, was founded in 1904. Shortly thereafter, the company began to acquire portions of what had been the Nooitgedacht farm on the doorstep of the historic Company’s Gardens, to establish premises for manufacturing cigarettes and tobacco products. Several buildings were erected in phases between 1900 and 1922, forming the UTC campus, which comprised a warehouse, factory and staff facilities. The collection of historic red-and-white masonry buildings still occupy the 112-year-old
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precinct, and have since been recognised by the Western Cape as heritage buildings to be protected and preserved. Developed by Growthpoint Properties and designed by dhk, the primarily landlocked site flanked by Kloof Street is undergoing development and represents a R550m investment in the city. Once complete, the revitalised precinct, now named ‘Longkloof’, will invigorate the area, providing new commercial and retail spaces, a 150-key Canopy by Hilton hotel, and secure pedestrian routes linking Kloof Street to Cape Town’s CBD. The client brief for Longkloof’s catalyst project, 32 on Kloof, was
to establish additional premium rentable space by adding two floors to the existing building, maximising the floorplates and reinventing the windowless basement. Ultimately, the client’s vision was for 32 on Kloof to serve as the attractive ‘front face’ of the Longkloof precinct, concealed from Kloof Street. dhk’s response was to respect the building’s heritage and intentionally contrast its existing order and rhythm with a new contemporary addition. This concept allows for an honest dialogue between heritage and contemporary elements, forming a hybrid of architecture that
