250 BUITENGRACHT

Located on the corner of Upper Buitengracht and Carisbrook Streets, this Victorian property has undergone an extended grid overlay, a virtual carving up, and a primary division running centrally north to south along the length of the plot, to become a back-to-back, U-shape double dwelling around smaller external courts.

As urban planners, D&S Planning Studio wanted to maximise the long, sloping site’s potential, while carefully ensuring the new property is a contextual fit in terms of scale and street interface. The idea was to create a co-living and working space with the opportunity for passive rental income within the confines of a singular site. Their brief to TEAM Architects materialised into two main dwellings, the D&S Planning Studio office, and two flatlets to the rear of the 653 m² plot.

The stone and steel palisade boundary walls are of heritage value and have been retained as necessary elements for preserving the authenticity link to the streets. Largely echoing the materials of the original house, corrugated sheet metal and red brick are dominant throughout, and are responsive to the Victorian material palette without copying or creating a pastiche of the past. The architecture is one of enthusiasm, conceptually rich and playful, whilst addressing the issues of heritage, community, liveability, and connection.

This project is an important addition to the conversation around the possibilities mixed-use or mixed-programming buildings offer, as well as to the often-fraught dialogue on what constitutes appropriate architectural responses in heritage-sensitive or historically-contested contexts.

www.teamarchitects.co.za