V&A Waterfront to open peaceful new green space
Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront will unveil a new green space away from the commercial bustle of the waterfront when it launches Battery Park in October.
The new Silo District‚ with its massive grain silo redesigned to resemble a beehive and which now houses the Zeitz Museum for Contemporary Art Africa‚ will have to share the spotlight with the V&A Waterfront’s new project.
V&A Waterfront CEO David Green said Battery Park would be a decommercialised public space for people to take a break in the middle of the city.
The 12‚000m² park has open fields‚ fynbos gardens and trees‚ built on top of the ruins of a 200-year-old artillery installation.
What would a South African public space be without a braai area? There are also basketball courts‚ a skate park‚ and a play area for kids.
Two massive 18th-century cannons stand ready to destroy the consulting firm just across the canal from the reconstructed artillery post “with a contemporary take”.
Green said the waterway was a public swimming space with potential for water polo and other water sports.
There are already shops letting out bicycles and “stand up” paddle boards for people to explore the canals and the city.
“A key feature of the V&A has always been to re-establish the connection between the city and the sea‚ which we have achieved with the pedestrian path alongside the canal‚” Green said.
“Equally important‚ the ruins of the Amsterdam Battery have been retained in the park as a new heritage site.
“A key focus of the development was also to offer views of the Waterfront and surround- ing CBD‚ as well as retain and enhance the historically important line of sight between the battery and the noon day gun site on Signal Hill‚” he said.
“Our overarching vision, though‚ was to provide a functional‚ convenient‚ comfortable‚ safe and unrestricted space with recreational activities for all age groups‚” Green said. –