Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Here’s one good reason to feel blue
Construction of Radisson Blu Hotel and Residence Cape Town on track for swanky opening within year
A TEAM of architectural, construction and design professionals is ensuring that the Radisson Blu Hotel and Residence Cape Town is on track for opening its doors within a year.
The former Safmarine House, a landmark office building in the heart of the city, is easily recognised by its flamed and polished granite exterior. Now, its upper floors are being transformed by developer, Signatura and land owner, Stonehill Property Fund, into Cape Town’s tallest residential developments. Stonehill has also commissioned the development of the lower floors into a five-star hotel which will be operated by Swedish group Carlson Rezidor as its flagship Radisson Blu hotel.
Floors one to 11 are being reconstructed into the Radisson Blu hotel and floors 12 to 23 will house up to 170 sectional title, one and two-bedroom apartments ranging in size from 40 to 88m². This includes seven 97 to 214m² penthouses, and three three-bedroom penthouses up to 290m².
“The original granite and concrete high-rise building cost US $6 million to build, and the current investment will total R1 billion,” says Signatura managing director, David Cohen. “The hotel and residential sector are undergoing rapid growth at the moment, and this development is being turned around in a year to take advantage of this upsurge in the market,” says Derick Henstra, executive chairman of dhk architects who is responsible for the overall hotel design.
The development is separated into the Radisson Blu hotel, residential apartments and penthouses. Each element is being handled by a specialist team.
Brinley Pritchard, dhk associate director, says construction on the apartments started in September, hotel construction started a month later, and construction of the penthouses started early this year. The apartments and penthouses will be ready for occupation by the end of October, with the Radisson Blu and three-bedroom penthouses following later in the year.
Juan Bernicchi, director of Ber- nicchi Architects which is focusing on the apartments, says construction is proceeding over several floors in a staged programme. Stripping of existing walling has begun, and first fix installation of services is under way on six floors. The estimated completion dates will also be staged over three months, starting in June with four floors, another four floors from July and the final three floors from August.
“The existing building form allows for plenty of natural light and views from most internal spaces. The position and shape of the building maximise the 360 degree views of the city,” he says. “Windows that can be opened to all external viewing spaces are a feature not often achieved in conversion of office high rise buildings.”
He says there are enough experienced construction professionals to meet the exacting standards.
Juan Hugo of JW Hugo construction group says the initial demolishing has been undertaken and the firm is working on nine floors, building walls to complete heating, ventilation and air conditioning, plumbing, fire and mechanical work.
Hugo says that apart from the shell of the building and the lifts, all aspects of the apartments will be newly built. Existing services must be stripped before they can start from scratch on the new apartment layout.
“All the existing windows are being retained, not just to provide natural light, but also to make the most of the views. The building was designed and built symmetrically and the designers have done a great job in maximising the space and views,” says Hugo.
JW Hugo should soon complete the walling and ceilings for the entire project. “It’s not often a project in a building like this comes along. It’s a perfect opportunity for investors and home owners to take advantage of what this building has to offer on completion.”
Murray & Roberts is undertaking construction of the hotel – the same firm that built the original high-rise in the early 1990s. Safmarine House initially received a merit award from the Institute of South African Architects as well as a Fulton Commendation from the Concrete Society of South Africa. And the original site agent, Mark Fugard, is still with Murray & Roberts and took over as Western Cape managing director in January.
Preparatory work started in midSeptember, with demolition of the first occupied levels beginning in mid- October. New construction activities, including the first hotel mock-up bedroom, started at the beginning of November.
“The structural layout of the existing building requires no major modifications to accommodate the hotel requirements,” says Dave Heron of Murray and Roberts. “The basic services of water, air conditioning and electricity are already in place and can be adapted to meet most of the new requirements.
“Fire regulations have changed since the original building, and these have to be accommodated in the new layouts. Stripping out of existing partitions, ceilings, and services is already under way. Construction of the new hotel rooms started in October. The first rooms will be ready for hotel operators’ fitout by end of June, with the balance of the work being completed in phases between then and December when the hotel will open.”
As the concrete structure and façade are already in place, the manpower demand for this hotel will be considerably less than for a new build.
Producing five-star hotel amenities can be challenging, but Heron says Murray & Roberts are managing the construction of three hotels in Cape Town at the moment, and the secret to the demanding finishes is the careful selection and management of specialist sub-contractors.
Source Interior Brand Architecture is responsible for the design of the hotel interiors, and by midNovember were busy with the construction documentation phase for the passages and guest rooms, and with design development of the public areas.
Director Evon Smuts-Rogers says key references will be the original 1990s building – which was inspired by the art deco heritage of the city – and its inner-city location. Influences include the array of city cultures, its stone pavements, waterways, status as an ocean liner destination, geometry of the nearby Company’s Garden, and more.
The building retains many fine finishes such as hardwood panelling, white marble and black granite. Source IBA will build on the black and white theme in various ways. Graphics for carpets and screens will be based on patterns found in the existing building, as well as other art deco sources, translated into contemporary motifs
“The development is a remarkable opportunity to revitalise the inner city by giving an obsolete building a new lease of life,” says Henstra. “From the travellers’ point of view it’s going to give people the opportunity of experiencing this exciting city and all it has to offer. A true urban experience. Like visiting a great New York hotel, only in a more beautiful city.”
‘The existing building form allows for plenty of natural light and views from most internal spaces’