The Foreshore is getting a new lease of life thanks to a string of interventions that focus on promoting footfall in the precinct. City Views takes a look at one of these: The Towers redevelopment on Hertzog Boulevard and its spectacular outdoor seating area
Most Capetonians know the story of the Foreshore by now: built on land reclaimed from Table Bay in the 1930s and ‘40s, it struggled to reach its potential as “the gateway into Africa”, stalling in a glorified car park instead and disconnecting the CBD from the sea with a network of unsightly freeways. In fact, its sole attraction historically has been “the road to nowhere” – the unfinished freeway viaduct that inspired a dozen urban legends and many more film shoots. But a new chapter has opened and a new trend has emerged. Today the Foreshore is being reclaimed again – by new pedestrian-friendly developments and refurbishments.
Standard Bank’s The Towers was recently reclad in glass and upgraded by Redefine Properties to the tune of R533 million. Formerly known as the Standard Bank Centre, and used almost exclusively as an office block, it has transformed into a mixed-use marvel with the incorporation of retail at ground level. The centrepiece of this component is a particularly well-appointed Food Lover’s Eatery that draws in office workers by the boat load during lunchtime. There’s also an AngelBerry frozen yoghurt store, a Nannucci Dry Cleaners, a Postnet and a Seattle Coffee Company.
Additionally, Redefine appointed Square One Landscape Architects to convert the public space adjacent to the building into an “urban sanctuary”. The upgrade has proven to be highly popular, turning a dead zone into a busy outdoor seating area that connects with Hertzog Boulevard and the nearby Civic Centre and MyCiTi station. The square also functions as a sustainable urban drainage system.
Says Mark Saint Pôl, the company’s director: “Rainwater is harvested from the roof of the parking garage, stored in tanks and used to irrigate the expansive green facades that span the sides of the building. Overflow water is directed down the enormous columns within the square and channelled into bio-filtration basins, where it sustains indigenous wetland species and is able to percolate into the groundwater, minimising the burden on the City’s stormwater infrastructure.”
A vast pergola spans this magical new plaza, which also features a hardwood deck with tables, chairs and bar counters for working or enjoying lunch. Timber from harvested invasive sugar gum trees was used in the design. “The detailing of the square evokes a marine environment, referencing the geology and landscape that existed before the Foreshore was reclaimed,” adds Mark.
Now that you have a good reason to explore the Foreshore on foot, elsewhere in the precinct you will notice cranes hovering over the rising Cape Town International Convention Centre expansion and Christiaan Barnard Memorial Hospital, which occupy space once used as a car park by Media24. The neighbouring Artscape Theatre Complex is also undergoing long-term upgrade work and around the corner the R400m mixed-use KPMG Place has broken ground. These developments will result in a further increase in retail in the area, including a Virgin Active health club in the hospital building.
Whatever the future of the elevated freeway, the future of the Foreshore looks bright (and, of course, breezy, as the area is known to be) as developers reimagine it as a place for people and not cars.
The Towers
The R533m redevelopment of The Towers was completed for Standard Bank in 2015, creating 2 183m2 of new retail space on the Foreshore.
Reimagining the East City’s Barrack Lane
The image below was created as part of a winning competition entry, compiled by Danielle Ehrlich, Alex Jongens and Gareth Pearson, for Design Indaba’s Your Street Challenge. The entry reimagined the alley between The Bank and 75 Harrington in the East City as a place for the public to sit, eat, meet, work and socialise, and was activated through yoga classes, movie nights and a lunchtime braai.
Says Alex of the entry: “Lining the laneway would be a number of hatches from which entrepreneurs could experiment with business ideas. The spaces would be small and the rent cheap, allowing for low startup costs. The entrepreneurs would be presented with an opportunity, and the community with a public gathering place. These are elements that are missing in the area and the CBD in general.”
Though the project was never realised as planned, the ground floor of 75 Harrington has since come to life organically through the activation of its garage as a coworking hub.
Did you know that since 2012 nearly R7 billion of property development has either been planned, is currently under construction or has recently been completed in the Foreshore area?
Fast facts about The Towers landscaping project
Project cost: R2.5m
Plants used in soft landscaping: predominantly wetland species capable of growing within damp to wet soil conditions, including agapanthus africanus and elegia cuspidata
Amount of sugar gum trees used in the decking, bar counters etc: 2 180 linear metres
Trees planted: 27 trees along the avenue, 2x 1 000L ficus trees, 25x 1 000L plane trees, 7x 1 000L fever trees
This article first appeared in the autumn 2016 issue of City Views. Read it online.