The Twinell building, an Edwardian-art deco fusion extending between Long and Loop streets, is being reimagined for the 21st century, complete with some sensitive restoration and a contemporary addition – all to the tune of R120 million.
On Long Street, near the Wale Street intersection, a purple 1920s Edwardian facade looks out towards the Provincial Legislature. Turn right at the corner and then right onto Loop Street and near the Church Street intersection you’ll see a 1940s brick art deco facade with tall, thin windows. Apart from their heritage value and period features, there’s nothing particularly remarkable about either of these buildings. But when you look a little closer you notice something very interesting: sometime in the 20th century, they were conjoined over an entire city block. This is the Twinell, and, in fact, its footprint covers five erven.
Over the decades, this gargantuan six-floor space has housed everything from a large video production company with a recording studio to a backpackers on one floor. Younger City Views readers may remember it for the summer rooftop parties in recent years – a rare opportunity to enjoy the cityscape outdoors and up high.
Unfortunately, Twinell went the same way as many of the Cape Town CBD’s other buildings when the area saw disinvestment prior to the establishment of the CCID. When investment did return to the Central City, the building was not structurally competitive with new developments, many of which incorporated new trends in sustainability and catered for the demand for light, open-plan workspaces. Though it had a few tenants, Twinell began to literally fall apart.
Luckily, developer Dave Linder of Kings Cross Properties saw its potential. He bought the building in February 2014 and set about restoring and converting most of it into AAA-grade office space. The redevelopment also has contemporary additions, a retail component and will continue to house the Labour Court as well as new tenant AAA School of Advertising. Dave says: “It’s all about taking a different view of using the space.”
And what a space. City Views was invited to take a look at the work in progress. We were in awe of the large floor area, abundance of natural light and high-quality fittings and finishes – already a vast improvement over what we’d seen before. During our tour of Twinell, we met Dave and project architect John Doyle, whose work reflects his desire to treat historical buildings with care while incorporating contemporary design principles.
He explains: “I’m careful not to clash with the ambience created by heritage buildings, but I don’t believe in mimicking historical styles in new projects.”
His designs for Twinell are a prime example of this. The Long Street side is being restored as closely as possible to its original look, including the reinstatement of the gable, which had been removed over time. And the most significant change on Loop Street is the restoration of the ground-floor facade, which currently hardly befits its role as the entrance to the Labour Court. “In consultation with Heritage Western Cape, I redesigned the bottom on Loop to return it to the symmetry of the original art deco historical intent,” says John.
To create a grand entrance, a canopy will be hung over the pavement, with an art deco Lady Justice statue on top. Dave is in the process of commissioning a sculptor.
But the restoration runs deeper than a mere facelift. Steel window frames are being painstakingly restored and replaced throughout Twinell, despite there being only one manufacturer of steel window frames left in South Africa, and the entire building has also been rewired and replumbed.
Perhaps the most exciting part of the redevelopment, however, is the additional building that will soon break ground on the 250m² plot next door on Loop Street. Designed to frame and bring out the neighbouring art deco facade, it’s almost entirely glass and curves over the top of the existing building, bringing the total floor height to nine storeys.
And there are plenty of exciting sustainability features in all parts of Twinell – ‘20s, ‘40s and 21st century. The “atrium”, a vertical core created when the original buildings were joined, is a valuable source of natural light and, Dave reckons, the perfect place to plant “the biggest tree I can fit in there.” He explains his philosophy: “My aim is to put as many plants in the building as would take up the footprint if it weren’t here.”
Other green initiatives include enlarging the windows on the Church Street side to take advantage of sunlight, dry water urinals, recycling of greywater for the plants, a heat pump instead of hot-water cylinders, solar panels to assist the heat pumps, and regulated air conditioning. LED lights are being used wherever possible, and will be triggered by motion sensors.
Dave is landscaping vertically too: expect not one but two green walls, visible to passers-by on the street, on the new site. There is also planting and landscaping planned for the existing and new rooftops.
Dave is hoping to entice legal firms to take up tenancy in the Twinell, pointing to the Labour Court, as well as the building’s proximity to the High Court on Keerom Street. The Labour Court has received a substantial upgrade and expansion of its workspace, as has the popular African Women Craft Market on the Long Street side. New tenants can, therefore, be assured of high-quality finishes and bespoke operating space in a truly mixed-use environment.
Chairperson of the CCID Rob Kane is thrilled with the redevelopment: “What we’re seeing in Twinell is an opportunity to bring different periods of architecture together that respects the old while embracing the new – which of course includes sustainability. Add to this a vibrant mix of ground-floor and above ground-floor tenants and Twinell will once again become totally relevant for the 21st century. It’s great news for the Cape Town property market.”
This article first appeared in the December 2014 / January 2015 issue of City Views. Read it online.