Photographer: Dave Southwood | ArchDaily

From Tiny Squares to Urban Parks: 100 Public Spaces From All Around the World

María Francisca González — Sun, 04 Jun 2023 07:30:00 +0000

The key to successfully designing or recovering public spaces is to achieve a series of ingredients that enhance their use as meeting places. Regardless of their scale, some important tips are designing for people's needs, the human scale, a mix of uses, multifunctionality and flexibility, comfort and safety, and integration to the urban fabric.

To give you some ideas on how to design urban furniture, bus stops, lookouts, bridges, playgrounds, squares, sports spaces, small parks, and urban parks, check out these 100 notable public spaces.

Parklands College Secondary School / dhk Architects

Pilar Caballero — Sat, 23 Oct 2021 23:00:00 +0000

Over the past several years, schools around the world, including South Africa have begun to embrace new modes of learning. This shift has emerged as a result of technological advancements, new ways of accessing and disseminating information, as well as a pedagogical shift towards collaborative or blended learning.Parklands College, an Apple Distinguished School in Cape Town, is at the forefront of innovative education techniques in the country and uses these methods to develop global competencies and skills in its learners so they can build their own futures. In aid of this, the College recently expanded its campus to include a new ‘Innovation Centre’ designed to accommodate a variety of teaching methods all within an innovative, technology-based environment.

World Photography Day: 25 Emerging Architectural Photographers from Around the Globe

Paula Pintos — Thu, 19 Aug 2021 08:00:00 +0000

Architectural photography has developed into its own art form, and it might be as important as the built work itself. We consume architecture not only physically and spatially in a building but also through photographs. A good image reportage work can give the viewer a feeling of the atmosphere, senses, and design intentions the project may spark, without actually being in the place. Photography is also a way of documenting the project's process, the use of materials, lighting, and architectural elements, and as a result, tell a complete story behind a building.

Salvazione Christian School / Local Studio

Hana Abdel — Thu, 06 May 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Funded by a non-profit run by a prominent building-supplies company in South Africa, this four-classroom primary school in Mayfair West serves students from the nearby Slovo Park informal settlement in Johannesburg.

Herschel Atrium Extension / KLG Architects

Hana Abdel — Thu, 15 Oct 2020 19:00:00 +0000

KLG Architects, based in Cape Town, South Africa, specializes in educational, residential and hospitality architecture. Its design process is iterative, driven by explorative hand-drawn sketches, drawings and team discussions. The firm has a diverse knowledge of construction and building techniques, which it applies carefully in its site explorations and considerations of the social and environmental impact of the building.

Kogelberg Cabins / KLG Architects

Hana Abdel — Wed, 16 Sep 2020 00:00:00 +0000

KLG architects is a firm based in Cape Town, South Africa. The essence of the firm’s work lies in their iterative design process. The process is explored through a series of hand-drawn sketches, drawings and team discussions. These are driven by a diverse knowledge of construction and building techniques, explorations of the site, as well as the social impact in which the buildings are to be sited.

99 Juta / Local Studio

Valeria Silva — Sun, 21 Jun 2020 21:00:00 +0000

99 Juta is Local Studio’s most recently completed project, and involves the creation of custom studio and exhibition spaces for some of Johannesburg’s foremost product designers, most notably the firm Dokter and Misses. Apart from studios, the project also included the creation of a bar at ground floor and a flexible event space on the top (third) level.

Hillbrow Counselling Centre / Local Studio

Pilar Caballero — Fri, 29 May 2020 03:00:00 +0000

Prior to initiation of this project, the Outreach Foundation provided a very impact-full counselling service to trauma victims in Hillbrow, an area rife with crime and violence. In recent years, counselors at the center were trained further in handling unique trauma relating to migrants and refugees.

Public Works: South Africa’s New Cultural Projects

Eric Baldwin — Thu, 24 Oct 2019 05:00:00 +0000

South Africa’s architecture is defined by a multicultural history. Located at the southernmost tip of the continent, the county has built upon past traditions and building techniques in a range of modern architecture and cultural projects. These structures showcase new design approaches in South Africa and experiment with diverse formal and spatial strategies.

Axis Building / dhk Architects

Daniel Tapia — Sat, 18 May 2019 21:00:00 +0000

dhk Architects has completed an apartment block conceived as a monolith with indentations and cut-outs. The building, which was developed by Rabie Property Group, features 85 luxury residential apartments and penthouses supplemented with small-scale commercial and retail space at ground level. Occupying a prominent corner position in growing suburb Century City in Cape Town, the landmark development has been designed to capitalize on enviable views of Table Mountain and the Atlantic Ocean. The building connects to the environment in a myriad of strategic ways and sets a precedent for urban conscious residential developments in the city.

Norval Foundation / dhk Architects

Rayen Sagredo — Wed, 01 May 2019 14:00:00 +0000

Norval Foundation is located in the Steenberg area on the slopes of the Constantiaberg Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa, and is surrounded by vineyards. The project provided a unique opportunity for architecture studio dhk; a client brief with the aspiration to create a world-class art and cultural centre in an exceptional location that is be open to the public.

Battery Park / dhk Architects

Daniel Tapia — Sun, 24 Feb 2019 03:00:00 +0000

Battery Park is a new 12 000 sqm (1.2 hectares) urban park situated at a key entranceway to one of Africa’s most visited tourist destinations, the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town, South Africa. Developed as the nucleus of a larger urban vision for the district, the site includes a park and piazza that effectively conceal a 1 206-bay parking facility as well as new pedestrian routes to invigorate the precinct with activity. The site is of archaeological importance as it contains the remnants of one of the city’s oldest structures, coastal fortification the Amsterdam Battery. This provided a unique opportunity for architecture and urban design firm dhk – to pay homage to the historic landmark whilst incorporating a parking facility and providing spaces for leisure and recreational activities.

Drivelines Studios / LOT-EK

Pilar Caballero — Fri, 09 Nov 2018 01:00:00 +0000

Drivelines Studios is a residential building in Johannesburg, SA. Located in Maboneng, an area of recent urban transformation and renewal, it responds to the post-apartheid generation’s desire to repopulate the city’s downtown through new models of urban living.

Leopards Leap Vineyards / Makeka Design Lab

Victoria King — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0000

How does a utilitarian wine shed become the new home for a young wine, and become a gateway for new audiences to wine and unique food? How does one engage with a Dionysian culture whilst creating a calm Apollonian and cerebral spatial experience?