The old grain silo complex, a familiar site on Cape Town’s Victoria & Albert Waterfront since the early 1900s, has been repurposed to create a 10,000m² museum of contemporary art and five star luxury hotel. We are delighted to learn that it  has been shortlisted in the 2018 Structural Awards, as Oasys GSA played a key role in Stage 2 construction.

Retaining much of the original structure, the project meets the criteria of the Award for Structural Transformation by demonstrating structural engineering excellence in the transformation, extension, renovation or rehabilitation of an existing building or structure.

The hotel sits atop and next to the new atrium which houses the museum. The enlarged atrium was core to architect Thomas Heatherwick’s vision. The building houses the  Zeitz Museum of Contemporary African Art (Mocaa), the first such institution of its kind in Africa. “In a place that doesn’t have a strong museum-going culture, our challenge was to make compelling innards, to lure people in to see the art,” he said.

The original silos were strengthened so that large sections could be demolished for the creation of the stunning atrium. It reveals the original workings of the building, next to the new ‘white box’ gallery spaces. The transformation of the adjacent original working house into a hotel was made possible by Arup and Sutherland engineers altering the stability system from external shear walls to an internal concrete core, whilst maintaining as much of the original structure and character as possible.