The Cape Town Foreshore has been described as an ‘unhappy compromise’ resulting in series of ‘wind-blown stretches of asphalt and concrete, filled with car parks and roaring traffic, inaccessible to pedestrians.’* Yet on a still winter’s morning, in the early dawn light, on foot, the Foreshore can almost be beautiful.
The decision to enlarge the docks, and, in doing so, to reclaim two square kilometres of land, was taken in 1937 by the South African Railways and Harbours (SAR&H) and the Cape Town City Council. This area became known as the Foreshore. It has been struggling to find its identity ever since. Recent developments and some new projects in the pipeline have the potential to finally turn the Foreshore into a more hospitable area.
*Cape Town in the Twentieth Century, Vivian Bickford-Smith, Elizabeth van Heyningen and Nigel Worden, David Philip, 1999, page 152
Devil's Peak presides over the eastern Foreshore
Edge Properties recently announced their intention to develop the existing 5,3ha Motor City site between Oswald Pirow Street and the Eastern Boulevard. Called Culemborg Quarter, the proposed development will consist of a hotel, commerical, retail and residential developments, pedestrian routes, parking and an IRT station. This, together with the new IRT trunk route to the West Coast, could in turn provide the impetus for the development of Culemborg proper, 60ha of public land currently owned by Transnet. Image showing indicative view courtesy dhk Architects/ Edge Properties
One of the zebra artsworks on Artscape Piazza 'grazes' in front of the new IRT Civic Centre Station. It will take a great deal to redeem the Cape Town Civic Centre as a building. As Bickford-Smith et al explain: 'Conceived within the idea of the harbour remaining the Gateway to Africa, the design aimed at preserving the view of Table Mountain from the harbour. Unfortunately most Capetonians merely experience its intimidating bulk from Hertzog Boulevard'. The flying saucer-like dish on top of the Podium Block was an addition in the late 1990s in an attempt to soften the building's impact
Artscape was originally called the Nico Malan Theatre Centre after a former National Party Administrator of the Cape Province. Launched in 1971 as a 'whites only' theatre, it was reviled for many years by Capetonians. The Artscape Precinct, which includes the Founder's Gardens, has been identified by the Western Cape Provincial Government Regeneration Project as a public asset with the potential to leverage socio-economic benefit
The Civic Centre Podium Block and IRT Station with Table Mountain looming in the background
The water feature in the centre island of the Heerengracht references Camissa, the place of sweet waters, which was the original name for Cape Town. It is notoriously difficult to keep clean, especially after a South Easter
Public sculpture in Pier Place, which references the old pier demolished in the 1940s to make way for the Foreshore reclamation project
Cape Town CBD before the reclamation of the Foreshore, as seen from the old pier
A 'shark' sculpture on Jetty Square, another modern reference to the old pier
Staff prepare the early morning food at Al Nur's in Jetty Street
No 1 Thibault Square, designed by Revel Fox and Partners and completed in 1973, is a striking 30-story tower block which, set at an angle of 45 degrees to Long Street, forms the 'turning point' on the pedestrian route from St George's Mall to the V&A Waterfront
Early morning coffee on Jetty Street
A view of the Colosseum, one of my favourite buildings in Cape Town, from Thibualt Square
A Central City Improvement District (CCID) staff member on the streets at crack of dawn to keep the city clean
Cleaners from the CCID and Straatwerk, a social rehaibilitation and job creation project
An informal trader sets up next to Thibault Square
'Mythological landscape', a celebration of diversity sculptured by John Skotnes, 1994, on Thibault Square
The recently upgraded Lower Burg Street connects the Foreshore to Waterkant Street, the original shoreline and the route of the 2010 World Cup Fan Walk
Inspirational views of the city.
These images bring the hard-edged Foreshore to life and present it as the unique City precinct it is. Very much a creation of its time, it is not to everyone’s liking sure, but it has integrity and that is a rare commodity nowadays. A splash of public realm improvement here, a dash of mixed-use development there, oh and a sprinkling of public transport, and I see great things for the Foreshore…
Stunning photos! Really tell a story.
I personally do not believe that every building needs to be pretty. The Civic Centre needs internal and structure maintenance as highlighted by recent Council reports which will cost well over R100 million.
As a Gateway to the city, its quite a dominant structure and forms quite an appropriate backdrop as a main IRT transport hub, integrating such a large urban structure with a transport node.
Not all parts of the city need to be booming and bustling for 24 hours a day. Its more important that developments planned in and around the area contribute towards forming a new identity for the area.
What Cape Town needs is a local government design authority perhaps like CABE in the UK which helps shape the architectural statement or merits of future developments. There are far too many new developments which are poor in terms of their architecture e.g. Six, opposite the Good Hope Centre. There is no body to step in to say “stop, this structure is ugly or needs an entire rethink”. As far as I know all buildings have to go through Council at some point, so why not ensure buildings are designed well, inside and out.
As a former Capetonian I am very surprised the the term “Foreshore” is still used after seventy years.Surely the novelty hare worn off.Now that buildings of world class vernacular have been erected in the “old” city complementing those on the reclaimed land maybe the sutures need to be removed and call the the whole, Cape Town/Kaapstad. and finished.