Reflecting nature.
Two 1970s blocks, previously known as Merriman Square, underwent a complete refurbishment. Rising ten and twenty storeys high the buildings initially represented a triumph in pre-casting. However, time had not been kind, resulting in a dated weathered external appearance. Further challenges to the refurbishment came in the form of extensive planning interventions that needed to be implemented, along with keeping the building operational throughout the duration of the project. Following in-depth consultations, a full cladding solution was proposed to transform the blocks to Standard Bank Towers. Contextual references were collated and work-shopped with the city of Cape Town to optimise The Towers contribution both at the pedestrian interfaces and cityscape level.

A high-performance double-glazed pane reflecting the sky and surroundings created a dynamic unitised curtain wall with horizontal fin detail.

The fins formed a pattern that referenced the maps of False Bay, Robben Island, Devil’s Peak, Table Mountain, Lions Head and Signal Hill. The edges of the fins were accentuated with LED strip lights highlighting the landscape profiles at night. The ground floor retail, street-level canopies and landscaping were also reimagined with a multi-level parking garage inserted between the towers.Reversing the conventional bottom-up construction process an external skin for the building was created from the top down. This ensured the building remained operational throughout. A by-product of this process saw a reduction in the damage to the new façade.