The restoration of the Old Granary, one of Cape Town’s oldest and most significant heritage buildings, followed universally accepted heritage design guidelines, to find the balance between restoration, preservation and adaptation. The vision was to restore the building externally while sensitively rehabilitating its interior for use by the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation as a peace centre, offices, an archive, and a museum.
Retention and restoration of the historical layering of the 200-year-old building was the focus, however several radical interventions were required to ensure the structural soundness of the building. The introduction of a robust steel frame on the interior of the historic core provided the necessary structural stability. Internally, the extensive restoration works included the restoration and repair of the historical yellowwood floors, the remodeling of the mezzanine floor, the discovery and preservation of early wall colour schemes, and more. In order to provide universal access and to comply with current safety standards a lit and an external walkway were introduced.
Client: City of Cape Town
Location: Cape Town
Year: 2017
Value: R45m
