Add To Collection
Add to Collection
Longkloof Precinct
Longkloof Precinct
Cape Town, South Africa
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
Other Projects by dhk Architects
Longkloof Precinct
Cape Town, South Africa
Firm
STATUS
Built
YEAR
2024
dhk Architects, a leading multidisciplinary architectural studio, has successfully completed the implementation of its designs for the redevelopment of Longkloof Precinct in Gardens, Cape Town, for Growthpoint Properties. The 15-year long project comprises the restoration, refurbishment and additions to five historic buildings, and the construction of a new hotel for a leading global hotel operator, along with the creation of a new publicly accessible urban square.
Client brief and vision
Growthpoint Properties envisioned Longkloof Precinct as one of the most important creative hubs within the city; an attractive address for innovative businesses within a vibrant mixed-use precinct. The site comprises six separate erven, acquired by Growthpoint, with an accumulated site area of 16,500m2. The overarching vision was to create an interconnected landscaped public realm managed by a single owner, with new street frontage and a new secured yet publicly accessible external space at the heart of the precinct.
dhk responded with an adaptive reuse design to revitalise the existing heritage buildings with restorations, refurbishments and contemporary additions and add new-build components to fully activate the site, within a redesigned public realm.
Context and heritage considerations
The Longkloof Precinct is located at the south-western fringe of the Cape Town CBD, bounded by Kloof Street to the east, Park Street to the south and New Church Street to the west. Jameson Street extends through the precinct. The site’s development has a rich layered history dating back to 1755 when the original land was granted to Dutch settlers Johan and Hermanus Dempers, forming Nooitgedacht Gardens. In the mid-1800s, the land was sub-divided and Victorian garden villas were constructed. In the 1900s, the United Tobacco Company (UTC) began to buy and consolidate large portions of the land, transforming the lower Kloof Street area into a thriving light industrial and commercial node.
The five original historic buildings of various scales are all subject to heritage protections:
• Two original UTC Factory Buildings (1904-1907): now known as Threshers and Darters, these have an industrial character and feature distinctive red and white brick façades
• West Cliff School (1914): designed by Sir Herbert Baker's studio, the building features arches cut into robust sandstone walls at the ground floor, plastered walls above and a cloistered courtyard
• MLT House (1918): this was a former school administration building facing Jamieson Lane and Park Street
• 32 on Kloof (1919-1921): an administrative block built to support the tobacco factory, facing Kloof Street
The precinct falls within the Upper Table Valley Urban Conservation Area, highlighting the importance of preserving the historic fabric. The surrounding heritage overlay zone context includes medium- to low-rise retail units and restaurants along Kloof Street and Park Road, alongside commercial, hospitality and educational uses. Smaller-scale historically significant Victorian buildings surround the precinct on Park Road and cottages along New Church Street, occupied by small businesses and residential properties, offering a contrasting, finer grain.
Site challenges
The multi-erven site lacked spatial cohesion, integration and connectivity to the surrounding area. As Kloof Street grew in popularity, the area became more constrained due to insufficient parking. The precinct was landlocked with minimal frontages onto the street, and public access to commercial buildings was controlled and restricted, compounding the disconnection from the immediate context. Previously, the largest erf on the precinct was used for surface car parking.
With several significant precinct heritage indicators in place, new development on site required Heritage Western Cape approval and compliance with regulations relating to land use management systems, building plans and heritage protection overlay zoning. New buildings needed to respect and not detract from the historic structures. Height restrictions were informed by the roof heights of the adjacent Darters and Threshers Building. View corridors into the site had to be maintained and façade articulation and materiality also needed to reference the site’s industrial character.
Urban design and the public square
dhk’s involvement in the precinct was incremental, starting in 2009 with an initial briefing for the design of an office proposal on the larger Park Street site at MLT House with surface parking behind. The brief later expanded to integrate the other buildings in the precinct: the Spar and Kloof annex building with parking was incorporated in 2011; 32 on Kloof in 2013; Darter and Threshers (known as Longkloof Studios) in 2014; The Refinery (the former West Cliff school) in 2017 and finally No.2 Park Street (formerly Rick’s Americain Café) in 2024.
During this process, it became apparent that there was a need, and an opportunity, to fully integrate all the erven into one precinct. This would strengthen their connection to the surrounding context, improving the design, commercial viability and market appeal. dhk developed an urban precinct plan and associated vision document to create, activate and enhance public spaces around the existing buildings and improve precinct access.
The urban design response strategically introduces a more accessible urban language. Fragmented building forms reduce bulk and maintain reference to historical buildings. The design introduces new links through the precinct to connect different parts of the city and the existing streetscape. This creates a vibrant publicly accessible environment that enhances the active qualities of Park and Kloof Streets and emphasises pedestrian permeability. Street edges are defined with canopies and colonnades, and vehicular access is restricted to ensure a car-free pedestrian environment.
Images: Sean Gibson
Client brief and vision
Growthpoint Properties envisioned Longkloof Precinct as one of the most important creative hubs within the city; an attractive address for innovative businesses within a vibrant mixed-use precinct. The site comprises six separate erven, acquired by Growthpoint, with an accumulated site area of 16,500m2. The overarching vision was to create an interconnected landscaped public realm managed by a single owner, with new street frontage and a new secured yet publicly accessible external space at the heart of the precinct.
dhk responded with an adaptive reuse design to revitalise the existing heritage buildings with restorations, refurbishments and contemporary additions and add new-build components to fully activate the site, within a redesigned public realm.
Context and heritage considerations
The Longkloof Precinct is located at the south-western fringe of the Cape Town CBD, bounded by Kloof Street to the east, Park Street to the south and New Church Street to the west. Jameson Street extends through the precinct. The site’s development has a rich layered history dating back to 1755 when the original land was granted to Dutch settlers Johan and Hermanus Dempers, forming Nooitgedacht Gardens. In the mid-1800s, the land was sub-divided and Victorian garden villas were constructed. In the 1900s, the United Tobacco Company (UTC) began to buy and consolidate large portions of the land, transforming the lower Kloof Street area into a thriving light industrial and commercial node.
The five original historic buildings of various scales are all subject to heritage protections:
• Two original UTC Factory Buildings (1904-1907): now known as Threshers and Darters, these have an industrial character and feature distinctive red and white brick façades
• West Cliff School (1914): designed by Sir Herbert Baker's studio, the building features arches cut into robust sandstone walls at the ground floor, plastered walls above and a cloistered courtyard
• MLT House (1918): this was a former school administration building facing Jamieson Lane and Park Street
• 32 on Kloof (1919-1921): an administrative block built to support the tobacco factory, facing Kloof Street
The precinct falls within the Upper Table Valley Urban Conservation Area, highlighting the importance of preserving the historic fabric. The surrounding heritage overlay zone context includes medium- to low-rise retail units and restaurants along Kloof Street and Park Road, alongside commercial, hospitality and educational uses. Smaller-scale historically significant Victorian buildings surround the precinct on Park Road and cottages along New Church Street, occupied by small businesses and residential properties, offering a contrasting, finer grain.
Site challenges
The multi-erven site lacked spatial cohesion, integration and connectivity to the surrounding area. As Kloof Street grew in popularity, the area became more constrained due to insufficient parking. The precinct was landlocked with minimal frontages onto the street, and public access to commercial buildings was controlled and restricted, compounding the disconnection from the immediate context. Previously, the largest erf on the precinct was used for surface car parking.
With several significant precinct heritage indicators in place, new development on site required Heritage Western Cape approval and compliance with regulations relating to land use management systems, building plans and heritage protection overlay zoning. New buildings needed to respect and not detract from the historic structures. Height restrictions were informed by the roof heights of the adjacent Darters and Threshers Building. View corridors into the site had to be maintained and façade articulation and materiality also needed to reference the site’s industrial character.
Urban design and the public square
dhk’s involvement in the precinct was incremental, starting in 2009 with an initial briefing for the design of an office proposal on the larger Park Street site at MLT House with surface parking behind. The brief later expanded to integrate the other buildings in the precinct: the Spar and Kloof annex building with parking was incorporated in 2011; 32 on Kloof in 2013; Darter and Threshers (known as Longkloof Studios) in 2014; The Refinery (the former West Cliff school) in 2017 and finally No.2 Park Street (formerly Rick’s Americain Café) in 2024.
During this process, it became apparent that there was a need, and an opportunity, to fully integrate all the erven into one precinct. This would strengthen their connection to the surrounding context, improving the design, commercial viability and market appeal. dhk developed an urban precinct plan and associated vision document to create, activate and enhance public spaces around the existing buildings and improve precinct access.
The urban design response strategically introduces a more accessible urban language. Fragmented building forms reduce bulk and maintain reference to historical buildings. The design introduces new links through the precinct to connect different parts of the city and the existing streetscape. This creates a vibrant publicly accessible environment that enhances the active qualities of Park and Kloof Streets and emphasises pedestrian permeability. Street edges are defined with canopies and colonnades, and vehicular access is restricted to ensure a car-free pedestrian environment.
Images: Sean Gibson
Product Spec Sheet
Were your products used?
Join as a manufacturer to add your products.