GRAIN SILO WINS CIFA 2019 AWARD FOR ARCHITECTURE
We are happy to announce that the Grain Silo at the V&A Waterfront has been awarded the CIfA 2019 Award for Architecture. Congratulations to Heatherwick Studio, RBA, JPA and the rest of the professional team.
See below an extract from the CIfA wesbite. Please click on the image above for more on the 2019 CIfA Awards:
Once the tallest buildings in Africa, the grain silos of the waterfront are today carved away to accommodate contemporary African art. This carving away of the almost 100-year-old concrete silos makes an interesting commentary to the debate around African space and how this can be imagined within the very Eurocentric Waterfront-built fabric.
Central to the idea of African space is the common space. The Zeitz re-imagines this within the confines of the densely stacked silos through a process of mending and then carving away. A concrete structural lining was cast to re-enforce the existing concrete silo walls where after a common space is carved out to reveal a cavernous space that is cathedral-like. Visitors are immediately drawn upwards by the light from above the space.
Vertical circulation is accommodated within two adjacent silos with a spiral staircase and lift allowing the visitor to experience the atrium space as one ascends and descends. The top of the atrium space is fitted with a structural glass floor for viewing the city from the roof courtyard. Conventional galleries are arranged around this central space housing a variety of artwork. The building adds to the architectural dialogue of diversity and brings a valuable asset to the city.
