Hout Bay is the cultural heart of Cape Town, home to a hugely diverse population and incredibly beautiful landscape. The studio worked on a master plan proposal concept, creating a festival to celebrate the Bay with the objective to unite those who live there and those who visit alike.

The masterplan aims to create a new ‘heart’ within the old industrial harbour. This will be the point at which the festival path terminates and will be a space that encourages culture, activity, and interaction. It will be a rich trading ground with markets, shops, and restaurants as well as a strong interaction with the water. From this point, all amenities are easily accessed and complimented with new and improved transport links by walking, buses, and water transport.

The first phase of the masterplan will include the construction of the new cultural performance hall, ‘A Main Stage’. The aim is for the new cultural building to act as a catalyst for the regeneration of the locale and ignite the festival within Hout Bay.

Our proposal looks to connect the existing communities with the idea of a unifying relatable interest in music. The architecture is based on the idea of reverse-engineering the traditional concert hall, creating an amphitheater/performance space that is focused on outdoor music, and festival performance. The building acts as backstage and allows the dramatic landscape behind to be the natural backdrop. Introducing stepped terraces and changes in levels accommodate spectating platforms, whilst poetically becoming a synthetic play on the landscape surrounding it.

The plaza space will have the ability to host large numbers of people for outdoor performances. Space is a vital element of the scheme allowing for influxes in people during festivals and music events. The building acts as a landscape for the community and the culture.

Architects: Jonathan Burlow

Status:
Study Project