British architect Thomas Heatherwick has proposed to repurpose a grain silo into an art gallery in Cape Town, South Africa. The silo is made up of 42-concrete tubes, which Heatherwick plans to make into gallery spaces; some will house elevators.
The gallery, called the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA), will be located on Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront. It will be built in a partnership between V&A Waterfront and entrepreneur Jochen Zeitz. Zeitz’s art collection will help to furnish the museum’s 80 proposed galleries.
A press release from V&A Waterfront states that the proposed museum will “become the most significant collection of contemporary art from Africa and its Diaspora.”
V&A Waterfront challenged Heatherwick to honor the original structure and contemporize it at the same time.
In the center of the nine-story building, an oval-shaped, cathedral-like atrium will be carved out and covered by a glass roof. With a cross-section cut through eight of the central concrete tubes, the atrium will be surrounded by concrete tubes, according to Dezeen.
Beneath the building, there is a network of underground tunnels; these will create education and site specific spaces so that artists can dialogue with the original structure, V&A Waterfront has said.
In addition, 18 education areas, a storage and conservation area, bookstores, and a rooftop sculpture garden, among other features, are included in Heatherwick’s design.
On the building’s exterior, layers of paint will be removed in order to show the raw concrete of the silos, and pillowed glazing panels will bulge outward from the upper floors.
Heatherwick’s proposed design was presented this past week at Cape Town's Design Indaba Expo 2014.
Related Stories
Cultural Facilities | Mar 2, 2017
The Hanoi Lotus Centre will bloom from the middle of a lake
The building will act as a symbol of growth and prosperity for the city of Hanoi.
Cultural Facilities | Jan 30, 2017
Former windmill factory proposed as new ‘vibrant culture house’
The transformed building would provide space for street sports, street culture, and street art.
Cultural Facilities | Dec 14, 2016
Institutions aggressively targeting private donors to fund construction projects
Capital campaigns abound, even though government financing still plays a vital role.
Cultural Facilities | Oct 27, 2016
Zaha Hadid Architects’ Urban Heritage Administration Centre takes its design from the surrounding desert
The futuristic curves that have become a staple for ZHA-designed buildings are also on full display.
Cultural Facilities | Sep 19, 2016
International competition recognizes insect-inspired design for Moscow Circus School
The proposal would make the school’s activities more transparent to the public.
Cultural Facilities | Sep 16, 2016
Competition to design Shanghai’s Pudong Art Museum is down to four firms
OPEN, SANAA Ateliers Jean Nouvel and David Chipperfield Architects are the final four firms competing for the opportunity to design the project.
Steel Buildings | Sep 15, 2016
New York’s Hudson Yards to feature 16-story staircase sculpture
The installation is designed by British architect Thomas Heatherwick and will be the centerpiece of the $200 million plaza project
Cultural Facilities | Sep 13, 2016
REX reveals The Perelman Center, the final structure for the World Trade Center campus
The cube-shaped building is clad in translucent book-matched marble.
Designers | Sep 13, 2016
5 trends propelling a new era of food halls
Food halls have not only become an economical solution for restauranteurs and chefs experiencing skyrocketing retail prices and rents in large cities, but they also tap into our increased interest in gourmet locally sourced food, writes Gensler's Toshi Kasai.
| Sep 1, 2016
CULTURAL SECTOR GIANTS: A ranking of the nation's top cultural sector design and construction firms
Gensler, Perkins+Will, PCL Construction Enterprises, Turner Construction Co., AECOM, and WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff top Building Design+Construction’s annual ranking of the nation’s largest cultural sector AEC firms, as reported in the 2016 Giants 300 Report.