Heritage Forum

“We want light, light and more light, we want to be aware of the mountains around us and we want to still enjoy relaxing under the huge Tipuana tree in the back garden. We live close to the earth, we are not clinical and we prefer the texture to color.” The brief was...

The mayor of Stellenbosch, Adv. Gesie van Deventer invited the inhabitants of the wider Stellenbosch area in a recent newsletter to “begin a public participation process so that we can gather the inputs and the suggestions from the broader community about how the...

La Gratitude Manor House in Dorp street, one of the most prominent and second oldest building in Stellenbosch, became the head office of developer Atterbury. La Gratitude is also a national monument. According to its Western Cape development head, Gerrit van den Berg,...

The company, Sidewalk Labs, recently submitted its updated, innovative and futuristic masterplan to transform two neighbourhoods in Toronto's waterfront.  If the masterplan is accepted, the implementation of the plan in these neighbourhoods will be the pilot of a...

The World Heritage Committee recently attributed world heritage status to 29 new sites so that the list of world heritage sites now contains 1121 entries from around the world. The World Heritage Committee consists of representatives of the United Nations Educational,...

In May an international conference, the Forum for Sustainable Construction, was hosted by the American University in Cairo. The conference was sponsored by LafargeHolcim, one of the world’s biggest suppliers of cement. According to Graham Wood the conference was...

Inwoners van Brandwacht en Paradyskloof is bekommerd oor die moontlike bou van 'n groot deurpad deur die woonbuurte teen die hange van Stellenboschberg. Lees verder.

The recent fire that consumed the roof and elements of the Notre-Dame cathedral reached the headlines of most international news sites. Although the nature of the damage to the interior of the cathedral is still uncertain, the building was not completely destroyed by...

The previous newsletter referred to Stellenbosch Municipality’s draft Spatial Development Framework, which is open for public comment until May. The preamble to this framework explains that growth and development of settlements is inevitable and that certain...

The city council of Cambridge, the university suburb of Boston, passed a new law on the 8th of April that mandates the addition of bicycle lanes on all streets due for upgrades. Although this process will happen slowly, Cambridge is now the most progressive cycling...

Professor António Tomás’ book, In the skin of the city: Luanda or the dialectics of Spatial transformation, will soon be published by Duke University Press. According to Professor Tomás, who recently had a talk at the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Studies...

In the past week, Stellenbosch Municipality has published a draft spatial development framework. There is now an opportunity for public comment before the framework is submitted to the Council for final approval in May. It is too early to comment in detail on the full...

The Japanese architect, Arata Isosaki, has received this profession’s highest international reward, the 2019 Pritzker Architecture Price. The fact that he grew up close to the bombed city, Hiroshima, facilitated the young Isozaki’s ideas on how to rebuild cities and...

A planned development at Maiden’s Cove, that included 54 bungalows, a boutique hotel with 100 rooms as well as retail and restaurant spaces, was stopped in court. Attorney Bill Gundelfinger contested the sale of the Maiden cove site to Vunani Capital. Judge President,...

Three recently published books can inspire readers during the lengthening autumn evenings. Constance: One Road to Take – The Life and Photography of Constance Stuart Larrabee (1914-2000) by Peter Elliot, published independently Walter Gropius: Visionary Founder of the...

Kelvin Campbell, an innovator and world leader in urban design, will be speaking in Stellenbosch about the challenges currently facing towns and cities all over the world, including South Africa, on 25 September. Campbell's lecture is important for anyone who wants to...

How do we celebrate heritage day? Here we have two examples: That of Albie Sachs at Maiden Cove and the e'Bosch programme in Stellenbosch.   Judge Albie Sachs's plan to participate in a peaceful protest against planned developments at Maiden Cove on Heritage Day...

Chilean architect Alejandro Aravena has been named the 2018 laureate of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Charles Jencks Award. The prize is given in recognition of an individual's exceptional contributions to the field of architecture, both in built...

Zeitz MOCAA, the exciting and innovative Cape Town art gallery,  is shortlisted for an award at the World Architecture Festival. This prestige festival annually selects a World Building of the Year.   British architect Thomas Heatherwick restructured an old grain...

The Mexican architect Frida Escobado has created a unique, distinctive pavilion using off-the-shelf materials for the Serpentine pavilion in London this year. This is where one of the world's leading architects is given a chance to create a structure as one of the...