A UCT BAS III Landscapes of Need Studio Project (Sea Point, Cape Town, 2025)
Still undergoing design development...
Tafelberg Terraces reimagines mixed-income urban living on the former Tafelberg School site in Sea Point, countering gentrification by restoring social diversity to the inner city. Inspired by the courtyard blocks of Berlin and Paris, two L-shaped residential wings frame a communal courtyard above a publicly activated podium of local shops and cafés.
Small openings along the courtyard’s edge walls bring fresh air into the parking and retail levels below, merging environmental function with architectural expression. The massing steps down toward the residential hinterland, preserving views to Lion’s Head, Signal Hill, and the Atlantic.
A circular rooftop garden walk, punctuated by picnic spots and vegetable gardens, extends community life upward. Within, double-volume duplex apartments maximise daylight and ventilation, creating a generous sense of home. Tafelberg Terraces blends urban intensity with domestic warmth, offering an inclusive and connected model for equitable living in Sea Point.
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ARTICULATING FACADES
The program of Tafelberg Terraces integrates diverse apartment types with an active public edge to foster community and comfort. The three-bedroom family duplexes are positioned on the upper ground level, allowing generous private outdoor areas where children can play safely. The Main Road edge is animated by a café, tailor, pet shop, and corner store, while the side street accommodates a laundromat serving both residents and the surrounding neighbourhood. Along the park-side pedestrian avenue, a restaurant and the shared corner store create a lively yet intimate public interface. These retail and service spaces form a lower-ground podium beneath the residential levels, buffering the homes from street activity, reducing noise, and enhancing privacy for residents above.
