Blok: The Urban Residential

Blok: The Urban Residential


Taking the Atlantic Seaboard and now the Mother City by storm is the property developer Blok.

In a world where it’s now the norm for residential spaces to be in an urban setting, Blok isn’t trying to be something they’re not. In fact, they’re embracing the urbanisation of the residential space making their developments as much a part of their setting as a reprieve from them through the intuitive design of what they call ‘third spaces’.

“The comfort of your Blok apartment should always extend into the neighbourhood that surrounds you, because that aspect of the Blok ethos is as important as the detail and Thoughtful Design we pride ourselves on.”

Third Spaces could be in the form of a cocktail bar, a cleverly positioned home office or day bed. The design optimises the space at hand allowing for home space functionality in a beautifully designed residential space, within an urban environment.

Their latest development, FortyonL situated in the bustling Bo Kaap, Cape Town aims to offer housing solutions to a more diverse income bracket; and tackles the challenge of sustainable development in the socio-economic conditions of a sought after urban residential sector in the Mother City. Read more here.





Developments that are acutely aware of their surrounds are what Blok specialise in. This promotes an awareness of the area homeowners are living in, and sense of responsibility for the urban spaces surrounding their home.

“Democratic spaces either belong to no-one and degenerate or they need to belong to everyone to flourish, and Blok, as a part of the developers of the city, is determined to activate this shared level of ownership and sense of responsibility,” says Jacques (Jacques van Embden, co-founder and MD of Blok).

Sources:

http://www.blok.co.za/urban-homes/news/forty-l-here?destination=blog

https://www.visi.co.za/blok-a-curator-of-thoughtful-living/

http://www.blok.co.za

Seattle Coffee Company Sea Point – Green Wall in an Urban Setting

Seattle Coffee Company Sea Point – Green Wall in an Urban Setting


A brand new Seattle Coffee Company store has opened in Regent Road in Sea Point, Cape Town and Tensile Cables supplied the cable trellises for their all new outdoor area.

Over four years ago, Craft of Architecture (COA) took on the task of introducing a new look to the Seattle stores. The Sea Point cafe has a quaint little open-air courtyard in the back, and trellises were introduced to uplift the space, greening the walls and offering a small piece of garden in an urban setting.

Installation of the trellises was done by Mark Boulle at African Landscape Design who remarked on the simplicity and efficiency of the installation. The use of trellises was inspired by another of Tensile Cables’ projects at the new Sun Valley Shopping Centre, in Noordhoek.





According to Visi Magazine, Seattle’s seating is “varied to offer options for meetings, working, people watching, or simply curling up with a book and a mug.” This holds true with the Regent Road store which uniquely offers wooden benches in the courtyard among the growing greenery.

Within 6 months, vegetation will have started to climb the trellises. Green walls have multiple benefits including temperature regulation against concrete surfaces, wall protection and a boost in air quality.

Sources:

https://www.visi.co.za/seattle-coffee-companys-new-look/

http://www.ald.land/

http://www.coasite.com/

https://tensilecables.co.za/tc-news/item/213-pergola-trellises-we-don-t-only-green-walls.html

Main image courtesy Seattle Coffee Co.



A Pool Room in the Forest

A Pool Room in the Forest


At a residence in Noordhoek, Tensile Cables supplied the cables for a roof truss for a wet room, including an enclosed heated swimming pool, a steam room and bathrooms.

Contractor and project manager Nevil Walter, designed the pool room with transparent roof sheeting, and a hollow triangular section supporting it. In place of beams, two stainless steel cables support the roof structure horizontally allowing for an open ceilinged space which appears to extend into the forest above. The engineer on the project was Wille Van Schoor.

While other support structures were considered, Walter and the homeowner settled on the use of cables as the most cost effective. They were also an elegant solution as they dissapear in the open space, unlike beams. The cables each have a breaking strength of over 7 tonnes, and as they are marine grade stainless steel, the perfect material for a wet room. Walter, an avid sailor, was inspired by the typical use of stainless steel cables in rigging for their longevity even in marine conditions.

Sources:

Nevil Walter | nevil.walter@gmail.com



Imizamo Yethu Water Platform in Digest of SA Architecture

Imizamo Yethu Water Platform in Digest of SA Architecture


Congratulations to Mike Louw, Senior Lecturer, and the School of Architecture, Planning and Geomatics at the University of Cape Town for their project feature in the 21st Digest of South African Architecture.

The article features their 2016 Water Platform, for which Tensile Cables was a Project Partner. Read more in our article last year – UCT’s Annual Imizamo Yethu Water Platform. Tensile Cables supplied the stainless steel cables needed for a bottle cap roofing structure at the water platform at the informal settlement in Hout Bay, Cape Town.

On the back of the recent horrendous fires in the settlement, it is a reminder of the incredibly poor infrastructure in an informal settlement of this size, and the daily challenges residents face for basic amenities.

In Imizamo Yethu an estimated 9464 households (as surveyed by the Solid Waste Department of the City of Cape Town in May 2011) make use of shared toilets and taps – this means that the service ratio in the settlement is 61.1 households per toilet and a staggering 394.3 households per tap.

UCT’s Water Platform takes on this challenge annually by uplifting and dignifying areas were residents gather for washing and bathing.

Thank you to Mike Louw and the School of Architecture, Planning and Geomatics at the University of Cape Town for the opportunity to be involved on such a significant project, and congratulations on your efforts to date.

See the full article here.

110 The Lofts

110 The Lofts


Tensile Cables and Scotchworx Carpentry collaborated on a beautiful and unique installation at the new apartments The Lofts in Tokai, Cape Town. The client, Michael Anderson of O La La Interiors was renovating the 70m2 studio loft apartment, and wanted a more elegant solution for the staircase and landing balustrades which overpowered the space.

The existing black steel balustrading was harsh, and broke up the available space. Anderson had the existing wood stairs stripped to their natural yellow wood colouring and installed a screen of matching vertical wooded panels to provide security on the upper level. The steel staircase balustrade was removed, and it was here that Tensile Cables was able to provide a cable solution that opened up the apartment space while still meeting SANS building regulations.





Robert McKendrick from Scotchworx was on site to install twenty seven vertical stainless steel cables – three per stair – reaching from stair to ceiling at less than 100mm apart to meet regulation. Although already an incomparable minimalist option versus the old balustrade, Scotchworx ensured no more steel was showing than necessary. Steel plates were fixed to the underside of the wooden stair panels for stability. Tensioners were then fixed under each stair panel so that the cables could be tensioned invisibly from below, reaching up and disappearing into the ceiling.

Although, this solution was chosen for its aesthetically pleasing quality, it was also cost effective as there was no need for horizontal steel through the balustrade, or to install vertical steel posts.

Both Scotchworx and Tensile Cables were thrilled to have been involved in such a unique project. McKendrick described how at the completion of the project, he stood back and was in awe as to the beauty of the outcome. The result was an expansion of space as ground floor, staircase and upper level opened out into one another, elegantly divided by permeable vertical screens of wood and cable.

Tensile Cables & Tension Structures – closer than ever

Tensile Cables & Tension Structures – closer than ever


As some of you may know, Tensile Cables’s sister company Tension Structures has been an influential player in the tensile fabric structure industry in Southern Africa and internationally since 1993, with Ken Price at the helm holding over 40 years of structural engineering experience.

While Tensile Cables and Tension Structures have always worked alongside one another, and together completed many successful projects, now more than ever, the two companies will be taking on large structural ventures throughout Southern Africa, supporting one another in their trade.

It is for this reason that we have revitalised both the Tension Structures and Tensile Cables brands to sit side by side, while still exuding the brand identity of both companies and the years of successful business experience they can be proud to declare.

Look out for the slick new branding in black, white and red; and for more news on the exciting up and coming projects already on the go.

A green wall in a contemporary courtyard

A green wall in a contemporary courtyard


In a tranquil contemporary garden, a full scale wall trellis turns what would have been a blank white wall into the perfect finishing touch to an enclosed courtyard.

The trellis is made up of Marine Grade 316 stainless steel cables tensioned to L-shaped end brackets and fixed with Tensile Cables’ custom designed trellis clamps. It was assembled and tensioned on site by Potter’s Yard landscapers, who were also responsible for landscaping the courtyard and much of the home’s lush gardens.

Walking the stairs to the first floor of the home, it is possible to gaze out across a vertical water feature flanked by grasses, and headed by a slate grey stone wall with red berried heavenly bamboo on either side. However, when standing in the scullery looking out of the kitchen window, a blank white wall would be all you could see were in not for the trellis. After only six months, the foliage is already making a steady ascent of the cables, and will soon scale the wall.

While boasting an extended lifespan themselves, stainless steel trellises also protect the wall behind them. They assist with air quality; and a building’s temperature regulation. See a gallery of images below.



Penda reveal San Shan Bridge for Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games

Penda reveal San Shan Bridge for Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games


This structural feature fulfills multiple functions on the way to Zhangjiakou, where all major events for the 2022 Winter Olympics will be taking place in Beijing. It was designed by Penda, and will be built in collaboration with Arup engineering.

Structurally, it connects the two banks of the Gui River with a 452 meter long bridge deck suspended by steel cables from 6 sloping rings cross connected in such a way as to maximise strength through lateral resistance. The pre tension of the cables stabilises the structure under comprehensive loads.

The overlapping rings of the structure form a dual helix system; which support one another at the bottom and the top of the structure where the arches intersect. This adds to the bridge’s stability, while also evoking the 5 Olympic rings when viewed from above. Visitors literally enter the rings when approaching the site for the Games. The bridge utilises 5 times less steel because of the helices.

When viewed from the side, the bridge forms 3 hills, and is the reason for the apt name ‘San Shan’ meaning three mountains. Beside the San Shan Bridge, Beijing will also host the Horticultural Expo in 2019. The undulating structure ties in with the backdrop of river valleys, and literally connects the city with its mountainous surrounds.

Sources:

http://www.dezeen.com/2016/07/21/san-shan-bridge-penda-arup-beijing-winter-olympics-2022-china/

http://www.home-of-penda.com/

Image courtesy of www.home-of-penda.com

180 degrees through Clear View Balustrades

180 degrees through Clear View Balustrades


The beautiful Baviaanskloof Estate is not only nestled against the mountain but boasts 180 degree views into the Hout Bay valley and out over the bay. Clear View Balustrades requested Tensile Cables supply stainless steel cables to finish three balustrades in a new home on the estate.

The main living area and kitchen open onto a full length patio stepping down to a pool. Clear View Balustrades installed an Iroko hardwood timber balustrade surrounding the patio elegantly suited to the slatted wooden awning and deck; as well as its natural surrounds, while still allowing an uninterrupted flow out onto the mountain through the minimalist cables.

The internal walkway to the first floor has a matching staircase balustrade to take you to the main bedroom looking out onto the mountainside on the east, and the glistening bay on the west. The bedroom’s balcony too is fitted with a Iroko hardwood and cable balustrade allowing an unobstructed view even from the bed.

The home has been built high on the mountain side taking advantage of the elevation to allow views onto the surrounding vistas from any room in the house. The main bedroom looks through a centre courtyard, and into the living room and front patio, and finally out onto the mountain again. See a gallery of images below.



New property development in Lakeside’s Klein Welgemeend Estate

New property development in Lakeside’s Klein Welgemeend Estate


After the project’s inception in 2008, the 17,701 m2 Klein Welgemeend Estate was opened for development in 2013 and now boasts 10 modern townhouses and 11 stands beautifully blended into the natural landscape of the Lakeside mountainside. Architect on the project Nic Border of Nic Border Architects & Project Managers envisioned natural materials and textures such as wood and stone in neutral shades to blend in with the surrounds and rocky mountain backdrop with the existing Cape Dutch manor house holding centre stage.

Tensile Cables was commissioned by RGS Steel CT/SA to supply the cables needed for the townhouse balustrades and pergolas. The stainless steel cables systems on the site include Juliet balcony balustrades, small and large veranda balustrades, interior staircase balustrades, safety railings, and pergolas offering interior shade for larger windows.

Tensile Cables supplies Marine Grade 316 stainless steel cables, perfect for a development such as this due to its proximity to the ocean. Marine Grade 316 stainless steel boasts an extended lifespan even in coastal cities. Set against the Muizenberg Mountain, with views of False Bay and the Zandvlei Lake, Klein Welgemeend is less than 3km from the sea.

The homes face north to capitalise on natural light and warmth, and the buildings offer large open plan spaces leading out onto balconies and verandas allowing guests to take in the unobstructed views.

Sources:

http://rgssteel.co.za/

http://www.percipient.co.za/

http://www.kleinwelgemeend.co.za/