Suspended Floor at Leopard’s Leap Tasting Room
Situated in South Africa’s famous Franschhoek Valley, Leopard’s Leap winery boasts a gorgeous converted wine shed for their tasting room. Architects on the project Makeka Design Lab wanted to “create a fresh and lightweight architectural response to the existing shed and environs, employing “cascading space”, where spaces lead and flow unto each visually and physically.”
As well as the tasting area and a private tasting lounge, the shed also needed to house a demonstration kitchen and culinary studio for world renowned chef Liam Tomlin, a boardroom, offices and other associated functional spaces. Tensile Cables supplied 2 x 10mm cables which were used to suspend the floor of the mezzanine level. The cables were secured with machined forks into both the floor, and ceiling above.
These lightweight stainless steel cables of the suspended floor opposed the heaviness of the existing structure and added to the airiness that pervades the space. Triomf Staalwerke and JJ Dempers Master Builders were contractors on the project.