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by the Gauteng Growth and Development Agency
and JDA – is considered to have given rise to
some of the new South Africa’s most admired
architecture and, with its interactive guided tours
and exhibitions, is a popular destination for tourists
and locals alike.
These days, the reception area of the Old Fort
– the building where people were logged into the
prison system, de-clothed, deloused and given their
prison numbers – serves as a museum and it is in
this regard that the Joint Venture team of Xhamai
Design, Urban Works Architecture and Urbanism,
and HMJ Prins Architect (lead consultant Morag
Campbell of Xhamai Design) became responsible
for designing and overseeing a recent restoration
programme that started in November last year and
was completed in July 2014.
The brief given to Campbell by Constitution
Hill Manager: Facilities, Events and Marketing,
Themba Ntuli, was all-encompassing. The team
had to conserve the building in terms of both the
National Heritage’s Act and internationally accepted
guidelines, such as the Burra Charter, while creating
a layer of memories, not just of a negative past,
but also of a positive future. In doing so it was
imperative that damage to the building be minimal
and that all structural activities be congruent with
the existing structure.This on a shoestring budget.
Revenue generation obviously therefore played
a role in the final outcome as the venue had to
All photographs by Dudley Bunn.
5
LiD
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