Located within the historic and civic heart of the city, the site of the Taj Cape Town comprised a 1950s tower and two heritage buildings, the former South African Reserve Bank from the 1930s and Temple Chambers originally built in 1890s.
The architectural challenge was to create a synthesis across all three buildings and to celebrate the old and the new in a complimentary fashion so that guests would enjoy a seamless experience throughout all parts of the hotel. The wider context was that the hotel should also represent the urban revival of the historic location and capture its distinctive personality.
As with the exteriors, it was fundamental that the restoration and integration of the three buildings remained as faithful as possible to the original interiors of the two heritage buildings with minimum intervention. The result is that the guest experience is a wonderful blend of old-world charm, opulence and elegance.
The interior of the Reserve Bank building is richly detailed and contains many striking spaces, the most noteworthy being the former banking hall. With its beautifully detailed barrel-vaulted skylight, supported on four fluted Portuguese marble columns, it has been transformed into the exquisite hotel lobby.
Every effort has been made to maintain and restore the style and fabric of as many of the key heritage spaces as possible and to recreate their original appearance. Any new elements are meticulously considered so that they align with the intrinsic principles of the neoclassical design language while introducing the levels of comfort, quality and appropriate levels of modernity where the situation requires.