Cape Town Accommodation: Modern Architecture At Its Best

By Author: Anna Bester
Total Articles: 3764
Comment this article

Cape Town accommodation range from snug B&B's tucked away in shady suburbs to glittering high rise hotels boasting the finest views available on any continent. Tourists from all over the world often stand amazed at the sheer style of the variety of architectural styles that make up this eclectic city.

A vivid aspiring town, Cape Town‘s architecture is a fascinating melting pot of Asian, European and African traditions mixed with eclectic modern elements. Foreign investors, attracted by the temperate climate and spectacular views, have commissioned magnificent homes on luxury properties on Cape Town's Atlantic seaboard; while the historical inner-city buildings receive frequent attention and restoration to ensure they remain as beautiful as ever.

The Mother City's distinct architectural flavour came to the fore in the latter part of the 18th century to mid 19th century, with the talents of the German sculptor Anton Anreith and Parisian architect Louis Thibault playing a big role. They collaborated several times and Anreith's German Baroque style somehow managed to merge with and compliment Thibault's ...
... neo-classic designs as favoured by French King Louis XVI. The resultant Cape-Dutch style remains a characteristic feature of Cape Town architecture until today.

On an international level, Cape Town's architects and designers were as influenced by Modernist developments of the early 20th century as their European counterparts were. Le Corbusier was, and is, without a doubt, the most influential and admired architect of the Modernist era. Both his writing and visions of homes and cities were as innovative as they were influential and his ideas on urban design eventually became the blueprint for post-war rebuilding.
Le Corbusier, like Mies van Der Rohe and other architects of their generation, had very little in the way of formal architectural schooling. He did, however, possess a strong belief that the 20th century should be regarded as an age of advancement: an era in which engineering and technological advances could introduce new ways of living to a down-trodden society. It was only architecture that was lagging behind, as new buildings continued to imitate various styles of the past.

By 1918, Le Corbusier had developed the theory of Purism in collaboration with artist Amédée Ozenfant, explaining his ideas on how architecture should meet the demands of the Machine Age. Purist ‘rules' required architects to refine their design elements and to dispense with any unnecessary ornamentation. Architecture was to become as effectual as a factory assembly line. Despite his penchant for the machine aesthetic, Le Corbusier was determined that his designs would reintroduce nature into people's living space. Victorian cities were chaotic and dark and he was sure that a rationally planned city using standardised housing types would offer a humane alternative.

After the Second World War Europe's housing problems were getting worse by the day and Le Corbusier got his opportunity to put his urban theories into practise. Cue: The Unité d'Habitation. Constructed in Marseilles in 1952, this mammoth building was the synthesis of 30 years of Corbusian domestic and urban thinking. The structure was 17 storeys high, designed to house 1,600 people and incorporated various types of apartments, shops, clubs and meeting rooms - all connected by raised walkways. Scoffed at by the European public at the time of its construction, the Unite is now a coveted address for Marseille's middle-class professionals.

A truly revolutionary school of thought, Modernism has, and continues to, influence modern architecture to a great extent. So next time you look at rentals in Clifton or consider other types of accommodation in Cape Town take a moment to reflect on the long way we have come, architecturally speaking.