PART 1- Essay
Rust and Vreugd can be seen as a suburban house in the city centre of Cape Town. This is unusual as homes in the city centre today are found to be apartments, lofts, condos and penthouses. It is rare to find a suburban-style house in the city centre, built in the past 20 years. From this it can be said that a penthouse is the development of the suburban house in the city centre. Many factors lead to this development and change of “city houses”. It is essential to first look at the characteristics of a suburban house and a penthouse to see what the differences are between these two homes, including references to the examples.

Rust and Vreugd is an old house in the City of Cape Town built in 1771.(fig 1.1) It is a great example of VOC architecture and is a monument and museum open to the public today. Done by architect Anton Anreith, it includes characteristics of the Cape Dutch style. It is symmetrical, has a stoep, voorkamer and achterkamer but has some features only found later in Cape Town. It is evident that towards the end of the 18th century the flat roofed type of house was generally employed in the town, whilst the thatched and gabled roof was commonly used in the suburban and country houses. The town houses were mostly two storeys while those in the country were one storey. It was designed on a grand scale and is larger than the average townhouse of its time. Its most distinctive features includes a highly ornamented classical façade, a stoep with an overhanging balcony supported on four massive fluted teak columns with Corinthian capitals, and large cellars located beneath its teak floors. The front doors are surmounted by a decorative fanlight. (Fig 1.2)

Rust and Vreugd

Figure 1.1 Figure 1.2 Figure 1.3
Orientation in Cape town Fanlight Façade with stoep and blue circle indicating orientation of the fanlight
The second example is a penthouse on the upper sixth and seventh floors of one of Cape Town’s elite resorts called the One&Only. Its concept is a simple one-of-a-kind penthouse. It is a two storey penthouse that can be accessed with a private lift. There are sundecks on both sides with a 798 m² living space. Of this area 200+ square meters includes a Jacuzzi, al fresco dining areas and sun decks as well as a pool and water features. It is an open plan living area with floor to ceiling windows, for optimal views.
(fig 2.1)There are few boundaries between inside and outside. Designed by Fabian architects, it offers a high standard of living and has spectacular views of the Cape Town’s famous landmarks such as Table Mountain and Robin Island. It is essentially a place for relaxation and entertainment.

One&Only Penthouse view over Table Mountain and resort with penthouse on top floor
Top Figure 2.1
The view of the Penthouse, with the sundeck and swimming pool.

Top Figure 2.2
Orientation of the Penthouse on the One&Only resort indicated with the blue circle.
These two buildings essentially have the same function as it is a place of upper market residence of the wealthy. Rust en Vreugd was the house of Willem Cornelis Boers which will be discussed later, and the penthouse is for those with money as it has a price ranging in the millions. .

Rust en Vreugd Plan
Top Figure 3.1 Top Figure 3.2
Ground Floor Plan, entertainment First Floor plan, private
Blue circle indicating the stairs and entrance

One&Only Penthouse Plan
Top Figure 3.3 Top Figure 3.4
6th Floor Plan, entertainment. 7th Floor plan, private
Blue circle indicating the stairs and access

By comparing the two plans, one can see that there are clear differences and similarities. Both these buildings are two stories with the ground floor having service and entertainment areas.(fig 3.1& 3.3) Both have an outside area; Rust en Vreugd with a garden and the Penthouse with a terrace and swimming pool. The penthouse consists of more rooms and is bigger in square meters. Rust and Vreugd has stairs leading to the upper rooms, and the loft has stairs and a lift. (fig 3.1&3.3) This is a clear indication of the advancement in technology.
In terms of the massing of the buildings, the one is freestanding and the other is not. The penthouse seems to be Rust and Vreugd house built on top of a resort. It is on the highest level of the building and not on the ground. This is a clear indication that one is a separate building with its own garden and plot, and the other is built in close community with its neighbors as many people share one plot. The overall feel of a suburban house is private in a sense as it is a unit with secluded access. In the case if the penthouse, access is semi private, as it has a main access point that is shared by the other residences, but also has its own lift contributing to its privacy.

Although Rust and Vreugd was built as a city house in the 1700, it feels like it is a typical suburban house today. It is hard to find a house that is not situated the suburbs, and it seems that the norm has decided that a house belongs there. The rest for that matter, like apartments, belong to the city. For now a loft is the closest thing that you can find to a modern house in the city. The question still remains, why is this new “Rust and Vreugd” which is a penthouse on top of a resort building not on the ground. What led to this change from a house in the city to a loft in the city? First it is critical to understand the history of Cape Town to see how architecture and the society evolved. Jan van Riebeeck arrived at the Cape on the 6th April 1652 in command of a small detachment. His orders were not to set up a colony, but only to prepare a trading station. Following his orders, Van Riebeeck constructed a fort with a moat and earthen walls at the water's edge and, under the direction of gardener Hendrik Boom, gardens were laid out in 'the Company Garden' just beyond the fort. When van Riebeeck left on board the Mars in 1662, to take up command at the VOC post in Malacca, the Cape Peninsula had been transformed forever. There were 200 Europeans, slaves from Asia and Africa, farms along the Peninsula, a fort, jetty and the first streets of 'Cape Town'. A hierarchical, diverse, multi-ethnic and stratified society had been established.

Cape Town progressively grew during the 1700s to a population of about six thousand residents living in an estimated 1200 residencies. Travelers described it as a 'pretty' and 'neat' town with straight streets on a grid pattern. A tree-lined canal ran from the Company Gardens down the main street (Heerengracht) and around the Grand Parade, flowing into the sea by the Castle. Along the shoreline stood warehouses and shipyards and behind them townhouses with white lime plaster walls, green shutters and thatched roofs. Since the mid-eighteenth century a distinctive Cape style had developed of a Dutch origin but with characteristic Asian influences.

As visitors came on shore along van Riebeeck's jetty by the Castle, they found a town where the impressive double storey townhouses of wealthy burghers and VOC officials stood alongside taverns, lodgings and workshops. Rust and Vreugd is an example of the wealthy Burgers house of Willem Cornelis Boers. He was seemingly “hated by the burghers both for the ruthless manner in which he dealt with them and for his personal corruption.” This is the culture and society that led to the architecture of Rust and Vreugd. It was a house for the lavish, and has main features of the Cape Dutch style, which was a dominant style in that period of time. To follow the thesis, it is critical to look at the factors that led to the design of the One&Only loft. The main feature will be the people’s culture as well as the increase in population in Cape Town. One of the main concerns today is the available urban space in Cape Town for houses, and how this problem could be solved.

In the 1780s Cape Town enjoyed a 'boom' decade. This led to a commercial bang. France and Holland were at war with Britain and French troops were stationed in Cape Town during 1781 - 1784 to prevent a British invasion. French armed force remained after that at great cost to the VOC. Several remarkable buildings in Cape Town date back to this time like the work of French military engineer Louis-Michel Thibault and the German sculptor and wood carver Anton Anreith, the same architect of Rust and Vreugd. They worked together on buildings like the cellar at Groot Constantia, the Slave Lodge and, separately on the modifications at the Groote Kerk, the Lutheran Church and Koopmans de Wet House. All of these can be seen today, and it is clear that Anreith was a very influential architect.
The lively mood developed in the 1820s among the British middle class in Cape Town and for the first time a true civil society emerged. Under the VOC Cape Town had been a company town, controlled and quiet, but under the influence of an active middle class it emerged as a modern city. The desire to modernise Cape Town from its Dutch accessories extended also to the culture. Support was given to British missionary organisations, and more denominations sprang up, all in the reform movement.
The development of the Cape's infrastructure came just in time to capitalise on the great diamond rumble that started in 1867, and the economy of the Cape grew fivefold in five years, 1870 – 1875.Cape Town buzzed with immigrants that settled in the city. The British and European populations grew significantly and other ethnic groups became more frequent including Jews, Indians and Africans.

It is clear that in relation to style, Rust en Vreugd house and the penthouse is completely different. There are no influences of the Cape Dutch style in the loft, but has the same intention and concept as the loft; both is for the rich and wealthy. But, there is a change in the people’s attitude. People today want things to be easy, practical and to take up as little time as possible. Today’s life is in the hustle and bustle and believes that time is money.
In 1865 the population was 28,400, in 1891 it had grown to 67,000 and in 1904 171,000. The villages and suburbs became dense urban areas and settlements spread to the north of the city along Table Bay. The settlements were racially mixed, although for the 'protection of public health' municipal officials began to consider moving non-whites into separate areas. Space in Cape Town became less, and more houses were needed.

The urban growth in Cape Town
Figure 4.1

As the twentieth century came about, Cape Town was a confident Imperial Capital. Leisure was an important feature of city-life. 'Rational pastimes' were promoted, particularly to boost tourism. Today Cape Town is known as one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The landscape consists of the mountain and the sea. Within the landscape, boundaries between nature and architecture often disappear. This is a very desirable place to visit and to live in. There are much needed resources such as the scenic landscapes, natural areas, cultural and historical precincts. Cape Town’s population is changing through the dynamic growth of the fluctuating pattern of migration. The population is growing faster, younger and poorer. It has grown 100% in 1970-1990 in certain districts and elsewhere 25-100%. These figures led to the idea of housing for all these people. People want to live close to the city as it is a place of resources such as job opportunities. More housing is needed to accommodate these people and this leads to urban development. (fig 4.3)

Growth in the population
Figure 4.2

The amount of work and residence Figure 4.3
In brief it will look like the following:
The city is the main resource –this creates job opportunities – more people work in the city because of the opportunities – more people want to stay close to their work, meaning in the city – more houses is needed for people in the city – the city gets more dense because of the amount of people and houses – accordingly there is less space in city for big houses – new houses start to use alternative space like on top of office blocks or hotels – this can be ideal for people to stay in as it is central.

The above shows that the increase of people leads to the increase of homes. There is no more space on the ground for houses and they cannot expand horizontally. Unless more space is made by demolishing old buildings, a house cannot be built in the CBD. Because of this they expand vertically up in the air. Through the development of technology, it is possible to build higher, and thus it can be said that a loft is the development of a suburban house. One&Only penthouse is a 21st century Rust en Vreugd.

PART 2- Thought piece

Historical buildings are very important today as it a mechanism for learning. A building is more than a structure and involves things like the concept and social and cultural context. By looking at Rust en Vreugd and the modern loft, it is clear that the concept is basically the same, as it is a place for the wealthy to live in. It is important to understand the buildings, and also the intentions of the building. For example: what is the main idea behind the building, why did the architect do what he did, what are the factors that the architect took in consideration? Through this you can learn from their successes.

It is important to learn out of the mistakes that previous architects made, but also look at the things that they got right. In both examples the idea of the stoep came through as it is a place between public and private, and also a gathering space. In the loft, the idea of the stoep is used, but altered to fit to the buildings style.

Old historical buildings can be used as a precedent for a new building, and certain aspects of the building can be used in the new design. A combination of the old and the new can lead to interesting designs that work in historical context.

It is necessary to understand previous styles of buildings so that a new style can develop. Architecture is a process and to undergo the changes you have to understand the past styles. It is important to see how the building worked in the urban context and how people interacted with the building. Rust en Vreugd was a rich family house and it was a dream to the slaves. It’s necessary to consider the symbolism that goes with the building and understand why certain features were used, like the gables. As an architect you would be more sensitive to the heritage and culture of that time.

When using quality materials, the building can last over 300 years, like those of Rust en Vreugd. It gives the argument that quality is better than quantity. When studying old historic buildings, techniques of the past can be reconsidered as well as the materials used in that building. This can inspire new ways of using “old” materials, which can lead to a exciting, rich façade and the building itself.

Historical buildings are important as it inspires new developments which will be a historical building in the future. This can be an inspiration to existing and future architects.
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