Soetmelksvlei




















Soetmelksvlei
The new owners of the farm previously known as Donkerhoek have set out to reinstate farming activities and redevelop the historical werf into a farm tourist destination. The project envisions the farm as a Living Museum Precinct where visitors can experience history in action, and the day to day workings of a historical farmstead are put on display. The brief requires the adaptive re-use of existing historical buildings as well as the introduction of new buildings and structures that support the expanded programme. The architectural intervention takes its inspiration from an extensive historical analysis which has been carried out for the phase I and II Heritage Impact Assessments. The final proposal incorporates the historical evolution of the farm within the expression of the new structures whilst retaining the historical layering present in the buildings and the landscape. New buildings and structures are introduced in a mindful and sensitive manner so as to enhance the historical significance of the precinct whilst allowing it to function in a new way
Location: Drakenstein
Design Team: Bettina Woodward, Lente Conradie, Hano Venter, Maya Sarembock, Sebastian Waters, Valerie Lehabe, Mayankh Ramasar, Ayla Asad, Wian Jordaan
Photographs: Ayla Asad
Sketches: Maya Sarembock