The Majestic Village is an infill residential project in the heritage context of Kalk Bay.
In its heyday the New Kings & Majestic Hotel was the zenith of luxurious beachfront accommodation embedded in the historic residential fabric, overlooking the fishing harbour & False Bay beyond.
Subsequently becoming run down and converted into a residential home for the aged, the site was re-developed in 2006 as private residential estate.
While the historic buildings have been carefully re-purposed, either as residential units or for limited commercial use (shops, restaurant & a wellness centre), a range of new apartment types were carefully inserted between the existing buildings to achieve a similar density & grain of the surrounding area.
The design concept was around creating a Village character of complementary narrow streets, courts, stairs & lanes which characterizes Kalk Bay.
The frontage to Main Road was purposefully designed to integrate the development with the vibrant commercial edge and to avoid the gated estate syndrome.
The landscape strategy was around weaving the pedestrian realm up, through, between and along the terraced platforms, creating a range of interesting interfaces, edges and spatial typologies, using materials consistent with the area.
The client Mr Paul Boehmke, being integrally involved in the detail throughout, was extremely supportive of the landscape concepts and the design was debated and explored with MV Architects (Paul & father Mike Munnik) resulting in the diversity of built form & integrated landscape interfaces & detail where heritage buildings were complemented with both traditional and modern style – how in fact a village would develop with the overlays of architectural interventions over time.
Some of the landscape features included the displaying and channelling of the underground mountain water in the entrance square, vertical planting on the vertical faces at the changes of grade, the cobble roadway in the ‘Middedorp’, the use of trellis and the infinity gardens constructed over the parking in front of the Majestic.
The planting theme was a mixture of South African gardening and indigenous species within the coastal climate.
The ILASA* Award of Excellence for Design was conferred on OvP for the project for the period 2007-2009.
ILASA – Insitute for Landscape Architecture in South Africa