18 Jun 2015
The Royal Portfolio adding 5-star hotel in historic Cape Town grain elevator
BY Jane Kitchen
The Royal Portfolio is adding a fifth property, The Silo, to its range of exclusive hotels, lodges and villas in South Africa. The Silo, so named because it is being built in the grain elevator portion of the historic Grain Silo Complex, will be situated directly above what is set to become the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (MOCAA) in Cape Town.
The Silo will have 28 bedrooms, as well as a spa, gym, bar, restaurant, rooftop swimming pool and champagne bar, and is set to open in 2016. As with all Royal Portfolio properties, the spa will be run in-house.
Industrial designer Thomas Heatherwick of Heatherwick Studio, London is heading up the entire transformation of the historic Grain Silo Complex for the V&A Waterfront, including the Zeitz Museum and The Silo.
Heatherwick said that “from the outside, the greatest change to the grain silo’s monumental structure will be the addition of pillowed glazing panels, inserted into the existing geometry of the upper floors, which will bulge outward as if gently inflated.
“By night, this will transform the building into a glowing lantern or beacon in the harbour,” he continued.
Located on the V&A Waterfront and with panoramic views of Table Mountain and the Atlantic Ocean, The Silo will occupy six floors above the MOCAA, which developers claim will rival the Tate Modern in London, the MoMA in New York, and the Museo Nacional del Prado in Madrid.
The Royal Portfolio, owned by the Biden family, also operates the Royal Malewane in Kruger National Park, Birkhead House in Hermanus, La Residence in Franschhoek, and a collection of private residences.
“The Silo is an exciting and ambitious project, which we believe will perfectly complement our existing properties and rank among the very best hotels in the world,” said Liz Biden, owner of the Royal Portfolio. “The building is modern and industrial, so the design will reflect that with the addition of softer, more colourful touches.”
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