WEX1 in Woodstock, Cape Town

As director at a residential property development company based in Johannesburg, South Africa, Laurence Grigorov has a keen interest in local architectural and development news and information. This keeps Laurence and his company up to date with the latest trends and designs in the development field.

A new project based in Cape Town appeals to Laurence Grigorov due to its modern and sleek design and architecture.

The multi-faceted creative hub of Woodstock has become even more desirable with the completion of WEX1, a joint mixed-use development by Cape Town property developers Signatura, and Indigo Properties, the owners of the Old Biscuit Mill and Woodstock Exchange. “Woodstock is one of Cape Town’s oldest suburbs and this development is designed to embrace its vibrant mix of tradition, industry and creativity.

They incorporated the highest standards of architecture, interior design and landscaping that buyers expect from Signatura. This is not the first development in Woodstock, but it offers lifestyle and user-friendly features that will make living at WEX1 very appealing,” said Signatura MD, David Cohen.

Developments such as WEX1 aim to transform Albert Road, bringing a vibrant nightlife back to the streets and igniting sustained urban renewal in Cape Town’s creative design hub.

Designed by Vivid Architects, the WEX1 project was envisaged as a complimentary scheme to the successful urban regeneration scheme, The Woodstock Exchange. With the intention to further boost regeneration of the Lower Woodstock district, WEX1 is a mixed used building designed to offer over 1,000m2 of active ground floor retail alongside a small public leisure retail facility on the 4th floor, a boutique hotel and more than 200 new apartments. Located 3km from the Cape Town CBD, WEX1 is situated directly opposite and closely linked to the creative business community of the Woodstock Exchange.

The design represents a contemporary and contextual response to the traditional brick warehouse and is impressive in scale. On approach from the east toward Cape Town, the development complements the scale of the Woodstock Exchange.

A further reinforcement of the relationship between the two buildings is evident in the careful consideration of new landscaping and paving that strongly ties the Woodstock Exchange with WEX1 at the pedestrian realm. Special attention has been made to promote and encourage the pedestrian experience from the train station along Davison Road with crucial corner retail shopfronts forming an interactive experience.

The architecture draws on the materials and ethos of the surrounding precinct, using the brick, glass, and steel of the rail-side industrial warehouses re-formed into a contemporary aesthetic while still aiming to retain a classic, timeless appeal. This fresh design aims to regenerate this urban precinct, located on a pivotal site in Woodstock.

Words and image courtesy of Architect & Builder magazine.