Located in the heart of Claremont , next to Cavendish Shopping Centre , The Citadel comprises a six-storey , four-star green building , with four basement parking levels below , adding a further 6 000m 2 to the gross built area . The two street façades are clad entirely in pale Namibian granite and give the building an ultramodern form . Traditional , solid materials are revisited to make an optimistic new edifice that is both Classic and Modern .
“ For millennia , great societies have erected stone citadels – from
Jerusalem to Beijing and from Rome to Babylon ,” explains Robert Silke , Architect and Principal , Robert Silke & Partners . “ And when citadels are commissioned , they are ( more often than not ) erected from solid stone . For this Citadel , we have chosen the most durable stone : granite .”
“ We are delighted with our new home ,” enthuses Andrew Möller , CEO of Citadel , “ particularly the interior flow which draws people together and creates a constructive working environment . The building has been created on a very tight budget – as careful fund managers we ensured expenses were controlled .” All 12 000m ² of The Citadel were constructed for a modest R130m , equating to a construction cost of just over R10 000 per m ² – at a time when developers are struggling to build for between R15 000-R20 000 per m ².
“ The site is best-known as the old Boardmans building opposite Cavendish Square , but I remember it as Sam Newman ’ s hardware store ,” explains Silke . “ I grew up
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