Architect and Builder Dec 2017 / Jan 2018 | Page 42

Project Overview
After the Grain Silo was decommissioned, its
owners, the V & A Waterfront, approached London
based architects, Heatherwick Studio, to develop
ideas for adapting the Silo and its site. Although
the Waterfront was already a vibrant area, it
lacked a major cultural institution on the site. In
the past few decades there have been a number
of examples of contemporary art museums as
a mode of urban and social development, such
as Bilbao Guggenheim and the Tate Modern.
However, globally there were clearly a lack of
museums focusing on contemporary art works of
African artists. At the same time as the Waterfront
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was developing their plans for a new major cultural
institution in the Silo, the Zeitz Foundation was
seeking a new permanent home for their collection
of contemporary art from Africa and it’s diaspora.
The two programmes coincided, and it was decided
that the Grain Silo would be transformed into a new
museum for contemporary art from Africa and its
diaspora. The final design is a museum of nearly
10,000m 2 including 6,000m 2 of exhibition space
that makes up 80 galleries dedicated to promoting
contemporary art from Africa. The structure also
includes a rooftop sculpture garden, education
centre, conservation labs, a bookshop, restaurant,
and bar as well as the Silo Hotel.
Zeitz Mocaa