CAPE TOWN
COMMONWEALTH WAR
GRAVES COMMISSION
MEMORIAL
ARCHITECTURE COMPETITION 2022
CONGRATULATIONS
TO THE WINNERS!
AWARDS
We are proud to announce that Durban-based Dean Jay Architects' successful design has won the CWGC architecture competition for the proposed new Cape Town Memorial.
The memorial will honour black South African logistics troops who gave their lives during World War One. These men made a huge contribution to the war effort by supplying frontline soldiers with vital food and supplies.
The announcement was made by CWGC's Creative Advisor, internationally renowned architect and Chair of the Adjudication Panel, Sir David Adjaye, following a competition that attracted more than fifty entries from across South Africa.
1ST PRIZE WINNER
Company: Dean Jay Architects
Team: Dean Jay, Matthew Morris, Valentino Moutzouris and Nicoll Rorich
JURY REMARKS:
Sir David Adjaye added, “When I was asked to be involved in this project, I was so thrilled as it is such an important mission that the CWGC has embarked upon, and to understand the power of architecture and what it can do in this space, is to be commended.
What was extraordinary, was that my fellow judges and I came to a consensus very quickly. It was a unanimous decision as something about the successful design really stood out and showed an example of how a monument can work within the context of South Africa but also more widely as a model for thinking about monuments of the future. It tackles the issues, but it also manages to complement the site and be respectful with the history, while announcing itself very clearly. It is a light touch with high impact.
9 RUNNERS UP
Click on any of the thumbnails below to view poster submissions
COMPANY: STUDIO REVOLUT & RUDOLF PEROLD ARCHITECT URBANIST
Team: Imraan Begg (Studio Revolut), Lambert de Kock (Studio Revolut), Dr Rudolf Perold (Rudolf Perold Architect Urbanist) and Riaan van der Merwe (QS - IGQ Consulting)
COMPANY: VR ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN STUDIO
Ryno Van Rooyen
COMPANY: EARTHWORLD ARCHITECTS AND INTERIORS
Braam De Villiers
COMPANY: OFFICE 24-7 ARCHITECTURE
Team: Nabeel Essa, Philippe de Laroche, Samke Kunene and Chanél du Toit
COMPANY: DESIGN WORKSHOP
Mark Horner
COMPANY: CRAIG MCCLENAGHAN ARCHITECTURE
Team: Craig McClenaghan, Hashim Tarmohamed, Wihan hendrikz and Jesse Dymond
COMPANY: ELLIOTT NGXOLA ARCHITECTS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH TARNA KLITZNER LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS
Team: Paul Elliott,Tarna Klitzner, Josie Dalberg, Hayden Malan, Samkelo Tshungu, Devon Delmar, QS - Linley Wiener of Talani and QS Engineer - Hans Hurting of Nako Iliso
COMPANY: NOERO ARCHITECTS
Joseph Noero
COMPANY: ALEX STEWART & PARTNERS
Alex Stewart
COMPETITION DETAILS
A new memorial honouring Black South Africans who died during the First World War (1914–1918) is being commissioned by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC).
By way of a national architectural competition, the CWGC is seeking innovative proposals for a memorial of a contemporary South African design.
The memorial will be erected in Cape Town’s Company’s Gardens to commemorate more than 1,600 men whose names, until now, have not formerly been recorded and remembered.
These men, who predominantly served in various labour units, including the Cape Coloured Labour Regiment, Cape Auxiliary Horse Transport, the Military Labour Bureau and the Military Labour Corps, were recruited in Africa specifically for service in Africa.
They served in a non-combatant role as porters or carriers – transporting huge quantities of supplies across the African continent – and quite literally bore the weight of the war on their shoulders. Without them the war could not have been fought, let alone won.
The successful design will not only ensure these men are finally commemorated in a manner befitting their sacrifices but will add to the rich cultural and memorial heritage of the CWGC and South Africa.
Applications are invited in accordance with the requirements set out in the brief and eligibility requirements.
For further details click the button below.
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BACKGROUND
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) honours and cares for the men and women of the Commonwealth who died in the First and Second World Wars, ensuring they will never be forgotten.
Funded by six Member Governments, of which South Africa is one, our work began more than a century ago, building cemeteries and memorials all over the world. CWGC currently maintains some 1,100 separate sites across South Africa.
CWGC was founded on the principle that all Commonwealth war dead should be commemorated by name and commemorated equally. Wherever gaps in our records exist or where this principle was not followed, the present day CWGC is committed to righting those wrongs.
CWGC is committed to working with governments and communities to ensure that the memory of ALL the Commonwealth men and women who died in the two world wars lives on.
Each year better access to both paper and online records means that we are discovering the names of men and women who served in the two world wars but whose names were not previously identified. This is the case with more than 1,600 men of military Labour units who served in the First World War and whose records have recently been discovered in the South African archives.
These men are amongst those who have never been commemorated by name and whose resting places remain unknown. They served with a variety of units including the Cape Coloured Labour Regiment, Cape Auxiliary Horse Transport, the Military Labour Bureau and the Military Labour Corps.
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