Ravine Rd | TrinidadOffice
Ravine Rd
Where breeze blocks transform the façade into an active filter of light and shadow.
“Our goal was to give the Cape Town Real Estate market a truly iconic architecture.”
Located within a quiet, intimate cul-de-sac, the site initially seemed to call for a building with controlled volumes and carefully studied proportions, designed to blend harmoniously into its surroundings. Yet the ambition to create a structure with a unique identity — one that could stand out without disrupting the character of the neighborhood — led the design toward a more unconventional and expressive solution.
It is from this tension between restraint and distinction, between subtlety and character, that the idea of using breeze blocks as the defining façade element emerged. This choice, unconventional yet highly intentional, allows for the creation of a permeable frontage: a visual filter that both protects and reveals, giving depth and volume to the compact façade facing the street.
Design
The façade becomes an active membrane rather than a passive boundary. During the day, it filters natural light, casting shifting patterns and soft shadows inside; at dusk, it glows from within, turning the building into a discreet lantern that animates the cul-de-sac without overwhelming it.
The interior layout embraces this interplay of solids and voids. The lower level accommodates two smaller units, each benefiting from a gentle, filtered relationship with the outdoors thanks to the patterned blocks. Above them, a spacious penthouse occupies the entire top floor — a luminous, open environment where indoor and outdoor spaces merge through the permeable façade.
Result
The result is a building that fits respectfully into its context while asserting its own identity through a simple yet striking material choice, transforming a modest site into an opportunity for architectural experimentation and an original contribution to its urban setting.
Completed in March 2020, all Arcadia apartments were sold in a very short time, making it the most prestigious real estate development in South Africa.