Munitoria and her last moments

Brought to you by the original urban explorers...

With an incredible stroke of luck we managed to get into the Absa building and sort of gate-crash a very high-profile party on the 35th floor. It was not intentional and I'm not a gate crasher. But we were there and it was all exciting, scary and sad at the same time. The old lady was dressed in her funeral garments as if she knew it was the end. The skyline has changed forever and I really hope that the new building will represent all that is good in architecture.

The Husband made this cool video. Enjoy!

Kitchen Casualties #3

We have a new kitchen. And I'm loving it! After approximately two months of camping out upstairs we can finally cook a decent meal for ourselves and utilise the bottom floor. This was definitely not an easy journey but the husband did an amazing job in keeping everything (including myself) together.
The new space is truly amazing and I feel like I'm living in a different house. It is not finished, though. We still need to put on some cupboard doors, get a dishwasher (when we're financially recovered) and the shower (which will be a different post entirely) needs a glass partition.
Here are some photo's which will give you a flavour of the new space. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Kitchen Casualties #2

An update of the building work downstairs. At this stage I'm wondering whether we are really stupid or really brave. Things have been going fairly well so far - a part of the bedroom is still the kitchen and I swear at night I can taste the dust but there were not major mishaps (so far). So here's the evidence of the progress. I guess we will be finished in another two weeks' time.

 We had a bit of a packing party...

We acquired the right tools and materials. We also sealed off the first floor - this helps a lot with dust management.

There were extensive and creative site instructions...

There has also been a bit of demolition work - this is where our kitchen once was.

A new wall - changing the nature of the space and defining the new kitchen.

This is how we cook - we are literally using our camping gear at this stage. The work area is a folded ladder with the chopping block as a surface.

Another view of the "kitchen" in the bedroom.

Meet the electricians: July (Left) and Colin, his assistant. They worked a twelve-hour day yesterday. Respect.

Meet the builders - Whitey (far right) and his team. They will be on site for another week or so - until the finishes trades (tiling and painting) move in.

Hope this gives you more of an idea of what we've been up to this month.

Kitchen Casualties #1

The time has come. After living like this since I've moved into Casa El Sol, the kitchen is now really due for an upgrade. You've read in the previous post that Old Faithful, the stove, is on her last legs and a new sexy Smeg is anxiously waiting in the living room to be installed. We have a plan of action - the Carpenter-designer husband and the Architect wife finally agreed on the layout, finishes and materials. The existing kitchen will be completely stripped somewhere in July. Walls will be taken down and some new ones will be built. Will keep you posted on the progress, regress, frustrations, blood, sweat and tears.
In the meantime you'll have to do with some "before" shots.

House envy

Whenever I walk into his house, I turn a bit green. And it actually suits the beautiful colours you'll find in this place. My talented friend Pieter hosted his birthday party last weekend and as usual, I was in awe of 1) the food and 2) his lovely house. I love how he is not afraid of bright, bold colours and how his sentimental objects become a part of the quirky playfulness of the decor. He lives in a charming old house in Capital Park.

A visit

I had the opportunity to visit the Department of Architecture at the University of the Free State this week. Their new building has recently been completed and all of a sudden I wish I was a student again. The architects, Typology Architects (no website yet), managed to achieve an amazing result: within budget and way before the estimated completion time. They essentially added a mezzanine floor and new roof structure to the existing building. The studio space now gets amazing natural light and ventilation and the spaces are utilized much more efficiently. Here are a few snapshots.

Contemporary Capital

There was a big whoo-haaa at work today...Pieter Mathews just published a new book - Contemporary Capital - it's a collection of good contemporary architecture in Pretoria. 
I had a quick glance at it, before it disappears in the Big Black Hole of Directors. This is for all architects and architecture students. It focuses a bit too much on the fraternity (more on that a bit later) but hey, if they don't do it, then nobody will.
Go grab a copy over at Kalahari (I believe it will be available at Exclusive Books soon).

Introduction

The idea for this blog started off on a beautiful summer night in city that I love. A city that I feel deeply passionate about. I city with layers of history and amazing off-the-beaten-track places, people and events. I want to share experiences, recipies, architecture and generally everything that makes me love this place.
BUT there are a few things that you need to know and understand before you follow this blog. Let's call it huge chips on my shoulder or clarifications or confessions. I need to share it with you in order for you to understand the spirit of this blog:

1. I live in a duplex apartment in Sunnyside. A suburb previously occupied in the Apartheid years by wealthy white students. Now, it is often looked down apon and ever so often, when I tell people I live in Sunnyside, they raise their eyebrows and ask: isn't it dangerous there? I love this suburb immensely. There is a cosmopolitan mix of people. The smells and sounds are intriguing and it's always alive. The trees are mature and in Spring there is an awesome purple glow from the Jacaranda trees. So yes, I do not like the east of Pretoria, where so many of my friends and colleagues live. I do not feel safer in the East. I hate the traffic in the East. I especially hate the fact that all the houses and security complexes look the same and that there are no trees. So remember this: In future blogs, I will refer to the East of Pretoria as Mordor.
2. I deeply dislike Loftus and everything about it. Loftus is the rugby (and sometimes soccer) stadium a few block away from where I live. I don't mind the soccer fans, they are civilized. The rugby fans, however, really really really get the better of me. They braai on our lawns and they insult my Dachshunds. They literally camp out EVERYWHERE before a game and we often find hard-core fans the next morning passed out in our lovely parks. So yes, I do believe that Blue Bulls supporters think Loftus is some sort of a Mecca, with all the Dutch Reformed churches facing in its direction.
3. I couldn't care less about Joost and Amor and Robbie Clay and Jurie Els and all those idiots who make out Afrikaners as cheap and simple-minded. They don't even deserve a mention in this holy space but just to let you know: this is the first and last time their names will appear here.
4. I am an architect, so a lot of (but definitely not all) this blog will feature a bit of visual inspiration. I will try and deviate from all the wanna-be academics and make this more light hearted and honest. I will obviously give a biased opinion and I will stand up against bad design.
5. I will try to do at least a weekly post with visual and poetic inspiration for people who love this city. However, not everything will be Pretoria-related, there will be posts with nice things just for the hell of it.
6. Sometimes I will throw a little bit of Afrikaans in the mix. Beautiful words for a beautiful language. Because I was born and raised an Afrikaner and there's nothing racist about it, it's just embracing and not shying away from a culture that was previously linked with oppression.
7. Please please please leave comments. Happy comments, sad comments. But never comments that are discriminating, racist or demeaning. If you don't like what I'm doing here, then please don't read this blog anymore.
8. In the meantime, with the little time that I have available because of my demanding job, I will try to make this blog more visually pleasing. So please bear with me and watch this space...