The SAAO (South African Astronomical Observatory) in Cape Town gained National Heritage status in 2018, prompting a renewed focus on preserving its rich cultural, natural, and built landscape. Located at the confluence of the Liesbeeck and Black Rivers, the site holds historical significance as a boundary between the VOC's Free Burghers and the Khoi pastoralists during the 17th century.

The existing building on the site earmarked for renovation, was a Victorian pump house, originally used for pumping water from the weir in the Liesbeeck River for irrigation purposes. Over time, it has undergone various renovations and transformations, serving as a workshop, an Educational Centre, and in part most recently, as an Auditorium. The old Mechanical Workshop was converted into the Auditorium, and the Educational Centre is no longer in use due to the occasional winter flooding of the Liesbeeck Canal.

The client’s brief requested proposals for transforming the existing Victorian era pump house into a Visitor Centre for the SAAO. Programmatic requirements included the provision of sufficient ablution facilities, a reception area, varying exhibitions spaces, and a dedicated room for housing an observation instrument known as a heliostat. The brief also required general maintenance of the building, which along with the renovation, needed to be executed within a limited budget.
We saw the transformation of the Victorian-era pumphouse into a Visitor's as an opportunity to uncover and showcase the site's layered meanings.

The approach to the building is established along a newly landscaped axis that guides visitors directly to the original front door of the Victorian era building. Upon entering the space, one experiences the volume and intricacy of the main pitched roof with restored exposed rafters. The reception area with a bespoke desk and detailed timber ceiling welcomes visitors into the experience. Per introduction to the exhibition space, the original pump equipment is exhibited in the corner, paying homage to the former workings of the building.

A bespoke perforated aluminium ceiling animates the interior space above one’s head, igniting visitor’s intrigue in the wonders of the universe. This captivating aluminium piece faithfully recreated the night sky, adorned with indigenous Kora (!Ora) constellations inspired by the works of Bleek and Lloyd from 1874.
Visitors move through the exhibition space to a dark room that houses a heliostat on a new concrete roof. This observation instrument tracks the sun's movement and reflects its rays onto an interactive central table. The eastern wing acts as another space to host rotating exhibits.
Contemporary interventions to the exterior approach of the building include 3 new windows for natural light. Two of these inserted where a garage door used to be. These windows are similar in proportion to the original openings in the building, but are expressed in a contemporary manner with deep, but thin steel frames that form internal seating in the waiting area.
A newly introduced Laterite pathway guides visitors from the visitor’s center to the rest of the site. A restored derelict bathroom block along the path celebrates its status as a formed ruin. The bathroom block was renovated by addition of a brick detail and new roof.
By restoring the pumphouse and incorporating new elements, the project aims to contribute to the understanding of the site's historical, cultural, and natural heritage. The SAAO's Visitor's Centre offers an immersive experience, inviting visitors to explore its diverse meanings and engage with its captivating past.