Timber veils

Architectural Review, The, Jan, 1997 by Catherine Slessor

Based in Durban, the KwaZulu-Natal Society of Arts represents artists from all over South Africa. The society runs a lively programme of activities, through sketch clubs, workshops and fortnightly exhibitions. Having outgrown its original accommodation in a shopping mall, it took the bold step of holding an international competition to design a new gallery. Won by the London-based practice of Walters and Cohen, the competition was open to architects registered in South Africa, who had lived and studied in KwaZulu-Natal and so had an understanding of the hot, humid local climate. The new gallery occupies a site on the edge of Bulwer Park, adjacent to a modest Victorian building housing the regional architects' institute (the KwaZulu-Natal Institute for Architecture). A simple rectilinear volume encloses the three principal interlinked spaces of gallery, shop and workshops. Set against the long edge of the rectangle is a wedge containing a gently inclined staircase providing access to the various spaces. The two parts of the building are fused by a very shallow pitched roof sailing at an angle over the rectilinear volume. Exploiting the fall across the site, a mezzanine level is inserted on the north-west side of the building, creating an elevated route through the gallery spaces.

The two volumes are treated in very different ways, the orthogonal gallery acting as a solid foil to the veil-like delicacy of the circulation wedge. Constructed of slatted iroko screens held in a steel framework, the wedge is a modern reinterpretation of the traditional veranda. Air diffuses through the slats, allowing the building to open up to the outside and encouraging cross ventilation. Light is also filtered through the timber slits, mellowing the intensity of the Durban sun and generating an intricate shadow play on the rough cream-coloured walls of the gallery. During the evenings, light is diffused out through the slats, with equally arresting results.

By locating the building close to the south-western boundary of the site, it was possible to colonise the space between the new gallery and the existing architectural institute. At lower level the gallery and shop open on to a tea garden; the iroko panels lift up to provide shade, effectively extending the veranda. At upper level the workshops open on to a flat area of lawn. The angle of the screens enclosing the circulation route enhances the perspective view of Bulwer Park from Bulwer Road, drawing the park into the site.

Internally, the building acts as a neutral stage for the changing drama of the artworks. The tall white walls provide cool, airy sanctuary, while blood red partition walls recall the red earth. The simplicity of the forms embodies a modern architecture appropriate to local labour-intensive construction methods and inexpensive materials - yet this is also an building imbued with a strong South African vitality and a distinct sense of place.