Building the Africa's Museum of Contemporary Art | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

British designer Thomas Heatherwick carves a contemporary art museum out of a historic grain silo in Cape Town, South Africa.

Key Insights

• 🌍 The grain silo in Cape Town has been transformed into the largest art museum in Africa, showcasing contemporary art from across the continent.
• 🥰 The museum features a spectacular atrium carved out of the original silos, which serves as the heart of the building.
• 👾 The conversion process involved demolishing a significant portion of the original structure and inserting new gallery spaces, a sculpture garden, a restaurant, and a hotel.
• 👨‍⚕️ The atrium was created using advanced technology and required almost 3 million man-hours of work.
• 🧑‍💼 The Museum of Contemporary Arts Africa is part of a larger development project worth $250 million, which includes offices, shops, and apartments.
• 🛟 The museum's modest budget of $40 million focused on creating standout interior elements while preserving the original exterior.
• 👻 The atrium acts as a central gathering space and will host monumental art interventions, similar to the turbine hall at London's Tate Modern.

Transcript

in Capetown British designer Thomas Heather wick has carved a gallery out of a historic green silo to create the largest Art Museum in Africa in the shadow of Table Mountain or one of the world's most famous shorelines the grain silo has been a prominent feature on Cape Town skyline since it was built in 1921 the tallest building in sub-saharan Afr... Read More

Questions & Answers

Q: What is the Museum of Contemporary Arts Africa (MOCA)?

The MOCA is a contemporary art museum located in Cape Town, South Africa, housed within a converted grain silo. It showcases a collection of contemporary art from Africa.

Q: What is the highlight of the museum?

The highlight of the museum is the spectacular atrium, which was carved out of the original silos. It serves as the heart of the building, connecting all the gallery spaces and acting as a space for monumental interventions.

Q: How did the designer transform the grain silo into a museum?

The designer had to be inventive as the original building had no open spaces. They demolished 73% of the original silo bins and removed 50% of the grain elevator building. They inserted white box gallery spaces and a luxury hotel, while preserving the external structure.

Q: What was the process of creating the atrium?

The atrium was created by digitally scanning and enlarging a grain of corn to create the ovoid shape. The concrete tubes of the silo were reinforced and cut to form the atrium shape, using a combination of machinery and hand techniques.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The tallest building in sub-Saharan Africa, the grain silo in Cape Town, has been transformed into the Museum of Contemporary Arts Africa (MOCA).

• The MOCA contains a collection of contemporary art from across the African continent, showcased in 6,000 square meters of gallery space.

• The highlight of the museum is the cathedral-like atrium, carved out of the 42 original silos, which connects all the gallery spaces and attracts visitors.