Typology
Heritage / urban design

Client
Department of Public Works

Location Newlands, Cape Town

Year 2011- 2015

Team
Urban design: Urban Concepts
Town planning: @Planning
Architecture: Africa Consulting Architects
Heritage: Urban Design Services
Landscape consultants: EPLA Consulting
Traffic engineering: ITS Engineers

Image credits
Drawings, graphics and site photographs by Urban Concepts

Fernwood Integrated Management Plan
Fernwood Estate, Newlands

Fernwood Estate in Newlands, Cape Town is owned by the Department of Public Works and holds much potential as one of Cape Town’s most beautiful and significant estates. The vision for the property is to conserve and restore the culturally and historically significant buildings, gardens and recreational sporting areas, and to rehabilitate and maintain the environmentally-significant forests, wetlands and streams.

The Main House dates back to the 1880’s and is built in Gothic Revival style, although many of the decorations have been stripped from the building over the years and therefore the style is no longer easily recognised. The Long House, adjacent to this is also of historical significance and has been  earmarked for renovations.  These buildings will be used for events and conferencing.

The inclusion of residences was on the wish list in earlier years but were removed from the application as a result of potential impact on natural resources and concerns related to expenditure on luxury residences for ministerial use.

Urban Concepts was part of a professional team commissioned to compile the Conservation and Integrated Management Plan for the estate, and our involvement included design contributions to Planning, Heritage and Environmental statutory applications, as well as the collation of Conservation & Integrated Management Plans.