SPECIAL REPORT: CIRCA

CIRCA ON JELLICOE

By Bev Hermanson

It’s a Saturday morning and the residents of Rosebank, one of Johannesburg’s elite northern suburbs, are flocking to the art precinct on the corner of Jellicoe and Jan Smuts Avenues to enjoy a coffee, browse through the book store and view the artworks on display. This is the vision of Mark Read of the Everard Read Gallery, whose brief to Pierre Swanepoel of StudioMAS architecture & urban design was to create a multifunctional space on what once was a narrow parking lot.

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Top row: The Circa building commands the

corner while the Everard Read Gallery forms a

demure backdrop.

Left: A walkway connects the Circa building with

the fire escape.

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Photo by Russell Cleaver

The Everard Read Gallery was started back in 1912 in the

central business district of Johannesburg. In a bid to

escape the crime ridden inner city, the Read family chose

to relocate the gallery to Jellicoe Avenue in Rosebank,

where a domestic residence was converted into a flow-

ing, bright viewing space for various artworks, sketches,

sculptures and artifacts. Then in the 80s, the Reads pur-

chased the property facing Jan Smuts Avenue, across

the road from the gallery. For the next 15 years the land

was utilised as extra parking for the gallery, however,

during this interval, the seed was sown to do something

more meaningful with the site. Mark Read set about

finding an architect that could share his vision and

eventually settled on the award winning practice of

StudioMAS. He briefed Pierre Swanepoel, the senior

partner, to come up with a concept that would become

a dynamic multi-functional building that would com-

plement the existing gallery.

“It was very challenging to conceptualise a building

that would take best advantage of what was essentially

a long narrow utility area. We came up with a triple storey

building that is an elliptical shape, transparent, yet self-

contained,” says architect Pierre Swanepoel. Known as

Circa, which means ‘thereabouts’ or ‘approximately at

that time’, the new building occupies the north western

corner of the Rosebank precinct. It is within walking

distance of the various malls, craft market, banks and

the many hotels and restaurants in the district. With

the building of a Gautrain station in the suburb, it is

expected that this area will become a vibrant node and

an attractive destination for visitors and residents of

Gauteng to visit.

“Mark had initially wanted to extend the gallery across

the street, but as the project unfolded he decided to

leave the existing gallery as it was, merely paving the

road between the two sites to create more of an ‘art

in the street’ atmosphere,” Swanepoel continues.

“The new building is a very theatrical space that has

been split into three levels with a circular staircase

that ascends around the perimeter. It’s a place where

people can meet and interact in a highly inspirational

environment.”

The concrete stairs which encircles

the central structure

The aluminium fins that clad the

exterior of the structure

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It was extremely difficult to piece the building together

to achieve the elliptical shape, says Swanepoel. Much

of the structure had to be constructed virtually ‘by

hand’ to achieve the uniformity desired. The central

structure is made from concrete, which is encircled by

concrete stairs. To ensure a level of privacy, this was

then clad with aluminium fins that allow natural light

to filter in during the day and artificial light to splash

on to the surrounding pavement area at night. “The

fins resemble the structures used for a Zulu kraal,

shielding the interiors from the bright African sun.”

The structure was conceptualised to become an integral

part of the public spaces with a coffee shop and book

store that will spill out on to the paving. The streetscape

lends itself to the showing of large sculptures and two

large glass sliding doors are the perfect answer to the

need for security, while offering transparency and a feel-

ing of openness to the space.

The ingenuity of the design has given this landmark a

triple storey structure with a top level lounge and deck

that takes in 270 degree views clear across to Northcliff

hill. The lounge, designed by Christine Read, and adjoin-

ing kitchen area is large enough to cater comfortably for

gatherings of 50 or so people and the west facing deck

is perfect for sundowners. The first floor, covering

around 177 sq m is a multipurpose exhibition space

with seven movable screens that can be dropped

through the floor to the level below should the need

arise for more exhibition space on the ground floor.

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Named Speke, after John Speke, the pioneer who sought

the source of the Nile, this ground floor space is ideal for

displaying treasures of contemporary art and artefacts,

all things passionately collected by Mark and Christine

from Africa and around the world. The top level, known

as the Darwin Room, is linked to a fire escape via a walk-

way. This metal structure will eventually be covered by

a vertical garden, allowing visitors the experience of

descending through a green world of foliage, should

they wish to do so.

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The top level lounge,

known as the Darwin

Room, designed by

Christine Read.

The top level deck that

takes in 270 degree

views clear across to

Northcliff Hill.

In addition to displays of artworks and crafts, Circa will

be used for a variety of cultural events that will encour-

age gallery supporters to rethink the definitions of art

and other cultural pursuits. “One can say that Circa is a

small building with a big attitude,” says Swanepoel.

“One that is inspired by a new world economy, where

commercial gain is tempered by a concern for urban and

natural environments.” <

Circa’s multipurpose

exhibition space.

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