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Architects: SALT Architects
- Area: 15865 m²
- Year: 2024
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Photographs:Karl Rogers
Text description provided by the architects. The Cape Flats Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) plant is a pioneering response to Cape Town's water crisis, offering a sustainable solution to safeguard the city's future water supply. Situated within the False Bay Nature Reserve in Pelican Park, this facility addresses the need for sustainable water management by purifying treated effluent to potable standards and recharging the Cape Flats Aquifer. The site, a flat sandy expanse bordered by dunes, endures strong prevailing southeasterly winds and corrosive coastal conditions, all of which informed the design approach.
At the heart of the project lies the innovative process devised by the civil engineers, of recharging the Cape Flats Aquifer, a critical water source for the region. Treated effluent is purified to potable standards and reinjected into the aquifer to maintain its levels. This process unfolds through a series of four linear filtration buildings, carefully arranged along an artificial slope to facilitate a gravity-fed filtration system. The journey begins at the highest filtration building and descends to the lowest, where the purified water is redirected to the aquifer. The long east-west facades of these buildings feature angled brick fins and narrow south-facing windows, creating a "gilled" aesthetic that filters light while preventing algae growth in the filters. These facades act as membranes—not for water but for sunlight—transforming filtration into both a functional and symbolic architectural element.
The administrative building, located at the highest point of the site, serves as the "head" of the facility, standing as a marker of human interaction and management within the industrial complex. Integrated into the first filtration building, it adopts the language of the gilled
facades but introduces a subtle shift in rhythm. Here, the fins peel away to form a loose brise soleil, creating a porous, screen-like structure that filters not only light but also the transition between inside and outside. This gesture signifies the administrative building's role as a human interface, orienting visitors and signaling arrival. Behind the brise soleil, a double-volume glazed atrium provides a light-filled yet protected entry space, welcoming users and guests.
Inside, the administrative block is organized for efficiency and comfort. The ground floor accommodates practical spaces for plant operators, while the first floor houses offices, meeting rooms, and the plant's control room. These spaces are designed to support productivity while offering a sense of care and value to those who work here.
The project's design acknowledges the significant embedded energy inherent in the extensive concrete structures required for water retention - with walls and floors up to 600mm thick - sustainability was approached with a focus on durability and long-term resource efficiency. Durable face brick was selected for the facades, its warm tones harmonizing with the sandy context while ensuring minimal maintenance in the corrosive environment. The emphasis on timeless construction not only ensures the buildings' longevity but also fosters the potential for repurposing, reducing the likelihood of demolition at the end of their lifespan.
Smaller, thoughtful measures complement this approach, including reusing dune sand from site excavations as backfill, installing low-flow sanitary fittings and waterless urinals, and optimizing passive thermal strategies to minimize the need for artificial climate control. These interventions, though modest in scale, reflect a commitment to efficiency and resourcefulness over the plant's operational lifetime.
While access to the facility is restricted, its design extends beyond utility to celebrate the dignity of infrastructure. By elevating the experience of its operators and crafting a setting of thoughtfulness and beauty, the project communicates care and inspires pride. As a flagship initiative for the City of Cape Town, the MAR plant is not just a technical achievement but a powerful statement of the city's commitment to innovative and sustainable development. Its design ensures it can host educational groups and visitors, serving as a tangible example of resilience in the face of water scarcity.
The Cape Flats MAR plant exemplifies how architecture can transform essential infrastructure into something greater: a place that honors its users, responds intelligently to its environment, and symbolizes the ingenuity needed to address the pressing challenges of our time.
