Brian Bernhardt Architects
Selected residential, commercial, civic and industrial projects spanning more than three decades of architectural practice.
Current practice
Recent and ongoing work, where the whole build is run by one architect from concept to completion.
Main image
Stilt House — principal exterior view
01
Alterations & Additions · Simon's Town
A north-facing fynbos mountainside home over False Bay, remodelled and extended with a new lower level, borehole, solar array and integrated terracing.
View project →02
Alterations & Additions · Clifton
An eight-storey west-facing building transformed into four residences — terraced concrete platforms, aluminium screening and pergolas, and central battery backup.
View project →Main image
Apartment Block — as-built photograph
1987 – 2009
Selected projects completed while Brian Bernhardt worked with several architectural practices — each shown under the practice responsible for the work, preserving its authorship and professional context.
1987 – 1995
Model — Family House, Alexandra Township
Low-Cost Residential · Alexandra Township
A compact steel portal-frame home whose first floor extends beyond the ground floor, reinterpreting materials associated with informal housing.
View project →Model — Terraced Courtyard House
New Residential · Southern Johannesburg
Organised down a north-facing slope through a clear hierarchy of spaces, from a shaded arrival pergola to a U-shaped bedroom wing and koi-pond terrace.
View project →Image — Film Studio Headquarters
Commercial · Sandton, Johannesburg
A long, north-facing building among mature trees, with a double-volume corridor linking studios, offices and shared spaces.
View project →1995 – 1999
Image — Hot Mill Weather Shield
Industrial · Pietermaritzburg
A large warehouse shield for Hulett Aluminium's hot mill, its form drawing air upward through convection to naturally cool the building.
View project →Image — Circular Entrance Office Block
Alterations & Additions · Pietermaritzburg
A circular double-volume structure inserted between two blocks to create a single, shared post-apartheid entrance.
View project →2000 – 2002
Image — Western Cape Council Chamber
Civic · Foreshore, Cape Town
A 400-seat council chamber suspended on a steel platform within a hollowed-out, remodelled Brutalist podium — pierced by a dramatic central steel cone that rises through the roof and fills the chamber with natural light.
View project →2002 – 2004
Luxury Residential Development · V&A Waterfront, Cape Town
Angular façades and fenestration defining the edge of the waterfront basin, contrasted with the jagged roof forms of the penthouse apartments. The work included services coordination and construction quality control.
View project →Image — V&A Waterfront Apartments
2005 – 2009
Image — Pebble Beach Apartments, Sea Point
Multi-Residential · Sea Point
Triple-storey apartments on a narrow site between two high-rises, arranged like British row houses with projecting rear staircases.
View project →Image — Cape Agulhas Visitor Centre · Third Place
Competition Entry · Cape Agulhas
A third-place competition proposal for the National Parks Board — low-scale buildings around a gathering space, linked to a timber viewing deck.
View project →ARRCC · 2010 – 2020
High-end residential projects undertaken in the role of Project Architect along Cape Town's Atlantic Seaboard — new houses, alterations, additions and luxury apartments. The work required close coordination between architecture and interior architecture, with a strong emphasis on structural detailing, bespoke construction methods and high-quality finishes.
Image — Circular glass lift & structural glass stair
A circular glass lift enclosed by a stainless-steel and glass balustrade, with structural glass treads and precision-engineered detailing.
Image — Flat-roof residence, oval tapering staircase
A residence with a flat concrete roof of truncated cylindrical forms and flush glazing framing mountain views; slatted oak ceilings and an oval staircase that tapers as it rises within a continuous curved plaster balustrade.
Image — Off-shutter concrete residence
A minimalist residence using extensive off-shutter concrete to create a refined, monolithic interior.
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