inside david adjaye's hallmark house in johannesburg

‘hallmark house’ — david adjaye’s first residential building in africa — is nearing completion, with new photos detailing the mixed-use development’s interior for the first time. the project, which comprises permanent residences alongside a 46-room hotel, is located in maboneng, an emerging neighborhood in johannesburg’s city center. ‘I saw this project as an opportunity to help transform the city and move it beyond the incredible division that too often characterizes it, as well as an opportunity to combine an african aesthetic with a contemporary vision,’ explains adjaye.

all images courtesy of propertuity

hallmark house — an industrial structure that dates back to the 1970s — is backed by development firm propertuity, whose founder and CEO jonathan liebmann described the project as being the most important the company has worked on to date. adjaye associates is responsible for the scheme’s architecture, while local firm malica design created the building’s interior identity. hotel rooms are found on the fourth and fifth floors, while storeys six to 15 contain apartments ranging from 30 to 600 square meters in size.

all photography by sarah de pina

each unit in the building has a private terrace with planter boxes that allow vegetation to be visible from street level. as the scheme seeks to connect both residents and guests with the city as well as each other, wooden gates between each terrace can be left open, encouraging a sense of community interaction. over time the planter boxes that wrap around the building’s perimeter will form a vertical garden, adding much-needed greenery to johannesburg’s cityscape.

new photos detail the mixed-use development’s interior for the first time

as adjaye and his team wanted to reveal the building’s industrial qualities, the structure was sandblasted and cleaned and is now exposed as a feature throughout. conversely, the interior includes luxurious and inviting spaces establishing a ‘cosmopolitan oasis within the heart of the city’. ‘we are very much trying to show that the inner city is capable of providing the quality of life and greenery that people associate with the suburbs,’ continues adjaye. ‘so, the tower has been designed with a high ratio of outside to inside space to reflect the pattern of outdoor life in the city’.

the project comprises permanent residences alongside a 46-room hotel

the interiors — created by malica design — feature vibrant colors, patterns, and textures — chosen to offer a contemporary and sophisticated sense of african design. a range of shared spaces, including extensive recreational and business facilities, serve both residents and guests, while a roof terrace includes a bar, a dipping pool, a restaurant, a spa, and a gym. the ground floor also contain another restaurant, a coffee shop, conferencing facilities, and serviced offices.

the interiors have been created by local firm malica design