OVERVIEW
The latest project completed by dhk Interior Design (dhki) is an elegant and functional customer service desk located at the centre of Canal Walk, Cape Town’s largest shopping centre. The design is inspired by the movement and flow of people in the busy centre.
In 2022, Hyprop Investments tasked dhki with creating a common feature that could be implemented across all their properties, starting with Canal Walk. Their goal was to establish a recognisable insertion in a prominent location in the centre, which is visited by thousands of people every day.
In trying to find a thread that would tie the old with the new, dhki developed a concept that pays homage to the shopping centre’s 20-year history. The desk features the beautiful stones used in the original Canal Walk development, such as the Rosa Verona marble, the green Malachite stone from Zimbabwe and Crema Marfil marble. The pebble shaped design emerged after watching the flow of people moving through the centre.
“We likened it to a pebble in a stream,” says Lisa Bridgeford, one of dhki’s founding directors.
She says: “The desk is right outside the H&M store, which is a very busy anchor tenant in the centre. In that node, we looked at the flow of people and how they moved through that space, both vertically and horizontally. It was important that when you come down the escalator, the desk makes an impression, and when you’re in the space, it doesn’t obstruct the natural flow of people. These two factors guided us. The shape is organic and references a pebble in a stream shaped by the flow of water.”
However, dhki always prioritises function as much as form. “In the end, the desk can be as beautiful as possible, but it must fulfil a function,” says Lisa.
The large reception desk accommodates several functions, with sufficient capacity to support operators throughout the year, and especially during the busy festive period when there’s increased foot traffic. Key considerations were ergonomics, functionality, good sightlines and durability to ensure the desk lasts for the next 20 years. The desk functions primarily as an information centre and also includes storage spaces for tourism pamphlets and wheelchairs.
Client: Hyprop Investments
Category: Interior Design
Completion: June 2024
Project: Canal Walk Customer Service Desk
Site: Century City, Cape Town