A Matter Of Perspective

An apartment belonging to architects Alex Geh and Christiaan van Aswegen in Cape Town’s iconic Disa Park embraces the buildings’ uniquely modernist, cylindrical design

- Jessica Ross

Sitting on the foothills of Table Mountain, Disa Park’s imposing trio of towers are famous for their unique cylindrical design. For architects Christiaan van Aswegen and Alexander Geh – both keen buffs in the history of architecture and its movements – the building’s brutalist nature and tube-like shape posed an alluring design challenge, which saw them swapping ‘rooms’ for ‘wedges’ and manipulating angles to enhance perspective. Surveying the city from their perch on the 14th floor of the first tower, the couple discuss their attraction to Disa, unlocking the apartment’s potential, and their predilection for greenery.

CHRISTIAAN I’ve never liked living in houses. I’ve always loved apartments, but I was initially quite sceptical about Disa Park because it’s had quite a negative reputation. ALEX They aren’t elegant buildings, let me put it that way. But they could be!