Building Blocks

Zeitz Mocaa’s Coo Sabine Lehmann And Local Project Architect Karien Trengove Of Vdmma Discuss The Iconic Building’s Development And Its Place In The Cape Town Landscape

- Tracy Lynn Chemaly

SABINE LEHMANN As the chief operating officer at Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa, my role is to ensure that all operations run smoothly so that visitors are free to interact with the objects and art without worrying about anything. If they ask, ‘What does she do?’ I’ve done my job.

KARIEN TRENGOVE My role as one of the executive architects at Van der Merwe Miszewski on the grain silo redevelopment is similar in that I’m also very much behind the scenes. Although acclaimed British architect Thomas Heatherwick designed the museum, there is a local team building it and implementing his design concept on the ground, and I am responsible for interfacing with Heatherwick Studio, consultants and contractors. One of my favourite moments was when Heatherwick first walked into the atrium after the shape was cut and had a look of sheer exuberance on his face.

You really do stop to gaze up at the cathedral-like atrium. The most beautiful moment for me was walking in as they were cutting the atrium, which was full of dust, workers and noise, and sunlight came streaming in through the skylights.