Dezeen Magazine

The Silo Hotel by The Royal Portfolio

"I want to dislike it because it's Heatherwick. But I love it"

The unusual windows of a new hotel opened as part of Heatherwick Studio's overhaul of a former grain silo building in Cape Town sparked a mixed bag of reactions in this week's comments update.

Embrace the bulge: Thomas Heatherwick's use of bulging glass windows for The Silo hotel in Cape Town led to a row about their practicality among readers.

"Someone needs to explain the rationale behind the pillowed glass." said spadestick.

"Indeed, externally look impressive, internally they break down the impressive views." added Brendon Micheletti.

"I was surprised by how beautiful the windows are up close and inside." countered RomanHans.

Chris MacDonald couldn't help but admire the project: "I want to dislike it because it's Heatherwick. But I love it."

"Finally a renovation perfectly showcasing the past, present and future in all aspects." agreed an impressed Andre.

This reader's search was over:

Would you stay at the Silo Hotel? Have your say in the comments section ›


Trained eye: Sergey Makhno Architects' realistic renderings of a proposed residence set in Ukraine's Carpathian Mountains drew a mixed response this week.

"I love it! Such a Zen quality to it. A retreat that has the comforts we are used to but allows one to escape and reconnect with the self." asserted Igor Pismenksky.

"I'm all for zen, but this is bleak." retorted a defiant trillian.

Dezeen regular Geofbob didn't believe the project would come to fruition: "Atmospheric certainly, but painterly? Since it will probably remain a rendering, does it matter?"

H-J felt the firm were just showing off their software skills: "It appears to be just an Autodesk advertisement."

The images brought an interesting comparison to this reader's mind:

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Pod vending machine by Haseef Rafiei

The claw: A concept to tackle housing demand by 3D printing modular homes inside a giant vending machine-like structure also provoked a strong response from readers.

"This is not an innovative idea. It's a rendering of a premise for a potentially innovative idea." said a semi-convinced HeywoodFloyd.

But TFO was less than impressed: "Dystopian in the banalest manner."

One reader could see some fun in the proposal:

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Shelter by Vipp

Price tag: The cost of Vipp's prefabricated holiday micro cabins left some readers feeling a little perplexed

Mark Morgan-Pérez felt there were better options available: "Absurdly expensive. A custom designed, site-specific dwelling of this size could be constructed using local labour and materials for at least half as much"

"You like it until you see the price tag." concurred a disappointed Hotte.

This reader didn't hold back:

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