The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) has embarked on the renovation of its iconic Head Office, a longstanding landmark in the Tshwane Central Business District (CBD). The renovations will provide the SARB with a new public interface that will promote greater accessibility and include a museum that broadens the public’s understanding of finance and economics, the SARB’s mandate, its work and the landscape in which it operates.

Why is the SARB renovating its Head Office?

Meeting the future head on

Aging infrastructure and the SARB’s expansion with the addition of the Prudential Authority as well as other functions, mean the current Head Office is inadequate for the SARB’s future accommodation needs.
 

A new way of work

Internal surveys have identified the need for more open and collaborative workspaces, a requirement that has become more urgent in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the SARB’s shift to a hybrid work environment.
 

Sustainability

The SARB is using the Head Office Renovation project as an opportunity to green its facilities, making them more energy efficient and reducing its carbon footprint.
 

Public accessibility

Importantly, the renovations will enhance accessibility to the public with the addition of a museum. The museum will be a place of knowledge-sharing and learning and will offer a window into our country’s economic and financial history. The museum will also house the SARB’s treasured art collection to be enjoyed by fellow South Africans and visitors from around the world.
 

Corporate citizenship

In 2016 the Bank began exploring the renovation of its headquarters, which has not undergone any major upgrade for the last 40 years. After considering a range of options, including the relocation of its offices to an entirely new site, the decision was made to remain in the City of Tshwane’s central business district.

The SARB’s new Head Office will bolster the regeneration and development of the Tshwane city centre and marks a significant investment in the local and regional economy. The SARB is committed to empowering the surrounding communities through employment and contracting opportunities for people and small businesses with the necessary skills. 
 

What will the renovation project involve?

The renovation work will include the upgrade of the SARB’s distinctive black tower block as well as the extension of the precinct to incorporate heritage buildings adjacent to the current Head Office. These buildings include the Nederduitsch Hervormde Kerk (NHK) or Dutch Reformed Church, which will become the heart of the planned museum.

Temporary offices

During construction SARB employees will be making use of temporary offices in Irene Link in Centurion, Pretoria.

The SARB has adopted a hybrid work approach, which means that not all employees will be on site all the time. Staff will be working at the Irene Link offices to meet external stakeholders and to collaborate with colleagues whenever necessary as well as working remotely.

The address for the SARB temporary offices is:

Irene Link
13 Impala Avenue
Doringkloof
Centurion
0157

Timeframe

The construction phase is scheduled to start in October 2022 and the project is expected to be fully complete in early 2025.

Museum and heritage

The SARB has commenced a Head Office extension to create a new primary public interface and museum development to take visitors – using innovative and interactive exhibitions – on a journey of discovery, learning about the story of the SARB and understanding how it works to promote the well-being of South Africans.

Through the museum’s public programming and exhibitions, the SARB museum will seek to deepen the nation’s financial and economic understanding by making both the SARB’s work and the landscape in which we operate more accessible and transparent. The museum’s aim is to inform, educate, empower and entertain through innovation and interaction.

The Church

The Netherdutch Reformed Church (Nederduitsch Hervormde Kerk, NHK) which sits alongside the SARB, will form the heart of the SARB museum precinct. The building was declared a national monument in 1980 and is currently protected as a Grade 2 Provincial Heritage Resource in accordance with section 58(11)b of the National Heritage Resources Agency.

The Church’s adaptive reuse from church to museum requires a sensitive architectural approach that takes into consideration the heritage building’s tangible and intangible heritage and symbolic values while balancing the needs of a new public programme: adding a necessary and new use can be the greatest protection of heritage assets.

Built in 1904, the Du Toit Street NHK was designed by Kraan en Weijers Architects. General Louise Botha laid the corner stone of the church on 18 June 1904, and the building was inaugurated on 24 February 1905. The church has a very strong connection to the Netherlands, having been designed, built, and finished by Dutch immigrants. But perhaps the most fascinating is the marble memorial stone laid in the Eastern wall which pays tribute to the men of Dutch origin who died in the South African war (1899–1902) and on which Vincent Van Gogh’s younger brother is named – C V van Gogh (Cornelis Vincent van Gogh). Cornelis, the lesser known Van Gogh, came to South Africa to work as a draughtsman on the gold mines and later the railways. Cornelis served alongside the Boers in the South African War. He was taken prisoner while on commando in 1900, where he became ill and died.

Ken’s Court

The SARB Head Office extension also incorporates the heritage site formerly named Nederduitsch Hervormde Kerk Gebou. The building was designed by Geers and Geers Architects in 1937 as a residential facility for the Du Toit Street NHK Church. It was detailed in the modern movement style, incorporating aspects of Art Deco architecture. The building was renamed Ken’s Court when the church sold the building in the mid-90s.

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