Mutual Heights – Darling Street, Cape Town

The Mutual Building is a fine example of Art Deco architecture and design. External features include a dramatic  ziggurat structure, prismoid (triangular) windows, and one of the longest carved stone friezes in the world. Metal Windows refurbished the Mutual  Heights building’s entire exterior façade of unique steel windows, retaining all the original features including the original window handles & hardware. The original hardware was carefully removed, repaired, polished and reinstalled.

History

The Mutual Building in Darling Street, Cape Town was built as the headquarters of the South African Mutual Life Assurance Society, now the “Old Mutual” insurance and financial services company. It was completed in 1939 and opened in 1940, but before the end of the 1950s—less than 20 years later—business operations were already moving to another new office at Mutual Park in Pinelands.

The original design of the building is attributed to Louw & Louw (Cape Town architects), Conversion to residential occupation began under the direction of Robert Silke at Louis Karol Architects. The name of the building was changed by the developers to Mutual Heights.

Current

The Mutual Building is now converted into an apartment block, known as Mutual Heights., although  some parts of the building are used commercially. The Banking Hall is now an events venue, and retail shops operate outside on the ground level. It is used often for movie shoots and now fully converted

Metal Windows have  completed multiple  interiors and continue to update, the multi-use building’s apartments, using a combination of Forman Brand systems steel section and large panes of glass to form massive scale panels. These steel modules are repeated throughout as interior partitions.

Steel remains on trend in design today and our FORMAN Brand F7 steel & glass systems (exclusive to Metal Windows), are featuring in commercial, residential, retail and  hospitality projects all over Cape Town.

Recent projects include The CT Cruise Terminal Waterfront, WEX1, The Iron Works, Woodstock Quarter and The new Tramways building.