The entranceway at Disturbance Design's offices, which is housed in a heritage buidling in Durban.

Recycling Durban’s heritage buildings into offices makes financial and historical sense. But many of the city’s most beautiful and historic buildings are being demolished and altered without consent, warns Trish Emmett, noted local architect and a member of the KZN Institute of Architecture.

Similarly, Lindsay Napier, who heads the KZN Institute of Architecture Heritage Committee, has warned that some of Durban’s older suburbs are losing their original identity.

“Bellair and Seaview, for example, have lost their residential feel. The process of turning buildings into offices has to be carefully managed particularly in what changes to the buildings are allowed,” she said.

Napier said that in some instances buildings were being demolished through neglect. “The owners deliberately leave the building open so squatters move in. But the city has reactive policing of these issues. We don’t have anyone who has the mandate to look at architectural type or streetscapes.”

Emmett said the Durban architectural “look” was also under threat, particularly on the Berea and in Glenwood where the red roofs, deep verandas and vintage windows were being altered daily by new owners who had little respect for the architectural story.

While Napier agreed it was impossible to preserve the city unchanged because development was inevitable, she called for important historical icons to be identified and preserved. “We should work towards preserving the historical essence of areas such as Essenwood, Windermere and Florida Road. It is a simple matter of good management.”

RESTORED to its former glory by Durbans award winning Disturbance Design, 22 Prains Avenue, once a gracious period home is now a workspace for the company which according to the financial manager, Susie Hart, has resulted in a studio that has wonderful flow, beautiful diffused lighting and continues to be a joy to work in. Picture: Supplied

However, she said the past had little value for a large number of the city’s population.

Disturbance Design, one of Durban’s leading ad agencies, restored a derelict heritage building in Glenwood’s Prains Avenue to suit its needs.

The agency’s financial manager, Susie Hart, said the investment made sense. “We have added value to it and we were able to customise the space to meet our needs and work flows,” she said.

Hart said the building was in such a bad state of repair that the estate agent was reluctant to show it to them.

City architect Jonathan Edkins said drawing up a heritage strategy was under way. But he failed to clarify when the strategy would be completed or what the city was doing in the interim to protect heritage buildings.

All buildings older than 60 years are under the protection of the provincial protection body, Amafa.

There is no active body within the city responsible for buildings less than 60 years’ old, although a heritage line department has been set up within the parks and museums cluster, which is involved with the drawing up of an action plan, which Edkins hoped would be in place mid-year.