Bringing History Back to the Skyline: The 70 Loop Street Heritage Lantern Project

11 February 2026
News

Cape Town’s Loop Street is lined with buildings that form part of the city’s historic architectural fabric. When fire damage affected 70 Loop Street, one of the defining features lost was the roof lantern that crowned the corner building’s skyline presence.

Although the wider building restoration formed part of a broader heritage rehabilitation effort, the lantern itself was beyond repair. Rather than restore it, the project required full replication.

Grandi Manufacturing was appointed to manufacture and install a new lantern that accurately reflected the original proportions, silhouette and architectural intent, while meeting modern structural and durability standards.

Working from fragments, not drawings

Heritage replication is rarely straightforward. The team worked from fire-damaged remnants, site measurements and historic references to interpret the original form.

The aim was not reinterpretation. It was authenticity. The replacement lantern needed to sit within the existing architecture as if it had never been removed.

This required technical precision — and restraint.

Square-to-round fabrication at architectural scale

The lantern was fabricated as a square-to-round transition structure, a complex geometric form more commonly found in industrial applications. Executing this at architectural scale demanded exceptional attention to alignment and finish.

Each section was carefully formed to ensure:

Accurate geometry throughout the transition
Clean vertical seam alignment
Structural rigidity for rooftop exposure
Faithful replication of the original silhouette

Weld sequencing was carefully controlled to prevent distortion, particularly important given the visibility of the structure once installed at height.

Specialist installation capability

The project did not end at fabrication.

Grandi Manufacturing specialises in highly complex installation projects, particularly those involving crane access, restricted urban sites and sensitive heritage environments.

The 70 Loop Street lantern required:

Detailed lift planning within Cape Town’s CBD
Coordinated crane access
Precise rooftop placement and structural alignment
Careful integration with the existing historic structure

Executing installation in a heritage context requires not only engineering skill but also controlled site methodology. The lantern was successfully positioned and secured without compromising the surrounding fabric of the building.