The Silo Hotel is a magical space towering above the V&A Waterfront surrounded by the natural wonder of South Africa Mother City. The Silo has been built in the grain elevator portion of the historic grain silo complex occupying six floors above what will become the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (MOCAA), which will rival the likes of the Tate Modern in London, MoMA in New York and Museo Nacional del Prado in Madrid. From the outside, the greatest visible change to the building original structure is the addition of pillowed glazing panels, inserted into the geometry of the hotel floors, which bulge outward as if gently inflated. By night, this transforms the building into a glowing lantern or beacon in the harbor. The Silo hotel has 28 lofty rooms, including a spectacular one bedroom penthouse.

• Other accolades: The Silo features in my list of the best new luxury hotels of 2017.