African Design Magazine July 2017 | Page 57

African project Pezula House – South Africa Modern honest raw Thomas Gouws Architects were commissioned by a couple from Johannesburg to design a retirement home for them in Pezula Private Estate in Knysna. They wanted a simple modern home which made the most of the expansive sea views. Effortless accessibility and low maintenance were high on their requirement list. They’re also very environmentally conscious and alternative energy sources were specified. We put some questions to Thomas Gouws regarding the project. What is the total size of the home? 605m 2 (undercover area). What would you say is the most noticeable feature of the project? Its raw simplicity and its understated presence “floating” above the pristine coastal vegetation. How did the environment influence your design? As mentioned above we wanted to disturb the natural vegetation on the site as little as possible and therefore raised the two main concrete forms to ‘float’ above the landscape. The bottom floor in contrast is cladded in natural stone linking it to the site. With the natural africandesignmagazine.com 57