African project
Hoptoad House – South Africa
an open book
The Hoptoad House project in Cape Town, started in 2013, when Dutch
entrepreneur Sven ten Bokkel Huinink approached SofkaPatterson
Architects to develop a concept for an additional residential building on
his existing smallholding in a village called Noordhoek, 30km outside
of Cape town, 15km from the end of the African continent. The initial
inspiration came from a project by Arbol Design, a Japanese architectural
firm who published their introverted courtyard house on Dezeen.
Photographs by Thomas Hallatschek, www.bestphotos4you.com
T
he building was designed as a single story bungalow with rooms
opening up to multiple private courtyards. Strong lateral shear
walls span up the main structure while the spaces in-between are
filled with full height glazing panels and slatted timber courtyard
walls. This is creating interior spaces with lots of soft, filtered light
and privacy, while the outside of the building remains compact
and uniform.
Natural, local materials like timber and hewn rock let the façade
blend into its farm surroundings. The slatted screen walls
were made of local pine and only treated with linseed oil and turpentine,
allowing them fade to silver-grey over time. The interiors were kept clean and
unadorned, white walls contrasting the charcoal grey profiles of aluminium
sliding doors and timber door frames with the occasional exposed brick
feature wall. Solid timber floors leading from the entrance terrace trough the
lounge onto self-levelling epoxy floors in the bedrooms and bathrooms.
The house has a small carbon footprint, using solar power for water heating
and LED lighting throughout. The floor slab and specific internal walls have
been decoupled with special insulation and act as thermal mass, providing a
comfortable interior climate even in the hottest summer days without the need
for air conditioning. A two-sided, closed combustion fireplace, situated in the
centre of the building between the lounge and living room provides warmth
and atmosphere during the short South African winter.
The name Hoptoad originates from the book written by Astrid Lindgren; Pippi
Longstocking and continues the theme on the existing smallholding. The farm
is called Villa Villekulla, because when it was bought it was just an old home
and a horse wandering around without any fencing. Hoptoad was the name of
the ship Pippi’s father sailed on.
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