African project
Swartberg House – South Africa
consistent throughout the exterior and interior spaces, allowing
for an ambiguity between inside and out; they are deliberately
non-domestic and unrefined. The finely detailed joinery, made in
oiled ash, acts as a counterbalance to the more robust materials
and differentiates between the sculptural qualities of the solid
structure and the elements made to be touched and used in
everyday life.
The lack of light pollution in this remote location guides the
way in which an awareness of the stars and the clarity and
colour of natural light has become an intrinsic part of the
design of the house. Changing light patterns shine through
shutters during the day. Shafts of light from scattered openings,
positioned with reference to celestial constellations, provide
daylight and become light sources at night. Concealed LED
strips are integrated into external and internal openings, so
that the openings in the structure of the house itself illuminate
the interior. From the exterior, the house is lit with an irregular
pattern that is in sympathy with the scattering of stars in the
dark skies.
The landscape of mountain and veld is integral to the design
and experience of the house. Openings and spaces are designed
to bring near and far landscapes into the way in which the
house is experienced, collapsing the distance between nature
and everyday life. Openings are aligned through and within
the building so that the heaviness of the rendered walls is
interrupted by large, delicately framed openings, through which
the natural environment is visible.
The pool is enclosed by a stone wall selected to match the colour
of the mountains. It recalls the dry stone enclosures used for
livestock in the local area. The pool is intended to provide a
secluded world for contemplation, without distraction. The
house counterbalances solidity and transparency, light and
shadow. The sliding shutters can screen out light and heat - or
open to admit warmth, air and views to the external landscape.
The roof terrace forms an alternative ground plane, which
allows the landscape to be integrated further into the house.
Circulation around and above the double height volumes
enables the roof to accommodate a series of outdoor places
that can be used during different weather conditions and at
different times of year. The first floor bedrooms open onto the
fire circle and seating area, which is screened from harsh west
light in the summer and from the wind, which blows on hot
afternoons. The roof terraces embrace an openness to the sky
and the abundance of stars and are used as gathering places
on warm summer evenings. The house not only defers to the
landscape, but is also formed by it, therefore developing a poetic
architectural language, which brings its inhabitants closer to the
natural world.
africandesignmagazine.com
29