EAST ELEVATION
Silwersteen residential estate on its north western
boundary, and by a conservation area on its south
eastern boundary. Opposite the property is the
US Consulate complex and Reddam House
School, with various other residential estates in
the surrounding area. Access to the site is via
Steenberg Road, an important local distributor road
and part of the scenic drive network which carries
high volumes of traffic.
The original farm dates back to the 17th century,
and was known as Klein Steenberg. In 1959 a
poultry farm was established on the site, until
its closure in 2002 and the foundations of the
demolished hen houses were still visible on the
site. Various small scale commercial enterprises
operated in the farm buildings, but were no longer
in use by the time the site was acquired by the
client in 2011.
34
Wetland and Landscaping
The site was quite wild when the project started
and numerous snakes were caught and released. A
porcupine continued to visit the site throughout the
construction process, eating newly planted bulbs
much to the landscape designer’s frustration. A
pair of spotted eagle owls reside in the oaks trees
near the original farm house.
The site incorporates an incredibly sensitive
existing wetland ecosystem that had been
historically neglected. The wetland was completed
rehabilitated, with alien species removed and
embankments shaped to improve the water course.
The wetland and its surrounding buffer zones have
been revived and replanted with locally indigenous
fynbos, enhanced by other indigenous plants and
naturalised species, and has already attracted a
multitude of insects and birds onto the site.
The Norval Foundation