AZUL TERRACES , BLOUBERG STRAND
Azul Terraces consists of 18 apartments of various sizes and layouts over 5-floor levels . Each unit has a sizeable outside braai and terrace space , ranging in size from 25 % up to 50 % of the internal floor space of the unit . The semi-basement level securely accommodates 31 parking bays and storerooms .
The brief by developers Square Turn Developments to architects Osmond Lange was to fully utilise the site ’ s rights , within the confines and opportunities of its location .
The north fronts an existing multi-storey building while road traffic runs past the eastern edge overlooking low overgrown dunes . The ocean view opportunities presents itself in a northwest to south-west facing arc . Creating architecture requires a delicate balance of competing parameters , from the physical and legislative contexts , to the reality of economic and commercial drivers , each pushing and pulling the design from within and without . The final design is a result of finding this balance .
The total allowable floors-space ( bulk ), of around 1,300m 2 , on a compact site , had to be optimised and formed , to facilitate the best plausible views , from the individual apartments , towards Table Mountain across the bay .
The predominant natural feature of the site is its elevated position . This benefit was utilised through the plan ’ s layout in creating optimal habitable spaces ( bedrooms and living spaces ), that flow seamlessly from the interior through large glazed doors and windows onto expansive exterior terraces , to facilitate the connection with the ocean and neighbourhood .
The tapered massing , or terraced building form , is a result of the town planning and zoning parameters , which prescribed a building-boundary-setback increasing at a set ratio upward from ground level to reduce the visual impact of the building mass on the surrounding area . This feature created breathing space from the adjacent buildings and opened more splendid views towards the ocean for north-facing apartments .
The façade ’ s design articulates the terraces as thick horizontal slabs , expressed as protrusions from the glazed wall elements , assisting in visually breaking the solidity of the building form and subtlety giving the nod to the design language expressed by its northern neighbour . These setbacks create strong shadows , dynamically varying with hourly and seasonally changing sun angles .
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