Architects Of Justice Architects Of Justice 2018 Review | Page 14

The home, which is beautiful from every angle, is incredibly site and context driven, fitting the client’s
requirements to be able to connect with nature. Nature, however did provide its own unique challenges;
there could be no openings or entries into the roof void, as it would provide the ideal habitat for a myriad of
animals to take up residence within this space, and measures had to be taken to prevent warthogs residing
underneath the suspended wooden deck on the north of the site.
Standout feature
The crowning jewel of the house is a floating steel roof that overhangs the house on every side with a
minimum overhang of 1,6m. At its maximum, the roof overhang extends in an impressive 13m butterfly
cantilever creating a seemingly unsupported roof over a boma. The total roof area for the 450m 2 residence
totalled at an impressive 900m 2 allowing inside spaces to blend effortlessly with the outside.
“Initially the roof was to be concrete and planted,” notes Granicki. “After the client eventually decided against
the use of a green roof due to concerns of maintenance for what was to be primarily a low-maintenance
holiday home, the concept was redeveloped with a steel roof that would be lighter and quicker to erect on
site. With this construction methodology, we still managed to obtain cantilevers all round on the roof and
an open span lounge/dining room of more than 100m 2 , with no columns to obscure the view over the pool
and surrounding bushveld.”
The steel roof overhangs helped design a passively cooled home which mitigates heat gain by shading the
exteriors throughout the day in an area of the country that often reaches 30 degrees Celsius in winter and
well over 40 degrees Celsius in summer.
Off-site fabrication allowed for a very clean assembly process on site, and bolted connections meant that
very little welding took place on site. The steel roof arrived in four parts, which was logistically possible as the